The chocolate industry is a lucrative one – the demand for chocolates isn’t disappearing anytime soon. So, if you own a food manufacturing business, investing in chocolate products is a good idea.
One popular and easily produced chocolate product is chocolate coins. If you’ve been curious about how they are industrially manufactured, then we’ve got you covered! In this article, we will discuss everything about the chocolate coin manufacturing process and the machines involved.
The Basics of Chocolate Coin Making.
You can industrially produce large batches of edible coins with the help of specialized machines. These take in chocolate, melt it, temper it, and shape it into disks. They do this with the help of molds or cutters, giving you uniform products ready to be wrapped. Let’s discuss a few types of these machines.
The Types of Chocolate Coin Machines
1. Fully Manual.
This machine requires much manual effort to operate. It consists of a hand-cranked press that shapes the chocolate.
2. Semi-Automatic.
This coin molding machine is partially automated and requires some manual effort. Its motorized press shapes the chocolate into coins.
3. Fully Automatic.
This sort of equipment comes with a hopper, conveyor belt, and automated press that shapes the chocolate into disks. It often has a large production capacity and can have a digital or analog control panel. Their sub-types include the following:
- Multi-Functional Machines.
These can also produce other types of chocolates alongside chocolate coins.
- Fully Digital Machines.
These come with digital control panels that can produce highly precise results
- Hydraulic Machines.
These use hydraulic presses to shape the chocolate. These can also produce larger and thicker disks easily.
- Rotary Coin-Making Machines
These machines have that have rotary molds.
- Molded Chocolate Coin-Making Machines
These machines use pre-made molds to shape the coins.
The Basic Principles Behind Industrial Chocolate Coin Manufacturing.
Overall, the chocolate coin manufacturing process simply involves melting your chocolate ingredients and solidifying them into desired shapes. However, doing so manually is time-consuming and can lead to costly errors like spills and burns. A chocolate coin manufacturing machine automates the process:
1. Melting.
To melt your chocolate, you simply pour it into your chocolate coin machine’s feeder. This leads the chocolate to a large melting tank. You can set the tank’s temperature through the machine’s control unit beforehand.
The tank heats evenly to the set temperature and continuously mixes the chocolate to ensure nothing burns. As a result, you get a smooth, consistent, lump-free paste.
2. Shaping.
The pouring and shaping process differs per the machine you’re using.
In a Chocolate Coin Machine That Uses Punchers.
If you’re using a machine that uses punchers, your machine will pour all melted chocolate out in the form of a sheet on the conveyor belt. It will let the chocolate temper, then even the sheet out, let the chocolate solidify and then use multiple dies to cut the required shapes into the plastic, much like a biscuit cutter.
The coins start assembling inside the puncher as they stick to it. So, the machine can simply keep cutting the colocate as the conveyor belt moves without stopping. Once done, you can collect the leftovers and melt them again with your next batch.
In a Chocolate Coin Machine That Uses Molds.
Some large-scale chocolate machines come with molds on a conveyor belt. The machine pours the melted chocolate directly into these molds as a depositor machine does. Then, the batch is sent to the refrigeration unit – a tunnel – where the liquid solidifies into chocolate coins.
3. Demolding
In the punching coin machine, the chocolate coins can be removed by hand by sliding them out of the cutter tunnels at any time. Consider the pictures below:
If your chocolate machine uses molds, its molding section will either use air pressure or mechanical pressure to remove the chocolate from the molds.
How to Automate Chocolate Coin Packaging?
A chocolate coin-manufacturing machine does not offer packaging facilities; so, you’ll have to get in a chocolate coin packaging machine separately.
Here, you simply drop a batch of ready-made chocolate coins, and the machine separates them out individually and packs them.
If you opt for a chocolate foil wrapping machine, you can pack all chocolate eggs, balls, and coins through it. If you want to customize your coins, you can opt for a machine that allows embossing. It exerts pressure on the wrapped coin with a heated stamp so that the surface gets the pattern.
Punchers vs. Molds for Chocolate Coin Production.
You can use equipment with either of these tools to produce your chocolate disks. However, your results will vary considerably in texture, customization ability, speed, and cost.
| Molds | Punchers | |
| Description | Chocolate coin molds are made of silicon. The machine simply pours melted raw material onto them, which cools into a finished product | Punchers are long, often circular, cylindrical cutters that punch shapes out of a sheet of solid chocolate. If you want to emboss your coins, you have to stamp the resulting coins when they are being packaged. |
| Customization | Molds offer enhanced customization as you can simply get them made once and let chocolate solidify in them. You can get precise and detailed designs through this process. | Punchers can only produce plain chocolate coins, although you can change your puncher easily if you want to vary the size or shape of your product. Customization is limited here. |
| Finish | Molded chocolates have a glossy finish, but the appearance and texture may vary per coin. | Punched chocolate coins produce an extremely uniform finish per batch. |
| Cost | The cost of individual molds is low, but you need to invest in a bigger number if you’re scaling up your production. You may also have to invest in tempering equipment. | The cost of individual punching units is high, but you can create many coins quickly with a few units. |
| Speed | Chocolate coin production through molds is a slow process that’s limited by the number of molds you have available per run. | Punchers can produce chocolate coins very fast, and the number produced per run is only limited by the length of the chocolate sheet they’re cutting. |
| Manual Input | Making chocolate coins with molds often requires more manual input, further making the process slow. However, this depends on your machine | Machines with punchers often require little to no manual input, although some chocolate coin-making machines may require more. |
So, if you want to manufacture chocolates swiftly on a large scale, it’s best to go for a machine with a puncher. However, if you want to make exclusive products that are customized for the best customer experience and brand distinction, a machine with molds will serve you better.
