Different Types of Machines and Equipment Used in Chocolate Production Lines
Before buying chocolate manufacturing machine, you should read this guide.
It answers all your questions about chocolate production line. From features, classification criteria, components, specification to working principle – you will find all information you’re looking for in this guide.
Generally, you will classify different types of chocolate manufacturing machines by level of automation.
In that category of classification, you will have three main types of chocolate manufacturing machines. Here are the three main types of chocolate manufacturing machine you ought to know more about.
Automatic Chocolate Manufacturing Machine
Automatic chocolate manufacturing machines are large-scale chocolate manufacturing equipment. You will use this type of machine to automatically produce chocolate over a wider scale within a short time. Apart from that, you will need very few or no human labor to assist in the manufacturing process of chocolate.
Semi-Automatic Chocolate Manufacturing Machine
You can also opt for the semi-automatic chocolate manufacturing machine in medium scale chocolate production. The semi-automatic chocolate manufacturing machines have both manual and automatic operations. In other words, you will have to control it manually and also automatically at some instances. You must hire additional human labor to help you control the operations of the semi-automatic chocolate manufacturing machine.
Manual Chocolate Manufacturing Machine
You may also opt for the manual chocolate manufacturing machine which deals with small scale chocolate production. The manual chocolate manufacturing machine does not have automatic functions as all activities are human labor assisted.
Yes,all the machines are designed as modular.All the machines can work independently and cooperatively.
Each machines can be added or removed from the production line very flexibly and quickly so that make the line keep advanced and useful for more than 20 years.
In a complete stand-alone chocolate production line, there are quite a number of important machines. These machines are responsible for different functions that help in the manufacturing or producing the final products. Here are the main machines that you will find within a complete stand-alone chocolate production line.
Sugar Grinding Machine
You will use the sugar grinding machines to grind larger particles of sugar into smaller and finer particles.
It produces very fine sugar particles that will make the final chocolate product smooth and delicate.
To some extent, it will also produce sugar that will affect the general sweetness and taste of chocolate.
Chocolate Melting Tank
You will use the chocolate melting tank to melt the solid cocoa butter, cocoa butter substitutes and cocoa liquor.
The molten chocolate ingredients will make very fine ingredients for the manufacturing process of chocolate.
Chocolate Conching Refining Machine
You will also need the chocolate conching and refining machine which makes the basic production link. It helps in mixing all the materials evenly and while reducing the overall fineness of the materials.
Chocolate Storage Stank
You will use the chocolate storage tank to maintain the storage heat of chocolate slurry to meet technological requirements. It is best for the storage of chocolate thus maintaining a continuous supply of the molten chocolate raw materials.
Chocolate Tempering Machine
You will use the chocolate tempering machine to regulate the temperature thus crystalizing the cocoa butter into stable beta crystals. Apart from that it expresses them to black luster thus prolonging the product shelf life.
Chocolate Molding Machine
Just from the name, you can note that the chocolate molding machine is responsible for molding chocolate into various shapes.
There are different depositors for choice to make different chocolate.
CNC One Shot and Decoration Depositor
Mixture Depositor
Chocolate Packaging Machine
At the completion of the chocolate manufacturing process, you will use the chocolate packaging machine for packaging.
It is capable of wrapping and placing chocolate in different packages for storage and eventual distribution.
You will definitely work with the best under all circumstances and this applies with the chocolate manufacturing machines as well.
In other words, you have to make the best of choices by looking at the most significant features.
Here are the specifications to look at when choosing the best chocolate manufacturing machines.
Cost Of The Machine
One of the main factors that you have to look at is the cost of purchasing the chocolate manufacturing machine. You have to consider working within a budget when looking for the most suitable type of chocolate making machines.
Scale Of Production
You will also look at the chocolate manufacturing machine in terms of the production capacity within your chocolate production plant.
For instance, you will have the fully automatic machine for large scale production and manual machines for small scale production.
Space Requirements
You must also go for a chocolate manufacturing machine that is capable of occupying your space.
The space within your manufacturing plant should be sufficient enough to carter for machine maintenance among other factors.
The production is with two layers(upper and lower side) so that double the space of your workshop.
Technological Advancements
You must go for the chocolate manufacturing machine that has the latest form of technology for manufacturing chocolate.
Apart from that, you can also opt for a machine that can combine different chocolate manufacturing techniques.
Production Specifications
You should also have the right knowledge about the kind of chocolate that you would like to produce. It is best to consider a chocolate manufacturing machine that allows you to change the production specifications at will.
With the chocolate manufacturing machine at hand, you can now proceed with the chocolate manufacturing process.
You should have the relevant ingredients ready depending on the type of chocolate you would like to produce.
Here is a step-by-step process that you can follow to completely understand how the chocolate manufacturing machine works.
Step One: Preparation Stage
You will begin the whole process of manufacturing chocolate by preparing the ingredients according to the recipe.
Among the most important ingredients that you should have include the cocoa beans, sugar and milk powder.
