Sama: completely automatic cup production

Sama Maschinenbau GmbH, Sacmi’s German subsidiary, has come up with a technical solution that makes cup production systems completely automatic, thereby cutting production costs considerably. Compared to traditional, fully manual manufacturing, it is possible to eliminate some 10-12 manual tasks per passage and achieve output rates of 500 - 1000 cups per hour.
For an activity that has always been seen as inherently labour-intensive – and high-cost, with production often being transferred to countries where manpower is cheaper – it looks like the end of an era!
Sama offers two technological solutions: the first, an addition to the traditional cup moulding system, is a machine that produces only handles by pressure casting them in resin moulds. A patented system that uses neither slip nor glue then attaches the handles to the cup. In traditional plants, this procedure can account for up to 80% of total production costs: with this Sama solution, the savings are substantial.
The second solution, instead, allows the entire cup to be produced via a single pressure-casting process that employs an advanced 4-part mould. This system is especially suited to irregularly-shaped or non-round cups.