WM, a thermoforming equipment manufacturer, has launched a thermoforming solution for thick wall disposable cups. According to reports, this scheme is mainly developed for milk tea, which is popular in the Asia Pacific region, especially in the Chinese market.

Optimize mold closure to meet Asian market demand

"In Europe and the United States, this kind of ordinary tea cup is made of pet or PP thermoforming, with a capacity of 660 ml and a wall thickness of 1.2mm; however, in Asia, the thickness of the cup needs to be at least 3.2mm." Said Luca Oliverio, commercial director of WM thermoforming.

WM said that China's milk tea and fruit tea market potential is huge, which brings opportunities and challenges to the production of disposable thick wall thermoforming cups. "We optimized the closure of the mold, instead of simply calibrating the plug power, and finally adjusted the technical parameters of the equipment to meet the production requirements of thick wall products." Luca Oliverio explains.

"Power and speed are parameters of reverse action. Generally speaking, as power increases, speed must be reduced. But in the practical application of our equipment, these two parameters must be guaranteed in place. " Luca Oliverio added.

In order to meet these production requirements, WM communicated with its ball screw suppliers and eventually found the right solution for the optimization of motors, screws, speed and power, he added.