Pressware forming apparatus, components therefore and methods of making pressware therefrom

A system for forming pressware products, comprising:

• a scoring station comprising a plurality of scoring rules and a plurality of score grooves arranged in a nested pattern that correspond to the scoring rules;
• a blanking station coupled to the scoring station and comprising a plurality of male cutting dies and a plurality of female recesses corresponding to the male cutting dies, the male cutting dies and the female recesses adapted to cut paperboard blanks from a web of material;
• a conveying system coupled to the blanking station and comprising a plurality of chute pairs adapted to transport the paperboard blanks;
• and
• an apparatus for forming a pressware product from a paperboard blank, comprising:
• at least two die assemblies, each die assembly comprising an upper punch portion and a lower die portion for forming a paperboard blank into a formed pressware product, wherein at least one die assembly has a cross-directional width that is less than 105% of a cross-directional width of the paperboard blank or wherein a first of the at least two die assemblies is positioned at a different elevation than a second of the at least two die assemblies, and wherein the apparatus is coupled to the conveying station and adapted to receive the paperboard blanks therefrom.