Top 5 Paper Cup Making Machines: Speed, Cup Sizes and Line Set-up

This is our ranked list of the five paper cup making machines we build at Yanfeng Group: two cup-forming machines, two roll die cutters that cut the sidewall fans, and the packing machine that sleeves the finished cups. It is written for buyers setting up a new cup plant or adding a line, and it ranks the machines by cups per minute first, then cup size range, then degree of automation, so the forming machines lead, the die cutters follow, and the packer closes the line. Our recommendation: the GD-280 Paper Cup Making Machine for a plant that needs 150 to 200 cups per minute across the full 2.5 to 16 oz range, and the MB-C12H Automatic Paper Cup Machine for a plant that stays within 12 oz and wants a lower-power, more compact machine. Every figure below is from the machine's product page; the category page lists all five.

Key definitions

• Cup size (oz): the nominal volume of the finished cup; a machine's size range is the span of cup sizes it is rated to form.
• Cup fan (sidewall blank): the fan-shaped piece of coated paper, die-cut from a printed roll, that is rolled and sealed into the cup wall.
• Top diameter: the outside diameter of the cup rim after curling; it fixes which packing film width and which packer setting a cup needs.
• PE / PLA coated paper: board of 170 to 350 gsm with a polyethylene or polylactic-acid liquid barrier on one side (single PE) or both (double PE).
• Strokes per minute: the cycle rate of a die cutting press; each stroke is one cutting cycle.
• Open cam: the cam system used on the MB-C12H, which its product page credits with high driving power for the machine.

Comparison table

Rank	Model	Role in line	Speed	Size or paper range	Material	Power	Weight
1	GD-280 Paper Cup Making Machine	cup forming	150–200 pcs/min	2.5–16 oz, top dia. 50–100 mm, height up to 135 mm	170–350 gsm single/double PE or PLA paper	24 kW, 380 V/220 V 3-phase	3,000 kg
2	MB-C12H Automatic Paper Cup Machine	cup forming	100–120 pcs/min	2.5–12 oz	180–350 gsm PE/PLA/coated paper	15 kW, 380 V 50/60 Hz	2,500 kg
3	MB-980 Automatic Roll Die Cutting And Embossing Machine	fan cutting and embossing	120–150 strokes/min	paper width 300–980 mm, cut area 980×550 mm, roll dia. ≤1400 mm	150–500 g	11 kW, 380 V 50/60 Hz	6,500 kg
4	MB-CQ-850 Paper Roll Die Cutting Machine	fan cutting	200–300 strokes/min	max paper width 850 mm	cup paper or aluminium foil	5 kW, 380 V 50/60 Hz	2,100 kg
5	MB-520 Paper Cup Packing Machine	sleeve packing	10–15 pkgs/min	top dia. 65–100 mm, package height 300–520 mm	HDE (as printed), PP or POF film	2.6 kW, 220 V 50 Hz	1,300 kg

Speeds for the forming machines are finished cups per minute; for the die cutters they are press strokes per minute. Machine dimensions are given in each section below.

1. Paper Cup Making Machine (GD-280)

The GD-280 Paper Cup Making Machine is our fastest and widest-range cup former, which is why it ranks first. It forms 150 to 200 cups per minute from 2.5 to 16 oz, with a top diameter of 50 to 100 mm and a cup height up to 135 mm, from 170 to 350 gsm single- or double-PE coated paper or PLA paper. An imported hot-air device and imported control program run paper feeding, sealing, oiling, bottom punching, heating, knurling, curling, delivery, counting and stacking automatically. Power is 24 kW on three-phase 380 V/220 V, air 1 m³/min at 0.8 MPa, size 3300×1500×2100 mm, weight 3,000 kg. It can be connected with a high-speed double-wall paper cup machine and an automatic packing machine to form a complete line for hollow double-wall cups. Buy it for beverage, take-away food and ice-cream cups in many sizes at the highest output per machine.

2. Automatic Paper Cup Machine (MB-C12H)

The MB-C12H Automatic Paper Cup Machine forms 100 to 120 cups per minute from 2.5 to 12 oz using 180 to 350 gsm PE, PLA or coated paper. Its open cam system gives the machine high driving power, and side sealing combines hot-air preheating of the fan edge with ultrasonic sealing to keep the seam tight at speed. Bottom paper is fed under servo control, so no bottom is fed when no cup body is present, and waste bottom paper is cut off and discharged automatically. It carries a safety cage, PLC control with touch screen, automatic lubrication for 24-hour running, international-brand electrics, and automatic counting and collection. Power is 15 kW on 380 V 50/60 Hz with 0.2 m³/min of air; size 2750×1350×2000 mm, weight 2,500 kg. Choose it for a plant within 12 oz that wants a lower installed load and smaller footprint than the GD-280.

