Small Cup Production Requirements Analysis
Small cups and lids place unique demands on injection molding machines. Sauce cups at 30-60 ml with 0.35-0.45 mm walls and part weights of 1.5-3.5g require injection speeds above 350 mm/s and injection pressures of 150-180 MPa for complete fill. Yogurt cup lids at 75-95 mm diameter with 0.35-0.50 mm walls weigh 3-6g and require precise rim flatness within plus or minus 0.05 mm for foil seal integrity. Small beverage cups at 150-200 ml with 0.40-0.50 mm walls weigh 4-7g and include thickened rims of 1.0-1.5 mm for straw insertion. All these products benefit from high cavity counts to maximize output per machine hour, as individual part value is very low at 0.005-0.020 USD. The typical cavity configurations for each machine class are 4-8 cavities on the HMD 270M8-SPV and 8-12 cavities on the HMD 320M8-SPV for sauce cups, 4-6 cavities on the 270 and 6-8 cavities on the 320 for lids, and 4 cavities on the 270 and 4-6 cavities on the 320 for small beverage cups. The higher cavity counts possible on the 320 directly translate to higher hourly output and lower per-part machine cost.
Key Specs
- •Sauce cups at 30-60 ml with 0.35-0.45 mm walls and part weights of 1.5-3.5g require injection speeds above 350 mm/s and injection pressures of 150-180 MPa for complete fill.
- •Yogurt cup lids at 75-95 mm diameter with 0.35-0.50 mm walls weigh 3-6g and require precise rim flatness within plus or minus 0.05 mm for foil seal integrity.
- •Small beverage cups at 150-200 ml with 0.40-0.50 mm walls weigh 4-7g and include thickened rims of 1.0-1.5 mm for straw insertion.
High-speed injection unit with linear guides
Clamping Force Calculation for Small Cups
Clamping force requirements for small cups are calculated from projected area multiplied by cavity pressure, typically 4-6 tonnes per cm2 for thin-wall applications. A 30 ml sauce cup at 45 mm diameter has a projected area of 15.9 cm2 per cavity. For 8 cavities at 5 tonnes per cm2, total required force is 636 kN, well within the HMD 270M8-SPV at 2,700 kN. For 16 cavities, the requirement doubles to 1,272 kN, still within the 270 but with less safety margin. A 60 ml sauce cup at 55 mm diameter has 23.8 cm2 per cavity. Eight cavities at 5 tonnes per cm2 require 952 kN, fine for the 270. Sixteen cavities require 1,904 kN, still within the 270 but approaching its useful range. A yogurt cup lid at 90 mm diameter has 63.6 cm2 per cavity. Four cavities require 1,272 kN, comfortable for the 270. Eight cavities require 2,544 kN, which is at the 270 clamping limit and benefits from the 320 at 3,200 kN for adequate safety margin. The general rule: select the machine where your total required clamping force is no more than 80% of rated capacity to ensure consistent flash-free production over the mold's lifetime as the toggle system wears.
Platen Size Impact on Cavity Layout
The platen and tie bar dimensions determine the maximum mold footprint and thus the achievable cavity count. The HMD 270M8-SPV with tie bar distance of 580 x 570 mm can accommodate molds up to approximately 550 x 540 mm in practical dimensions after accounting for clearance. This fits 4-cavity layouts for 90 mm diameter lids at 120 mm cavity pitch in a 2x2 grid, 8-cavity layouts for 55 mm diameter sauce cups at 80 mm pitch in a 2x4 grid, and 12-cavity layouts for 45 mm sauce cups at 65 mm pitch in a 3x4 grid. The HMD 320M8-SPV with tie bar distance of 625 x 595 mm accommodates molds up to approximately 595 x 565 mm. This enables 8-cavity layouts for 90 mm lids at 100 mm pitch in a 2x4 grid, 16-cavity layouts for 55 mm sauce cups at 75 mm pitch in a 4x4 grid, and 12-16 cavity layouts for 45 mm sauce cups at 65 mm pitch. The 45 mm wider tie bar distance on the 320 in the horizontal direction and 25 mm in the vertical direction opens up mold configurations that cannot physically fit on the 270. This is particularly important for 8-cavity lid molds and 16-cavity sauce cup molds.
Key Specs
- •The HMD 270M8-SPV with tie bar distance of 580 x 570 mm can accommodate molds up to approximately 550 x 540 mm in practical dimensions after accounting for clearance.
