How Are Paper Coffee Cups Made?

Most of the paper we use every day would collapse into mush if we poured the hot liquid into it. Paper cups, however, can handle anything from ice water to coffee. In this blog, you might be surprised by how much thought and effort goes into making this common container safe and eco-friendly.

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Raw Materials

Coffee paper cups are made of wood chips. After the trees are cut down, they are debarked and then they are made into wood chips and then through a mechanical process the logs are converted into pulp. The pulp is fed into the digester where it will be cooked in a chemical solution at a high temperature in a mix of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. The Royal Society of Chemistry estimates 33 grams of wood and bark go into each coffee paper cup.

Shaping the Cup

The paper used for normal cups can come from forestry all over the world. As explained above the tree then go through a process to become paper, Manufacturers take the paper and apply a thin plastic layer that makes it waterproof, the coated plastic can be PE or PLA. The flat sheet of plastic-covered paper is then rolled into a cup form. Next, the manufacturer heats the plastic and presses the parts of the cup together so the plastic seals them.

Special Features

Some paper cups are built with special features. Generally. a single wall is enough for cold drinks, and for hot drinks it is better to use double wall cups for extra heat protection. Research says cups made with an inner and outer layer of paper can insulate hot contents without the need for a sleeve. Cups with polymer coatings are also insulated and tougher than regular cups.

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Paper cup manufacturing process at Tuobo Packaging

1. The food service paperboard is turned into reels.

2. The reels are printed and cut into carefully measured cup sidewall blanks.

3. The blanks are inserted into cup-forming machines that wrap the blanks into a cup shape and add the bottom.

4. The seams of the cups are heated in order to make the cups liquid-proof.

5. Finally, the machine trims the cups into their final, round shape.

Tuobo Packaging not only offers the most competitive prices on the market but also sells custom coffee paper cups manufactured with the highest quality materials.

When you work with Tuobo Packaging, we’ll do everything in our power to ensure that you are satisfied with your order. We take great pride in offering exceptional customer service and support. As branding experts, you can trust us to help you expand your brand reach and exposure.