3. Automatic Roll Die Cutting And Embossing Machine (MB-980)

The MB-980 Automatic Roll Die Cutting And Embossing Machine is the heavier of our two fan cutters and ranks third on range and automation rather than stroke rate. It cuts and embosses a 980×550 mm area at 120 to 150 strokes per minute from 150 to 500 g board, 300 to 980 mm wide, off rolls up to 1400 mm in diameter on 3-inch cores, at ±0.10 mm precision under 250 t of pressure. Servo paper feed under PLC control follows the printed colour mark or a fixed length, so printed and unprinted rolls both run. Die cutting pressure is adjusted by motor, not by hand, and a dust-proof device keeps the oil tank clean. Power is 11 kW on 380 V 50/60 Hz, air 0.7 MPa, noise 60 dB or less; size 4350×1850×2000 mm, weight 6,500 kg. Buy it for heavy board, wide rolls or embossed cup walls.

4. Paper Roll Die Cutting Machine (MB-CQ-850)

The MB-CQ-850 Paper Roll Die Cutting Machine is the compact fan cutter: 200 to 300 strokes per minute on paper up to 850 mm wide, driven by dual servo motors under PLC control with touch screen. It runs from the printed icon sensor or from a length set in the program, and a change of moulds lets it cut cup fans of different sizes or aluminium foil. The mould material is imported from South Korea for long service life, waste is about 10 to 15 percent, and the reverse frame is height-adjustable by hand. Power is 5 kW on 380 V 50/60 Hz; size 3500×1500×2000 mm, weight 2,100 kg. It ranks fourth because its paper width is below the MB-980's and it does not emboss, but its stroke rate is higher; the product page describes it as ideal for making large quantities of paper cups and paper fans, from rolls of 850 mm or narrower.

5. Paper Cup Packing Machine (MB-520)

The MB-520 Paper Cup Packing Machine closes the line. It sleeves counted cup stacks at 10 to 15 packages per minute, for top diameters of 65 to 100 mm and package heights of 300 to 520 mm, in HDE (as printed), PP or POF film. It connects to 4 to 6 cup sizes at once: a sensor identifies each stack, the PLC feeds the film length for that top size, the hot-air clamp opens, the stack drops, the clamp closes, the heat-sealing knife seals the bag, and PLC memory drops each size into its own box. One packer serves several cup machines, stops and alarms on low air pressure, and can be serviced while the cup machines keep running by diverting cups to a temporary collector. Power is 2.6 kW on 220 V 50 Hz, air 0.6 MPa or more, size 3924×3819×1750 mm, weight 1,300 kg. Buy it to remove hand packing and cut film cost.

How to choose

1. Fix the cup size range. If any product is above 12 oz, or if you need a top diameter up to 100 mm and a cup height up to 135 mm, the GD-280 is the only forming machine on this list that covers it; within 2.5 to 12 oz the MB-C12H also qualifies.
2. Set the daily output. Divide the cups you must ship per shift by the machine's cups per minute × 60 × working hours: as an illustration at rated speed (not a catalogue figure), one GD-280 at 150 to 200 pcs/min gives 72,000 to 96,000 cups in eight hours, and one MB-C12H at 100 to 120 pcs/min gives 48,000 to 57,600.
3. Decide where the fans come from. If you buy printed rolls, add a die cutter: the MB-CQ-850 for rolls up to 850 mm wide, the MB-980 for 150 to 500 g board, rolls up to 980 mm wide and embossed walls.
4. Check the paper. Both formers take PE- or PLA-coated paper; specify 170 to 350 gsm for the GD-280 and 180 to 350 gsm for the MB-C12H, and for an MB-980 confirm the board is within its 150 to 500 g range.
5. Add packing when hand packing becomes the bottleneck. One MB-520 at 10 to 15 packages per minute takes cups from several machines and 4 to 6 sizes at once, so it is usually sized for the plant, not per cup machine.
6. Budget power and air. Sum the installed loads (24 kW or 15 kW for the former, 11 kW or 5 kW for the cutter, 2.6 kW for the packer) and provide compressed air at 0.8 MPa for the cup machine, 0.7 MPa for the MB-980 and at least 0.6 MPa for the packer.

Send your cup sizes, paper specification and target output through the enquiry form and we will return a line layout with machine count, power and air budget. Our production capacity page shows our workshops.