The "growth" of paper cups

Historically, the growth of paper cups has gone through four stages:

The paper cups that were originally available in conical/folded paper cups were conical and were made by hand. They were glued together to make them easier to separate and must be used as quickly as possible. Later folded paper cups were creased on the side walls to increase the strength of the side walls and the durability of the paper cups, but it was more difficult and inefficient to print the patterns on these folded surfaces.

Waxed Paper Cup In 1932, the first waxed two-piece paper cup was launched. Its smooth surface can be printed with various exquisite designs to enhance the promotion effect. The waxing of paper cups on the one hand can avoid direct contact between the beverage and the paper, and can also protect the adhesiveness of the glue and enhance the durability of the paper cup; on the other hand, it also increases the thickness of the side wall, which greatly increases the strength of the paper cup, thereby reducing the The amount of paper needed to make a stronger paper cup reduces production costs.

As the waxed paper cup becomes a container for cold drinks, people also hope to use a convenient vessel for holding hot beverages. However, the hot beverage will melt the wax layer on the inner surface of the paper cup, and the adhesive bond will separate. Therefore, the ordinary waxed paper cup is not suitable for holding hot beverages.

The straight-walled double-layer cups were used to expand the use of paper cups. In 1940, straight-wall double-layer paper cups were introduced to the market. Such paper cups are not only portable but can also be used to hold hot beverages. Later, the manufacturer applied latex to these cups to cover the “cardboard taste” of the paper and to enhance the leak resistance of the paper cups. Single layer wax coated cups coated with latex are widely used in self-service vending machines for hot coffee.

Polyethylene coated paper cups Some food companies have begun to apply polyethylene to paperboard to increase the barrier and sealability of paper packaging. Since the melting point of polyethylene is much higher than that of wax, a new type of beverage paper cup coated with this material can be ideally used for holding hot beverages, and solves the problem of affecting product quality due to melting of the coating material. At the same time, the polyethylene coating was smoother than the original wax coating, improving the appearance of the paper cup. In addition, its processing technology is also cheaper and faster than the latex coating method.