Key Points to Consider When Purchasing a Paper Cup Machine

Before choosing the features you will need in a Paper Cup Machine, the very first decision you must make is determining the cup size you want to produce.
Choosing the wrong size will cause major problems later on.
In Paper Cup Machines, changing the cup size and mold means replacing hundreds of individual parts. Additionally, because these machines are expensive (between 20,000 USD – 100,000 USD), buying a second machine simply to switch sizes is usually not practical. In such cases, manufacturers generally sell their used machines and place orders for brand-new machines.

Producing More Than One Cup Size on the Same Machine Technically possible, but not practical and not recommended. Changing the mold of a machine requires a master operator with at least 5 years of experience and can take up to 2 full days. For a regular operator, changing a mold alone is nearly impossible unless you have a strong technical infrastructure. Therefore, we advise our customers to purchase a machine based on the size they plan to produce the most, instead of trying to produce multiple sizes on one machine.

Paper Cup Machines vary widely depending on your budget. At Koresan, we advise our customers not to spend money on unnecessary features.
What we mean is: there is no point in paying thousands of extra dollars for components that will not affect production quality, or in purchasing a more expensive machine simply because it has additional functions.

For example, if a machine producing 70 pieces per minute costs 14,000 USD, and another machine producing 150 pieces per minute costs 40,000 USD, in such a situation, the smarter choice is to buy two 70-pcs/min machines rather than one 150-pcs/min machine.

This is because labor cost in cup production is minimal.
Whether you operate two 70-pcs/min machines, or one 150-pcs/min machine, one operator is sufficient for both setups.

The features of Paper Cup Machines also change depending on the paper grammage to be used.
In Turkey, the most commonly sold cup size is 6.5 oz to 6 oz.
Cups in this size range usually weigh between 3 and 4 grams and are commonly sold in grocery stores and markets.

If you plan to produce cups in this grammage range, your machine should have a resistance-based heating system. However, if you intend to produce thicker cups (4 grams or more), your machine must include an ultrasonic sealing head and a hot-air system supported by a compressor.

So what are these features?

The ultrasonic sealing head ensures strong sealing even on 350 gsm paper, but it is also a part that can fail and may require replacement.
The ultrasonic system alone adds approximately 3,000 USD to the cost of the machine. If you will not produce cups that require ultrasonic sealing, paying extra makes no sense.
A compressor-supported hot-air system is not logical for manufacturers who will produce mid-range cups for the general market.
Running a compressor continuously consumes significantly more electricity, resulting in unnecessarily higher electricity bills.

Therefore, purchasing features you do not need will only increase your operating costs without providing any real benefit.

Rushing a purchase always comes with a cost.
As you know, Paper Cup Machines are manufactured in the Far East. The production time of our machines is approximately 30 days, and the shipping process takes around 45 days. In total, this means a lead time of about 2.5 months.

Some customers who do not want to wait prefer to buy second-hand machines from local sellers who keep ready-stock machines in certain cup sizes. However, if that cup size does not match the needs of your region or your customers, you should not buy that machine.

Otherwise, you will end up producing a cup size that you cannot sell — simply because you wanted to receive the machine 1–2 months earlier.

Later on, when you decide to change the cup size, the mold replacement will be extremely costly, and you will likely choose to sell the machine you originally bought at a loss.

To avoid such a situation, please don’t be intimidated by the delivery time.
Waiting for the correct machine is always the smartest investment.