- •This fits 4-cavity layouts for 90 mm diameter lids at 120 mm cavity pitch in a 2x2 grid, 8-cavity layouts for 55 mm diameter sauce cups at 80 mm pitch in a 2x4 grid, and 12-cavity layouts for 45 mm sauce cups at 65 mm pitch in a 3x4 grid.
- •The HMD 320M8-SPV with tie bar distance of 625 x 595 mm accommodates molds up to approximately 595 x 565 mm.
Servo-hydraulic drive system with energy recovery
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Production Output Comparison for Key Products
Direct output comparison shows the throughput advantage of higher cavity counts on the 320. For 60 ml sauce cups at 5.5-second cycle: the 270 with 8-cavity mold produces 5,236 cups per hour, while the 320 with 16-cavity mold produces 10,473 cups per hour, doubling output. For yogurt cup lids at 4.5-second cycle: the 270 with 4-cavity mold produces 3,200 lids per hour, while the 320 with 8-cavity mold produces 6,400 lids per hour. For small 150 ml cups at 4.0-second cycle: the 270 with 4-cavity mold produces 3,600 cups per hour versus the 320 with 6-cavity at 5,400 cups per hour. Monthly output at 85% OEE for sauce cups: 270 produces 3.19 million cups versus 320 at 6.39 million. However, these comparisons assume you invest in the higher-cavity mold for the 320. A 16-cavity sauce cup mold costs approximately 60,000-90,000 USD versus 35,000-55,000 USD for an 8-cavity mold, so the total investment including machine and mold must be evaluated together. The per-part machine hour cost drops significantly with higher cavity counts.
Total Investment Analysis
A comprehensive cost comparison includes machine price, mold investment, and operating costs. Scenario A: HMD 270M8-SPV with 8-cavity 60 ml sauce cup mold. Total investment approximately 180,000-220,000 USD (machine) plus 35,000-55,000 USD (mold) equals 215,000-275,000 USD. Monthly output of 3.19 million cups at variable cost of 0.004-0.005 USD per cup generates monthly revenue of approximately 25,000-48,000 USD at 0.008-0.015 USD selling price. Scenario B: HMD 320M8-SPV with 16-cavity 60 ml sauce cup mold. Total investment approximately 195,000-240,000 USD (machine) plus 60,000-90,000 USD (mold) equals 255,000-330,000 USD. Monthly output of 6.39 million cups generates monthly revenue of approximately 51,000-96,000 USD. The 320 scenario requires approximately 20-25% higher total investment but delivers 100% more output. At gross margins of 45-55%, the payback period for the 320 scenario is approximately 12-18 months versus 15-22 months for the 270 scenario. The 320 achieves faster payback despite higher investment because the doubled output amortizes fixed costs across twice as many parts.
Key Specs
- •The 320 scenario requires approximately 20-25% higher total investment but delivers 100% more output.
- •At gross margins of 45-55%, the payback period for the 320 scenario is approximately 12-18 months versus 15-22 months for the 270 scenario.
Toggle clamping unit — high rigidity for thin-wall molding
Recommendation by Application
For sauce cups (30-60 ml, 1.5-3.5g): Choose the HMD 320M8-SPV with 16-cavity mold if annual demand exceeds 30 million cups, which justifies the higher mold investment. Choose the HMD 270M8-SPV with 8-cavity mold for annual demand below 30 million cups or for startups testing the market before scaling. For yogurt cup lids (75-95 mm diameter, 3-6g): Choose the HMD 320M8-SPV with 8-cavity mold for high-volume production exceeding 40 million lids per year. The wider tie bar distance of 625 x 595 mm versus 580 x 570 mm is essential for fitting 8-cavity lid molds at 90-95 mm diameter. Choose the HMD 270M8-SPV with 4-cavity mold for moderate volumes or specialty lids. For small beverage cups (150-200 ml, 4-7g): Both machines work well with 4-cavity molds. The 320 offers growth potential for 6-cavity configurations. Choose based on volume requirements and future expansion plans. For mixed production running multiple products: The HMD 320M8-SPV provides more flexibility across product sizes and cavity configurations, making it the better investment for contract manufacturers producing multiple small cup types.
Frequently Asked Questions
The HMD 270M8-SPV with 8-cavity mold at 5.5-second cycle produces approximately 106,310 sauce cups per day at 85% OEE. The HMD 320M8-SPV with 16-cavity mold at the same cycle time produces approximately 212,621 cups per day. The 320 with higher cavity count exactly doubles daily output. These figures are for 60 ml sauce cups running 24/7. Smaller 30 ml cups at higher cavity counts of 12-24 can achieve even higher daily volumes.
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