Engineering

Topic:

Technical and Operational Analysis of Single-Use Plastic Tableware Manufacturing (Cups and Plates)

Context:

This research is for an engineering / business course at masters level.

The objective is to analyze the technical, material, and production feasibility of manufacturing single-use plastic tableware, with a focus on plastic cups and plastic plates.

This is not a marketing paper and not a financial or SWOT analysis.

Research Objectives

The research should focus on how a locally manufactured single-use plastic product could stand out from imported finished products, from a technical and operational perspective.

The emphasis should be on:

production technology

machine capability

material choice

output efficiency

product quality differentiation

Scope of Research (MANDATORY)

1. Manufacturing Technologies

Research and compare manufacturing technologies used for:

disposable plastic cups (transparent, foam, rigid)

disposable plastic plates

For each product type, identify:

suitable production processes (e.g. thermoforming, extrusion, injection molding)

advantages and limitations of each process

industrial standards used globally

2. Machine Research (Using Made-in-China as Reference)

Using Made-in-China.com as a reference marketplace, identify real industrial machines used for:

Plastic cup production

Plastic plate production

For each machine, provide:

Machine type and process

Supported materials

Production capacity (units per minute / hour)

Power consumption

Mold or tooling requirements

Automation level

Typical price range

The focus should be on technical capability, not vendor promotion.

3. Material Analysis

Research plastic materials commonly used for single-use tableware, including but not limited to:

PP (Polypropylene)

PS (Polystyrene)

PET (if applicable)

Foam materials (e.g. EPS, where relevant)

For each material, analyze:

Food safety suitability

Mechanical properties (rigidity, transparency, brittleness)

Typical thickness and weight per unit

Compatibility with manufacturing machines

Pros and cons for cups vs plates

4. Product Differentiation (Technical)

Analyze how manufacturing choices can create differentiation, such as:

cup thickness and rigidity

transparency vs foam insulation

surface finish and mold precision

production consistency and defect rates

This section should focus on engineering and production quality, not branding.

5. Production Logic & Capacity

Using the machine data:

Explain production flow from raw material to finished product

Estimate realistic production capacity per shift

Identify key operational constraints (energy, labor, maintenance)

No revenue or profit projections are required.

6. Constraints & Technical Risks

machine maintenance requirements

raw material dependency

energy sensitivity

quality control challenges