Packing ice cubes in cups is commonly done for take-away drinks, retail ice, or vending use. Below is a clear, practical guide, from manual to fully automatic production.
How to Pack Ice Cubes in Cups
1️⃣ Ice Making
Use a cube ice machine or flake ice machine (food-grade).
Ice is produced and stored in a sanitary ice bin.
Keep ice at –5 °C to –18 °C before packing to avoid melting.
2️⃣ Cup Feeding
Cups (plastic or paper) are fed by:
Manual placement (small scale)
Automatic cup denester (industrial scale)
Common cup sizes:
200 ml
300 ml
400 ml
500 ml
3️⃣ Ice Dosing into Cup
Option A – Volumetric Ice Feeder
Ice slides into the cup via chute
Simple & economical
Suitable for uniform cube size
Option B – Multi-Head Weigher (Best)
Weighs exact ice quantity (e.g., 200 g / 300 g)
High accuracy
Ideal for retail sale
Option C – Manual Filling
Used for small shops or catering
4️⃣ Lid Sealing / Capping
Option 1 – Film Sealing
Cup filling & sealing machine
Heat seals plastic film lid
Tamper-evident and leak-proof
Option 2 – Dome Lid Capping
Ice cube cup dome lid capping machine
Popular for take-away drinks
Option 3 – Aluminum Foil Sealing
For higher hygiene protection
Optional dust-proof foil lid
5️⃣ Output & Conveying
Finished cups move to:
Conveyor
Shrink wrapping
Carton packing
Cold storage
⚙️ Recommended Machines
Small Scale
Tabletop cup sealer
Manual ice dosing
Medium Scale
Automatic ice cube cup filling sealing machine
Volumetric ice feeder
Output: 20–40 cups/min
Industrial Scale
Multi-lane ice cube cup filling & sealing machine
Multi-head weigher
Output: 60–200 cups/min
Hygiene Considerations
Stainless steel contact parts
Enclosed ice feeding tunnel
UV or air-knife optional
No hand contact
CIP cleaning supported
Typical Production Line
Ice maker
Ice storage bin
Ice conveyor / feeder
Cup denester
Ice dosing system
Cup sealing or capping machine
Conveyor → freezer
If you want a custom solution, tell me:
Cup size
Required ice weight
Sealing type (film / dome lid / foil)
Target capacity (cups/hour)
I can recommend the exact machine model and line layout for you.