McDonald's thermoforming solid aluminum cup mold. These molds have been retired. Shown in photos are representations, some molds have numbers written on them with marker and others have engraved numbers. This is a one of a kind McDonalds  collectable that very few people will own. I only have 8 of this left then there will be no more so get it while you can. The size of this mold is 4.5" diameter. Read below to learn about the thermoforming process.

The cup lid thermoforming machine works by heating a plastic sheet to a pliable temperature, then using a mold to stretch and form the plastic into the desired cup lid shape through a combination of vacuum pressure and air pressure, before trimming the excess plastic to create the final product; essentially, it heats a plastic sheet, pulls it over a mold that matches the cup lid design, and then cools it to set the shape.

Key steps in the process:

Feeding the plastic sheet: Plastic pellets are fed into an extruder which melts them into a continuous sheet.

Heating the sheet: The plastic sheet passes through a heating element to reach a forming temperature, making it soft and pliable.

Molding: The heated sheet is positioned over a mold with the cup lid design, and a vacuum is applied to pull the plastic sheet down onto the mold's contours.

Forming: Air pressure may be used in addition to the vacuum to further shape the plastic into the desired details of the lid.

Cooling: Once formed, the plastic is cooled to solidify the shape.

Trimming: Excess plastic is trimmed from the formed lid using cutting tools.

Stacking and removal: The finished lids are stacked and removed from the machine for further processing or packaging.

Important points about cup lid thermoforming machines:

Mold design:

The accuracy and complexity of the final cup lid depends heavily on the design of the mold

Plastic material selection:

Different types of plastic are used for thermoforming depending on the desired properties of the cup lid, like strength, heat resistance, and flexibility.

Automation:

Modern thermoforming machines can be highly automated, with features like automatic sheet feeding, mold cycling, and trimming.  

Cut and past this URL into your browser to see a thermoforming machine in action:

https://youtu.be/yqjyxl56h2A?si=Mjoe3dgqr4JI3C2y