You will have to go through the sifting process to extract the right cocoa strains after which you will roast. After that, you will remove the shell from the cocoa beans to extract the flesh inside the beans.
You must also remember to prepare the machine well and program it according to the right production specifications.
Step Two: Grinding Stage
As soon as everything is in place, you will begin the manufacturing process by grinding the cocoa beans. With the help of the chocolate grinding machine, you will covert the cocoa nibs into cocoa concentrates.
The final product may have a tart taste of slurry where fat is also burned through the grinding of cocoa beans.
Step Three: Blending Ingredients
At this point, you will have the grinded cocoa slurry which you will improve by adding more ingredients. You will add more ingredients to the slurry depending on your production specifications and recipe.
Make sure that you mix all the ingredients accordingly, to form homogenous mixtures with great consistency.
Step Four: Molding Process
At this point, all the ingredients are in place and the chocolate slurry is also in proper concentration.
You will allow the chocolate slurry to move to the molding stage where the machine moulds it to different shapes.
The molding section has different types of molds that make different shapes of the chocolate you desire. You should consider having a chocolate molding machine that can change the molds accordingly.
The depositor will deposit the slurry on the molding plates in different quantities with the help of servo-assisted pistons.
The machine also has a cam profile set-up which will help in controlling the filling depth of the molding plates.
The spreader will make sure that the chocolate slurry ingredients are spread evenly within the mold plates.
Step Five: Cooling Process
After moulding the chocolate, you have to pass it through the cooling system within the production line.
Cooling the chocolate mold will eliminate excess heat and also help in solidifying the molds to proper texture.
You will cool the chocolate molds within the cooling tunnel of the chocolate molding machine.
It also has monitoring sensors to help in controlling the overall temperatures during the cooling process.
As soon as cooling is complete, you will remove the chocolate molds from the molding plates.
Step Six: Packaging
Finally, you will complete the process by packaging the chocolate before storage and eventual distribution. You should note that there are different packaging methods that you can use according to type of chocolate
Since you will be using the chocolate manufacturing machine in the food industry, hygiene is paramount. You have to look at different features that will ensure that the chocolate manufacturing machines are hygienic.
Here are the main features to look at for a hygienic chocolate manufacturing machine design.
Type of Materials
One of the most important aspects to look at is the main type of material for manufacturing the machine. You should consider using stainless steel because it does not rust, or stain thus maintaining high hygiene standards.
Cleaning Function
You should also ensure that you have a proper cleaning system with the chocolate manufacturing machine. It is important to have a simple, fast, and thorough cleaning system throughout the chocolate manufacturing system.
Proper Accessibility
You should also consider having a chocolate manufacturing machine that allows you to access all the parts. Having access to all the parts of the machine gives you the perfect opportunity to clean every part of the machine.
Removable Parts
You can also opt for a chocolate manufacturing machine with removable parts that you can simply remove and clean. It will help in accessing the hidden parts of the machine to allow proper washing and increased hygiene levels.
Speaking of hygiene, cleaning is a very important aspect that you have to pay close attention to. You have to clean the chocolate manufacturing machine on a regular basis especially after every use.
Most of the modern automatic chocolate manufacturing machines have a clean in place (CIP) system. With the clean in place system, you can automatically clean the chocolate manufacturing machine after use. All you have to do is program the command center of the machine to clean it at specific intervals.
Despite having the clean in place system, there are hidden parts of the machine that you need to clean. Luckily, most of the chocolate manufacturing machine designers and manufacturers have that in mind. So, you will realize that modern chocolate manufacturing machines have removable and replaceable parts.
You should have a cleaning schedule where you will set the cleaning time for the hidden and inaccessible parts. Implying that, you will have to stop operations and remove the hidden parts for thorough cleaning and disinfection.
There are quite a number of factors that will determine the cost of chocolate manufacturing machines. In other words, you will pay different amounts of money for different types of chocolate manufacturing machines.
Here are the main factors that will determine the cost of chocolate manufacturing machines in China.
Type of Machine
First, you have to look at the type of chocolate manufacturing machine that you intend to purchase from China. You can opt for the fully-automatic, semi-automatic, or manual machine which come with different price tags.
Size of The Machine
The size of the machine also plays a huge role in determining the amount of money you will pay. The bigger the machine, the more materials you will use, thus the higher the price you will pay.
Machine Functionality And Level of Technology
You will also have a look at the different types of technology on the chocolate manufacturing machine. Machines with higher or latest technological advancements or levels will definitely cost you a lot of money.
Yes, we do offer installation and debugging services for our chocolate manufacturing machines.
These are some of the after sales services that you will receive when you purchase the machine.
1. We ensure that you get the best of our installation services from our experience engineering team.
2. Apart from installation, we ensure that you get proper testing services on the machine that you purchase. In other words, you will get a completely functional machine at your production plant after you purchase.
3. We also understand that the machine may experience technical difficulties during the operation. With our team of engineers, we will definitely sort you out by troubleshooting and fixing the problem.
4. To make the work easier, you can also opt to have some of your staff trained by our team of experienced engineers.