Styrofoam
cups First of all Styrofoam as we think it as the name of a material, is a misconception, it is the registered brand of DOW chemical Company.
Chemically is 95% air and 5% polystyrene and was mainly manufactured as a insulating material.
It is not
environmentally safe because it is made up of non biodegradable material which lasts forever and every time you crush it, CFC’s (chloro flouro carbons) are
released which are ozone depleting substances and hence day by day we are more and more exposed to harmful UV rays from sun.
Although slowly they were replaced by non CFC compound in many parts of the world.
While Styrofoam keeps the contents warm, still they do not represent the image the operators want to convey to the customers, besides that many customers being environmentally responsible may not accept Styrofoam cups at all which reduces the customer inflow which has made operators to shift to
paper cups.
Since it is an insulating material heat loss is less and hence it is suitable for serving hot beverages but not hot acidic drinks like hot lemon
tea because it melts.
Few things which should be taken care of while designing the
Cup that:
1. while holding the cup
drink should not spill
2. cup should be cool enough to be carried by hand(for hot drinks)
3. It should maintain the temperature of the drink for reasonable time?
4. durability and stability (depending on the amount of drink to be served)
5. aesthetic appeal
6. cost effectiveness
7. environmentally safe
8. life after use
Analysis a typical Styrofoam cup on these parameters:
1. Styrofoam cup is turned outwards on its edge so that drink may not spill while holding
2. It is an insulating material and hence it is cool enough to hold with hand.
3. Since its an insulator and material is such that transfer of heat is slow hence it keeps coffee or tea hot for reasonable time
4. Generally it is used in smaller sizes but it is a material which remains durable in most of the cases but while drinking hot lemon tea it melts and starts leaking, it is made thicker and sturdy at its base so that it is stable and does not leak.
5. It can be made aesthetically appealing by printing over it.
6. It is very cheap as compared to paper cups but paper cups are gaining popularity due to being a natural product and doesn’t cause any harm to environment but compared to other kinds of plastic glass it is still popular and a better choice for the reasons cited above.
7. It is not environmentally safe because it is non biodegradable material which doesn’t decay and hence causes harm to the environment.
8. It cannot be reused after used once because recycling is very costly for Styrofoam but still efforts are being made in this direction in terms of R&D.
More reviews about the Analysis of design of a styrofoam cup