The Main Units of Chocolate Coin Machines
The main components of this machine include the following:
- Power Unit.
This part consists of the circuitry required to power the chocolate machine.
- Control Unit.
This part lets you monitor and control the parameters of the manufacturing process, like temperature.
- Feeding Unit.
This unit lets you feed your raw chocolate chunks or bars into the machine.
- Melting Unit.
This part melts the chocolate into a smooth, thick, and even paste by mixing it and keeping the temperature even. It can include heating timers or hot-water heating systems, depending on your machine.
- Molding Unit.
This part is responsible for cutting or molding your chocolate coins.
- Cooling Unit.
This component cools the products further, so they harden properly
How to Maintain and Clean Your Machine for the Best Results?
You’ll have to take care of each part of your production unit if you want high-quality, consistent results. The following types will help.
1. Daily Cleaning
Food particles can attract a host of bacteria and fungi, and your machine can start producing unsafe items that decay fast in no time. So, make sure to wipe the machine daily by cleaning its surface, nozzles, molds, filters, and other parts, especially uncovered ones.
It’s best to wash your molds with a brush, warm water, and mild detergent regularly.
Daily cleaning will also let you identify any damaged parts or suspicious corrosion stains on time. Keep checking for any signs of wear and tear or damage to the machine’s parts.
2. Lubrication
Proper lubrication is essential for your machine to function energy efficiently, avoid wear and tear, and not overheat. Your manufacturer should give you lubrication instructions for the machine.
Make sure you choose a food-grade lubricant, preferably an oil-free one. Choosing the wrong lubricating fluid can ruin your chocolate coin recipe or be insufficient to keep your machine running. So, consult with the lubricant provider and your manufacturer beforehand to get a fluid that’s used specifically for chocolates.
All components that move against other parts’ surfaces, like gears, will require lubrication to reduce friction.
3. Temperature Control
If your machine isn’t heating correctly and evenly, it will greatly damage the quality and texture of your chocolate coins. Make sure your machine is calibrated correctly before you run it. If you notice consistently high or low temperatures, your calibration is likely at fault.
Use a digital thermometer to check your melted chocolate batches every week as a part of proactive maintenance. This will enable you to identify and troubleshoot problems on time.
You may also need to insulate your machine’s heating elements if your manufacturer recommends it.
4. Inspection
Once or twice a month, inspect every part of your machine individually to ensure it functions properly. For example:
- Check that all switches, conveyor belts, and indicators are working properly.
- Make sure all emergency switches, like the emergency stop button, are working.
- Inspect all motors, gears, and moving parts to ensure they are moving smoothly.
- If your machine has filters, make sure they’re not clogged.
- Inspect all the equipment for signs of residual food particles or any trace of fungal growth.
It will be best to contact your manufacturer and enquire if they offer inspection services. If not, invest in professional inspectors at least 2-4 times a year. Do not attempt to fix your machine yourself if you experience a fault. Contact your manufacturer or your inspector who is familiar with your machine.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Chocolate Coin Machine
If you want to purchase a chocolate coin-making machine, keep the following in mind:
1. Initial and Long-Term Costs
The cost of a machine goes beyond its initial price. You have to take its power consumption and maintenance under concern too.
Also note that whereas complex machines are very flexible in producing multiple varieties of output, they can be hard to maintain. You may have to hire technical assistance often and maintain them properly. Any errors and breakdowns will also be costly to fix in more advanced and complicated machines.
If your chosen chocolate coin machine has a high power consumption and multi-functional components, ask the manufacturer about extra features and weigh all the relative advantages and disadvantages carefully.
2. The Size
You have to make sure the coin manufacturing machine you choose can fit comfortably in your assembly line. Otherwise, the workers won’t be able to move around freely, and your business’s productive capacity will get compromised. Cleaning, maintenance, and inspection will be complicated with larger machines or any machine in a cramped space.
3. The Speed and Production Capacity
The speed and production capacity are critical to your choice. If you intend for it to be a large one-time investment, go for chocolate coin machines that have a high production capacity so that you can scale your business up or down at any given time without saturating your equipment.
However, if your brand prioritizes slow and highly specialized products, machines that offer lower production capacity but advanced features can work.
4. The Type and Quality of Output
The output of a machine is undoubtedly its most essential feature. Get a machine that offers you considerable features and flexibility so you can vary your output as per your customers’ changing demands. You should at least be able to vary the sizes and thickness of your chocolate coins with ease.
Make sure the machine produces a consistent output without quality variations.
Your manufacturer can assist you in finding the right machine, so have detailed discussions with them before finalizing your choice.
5. Level of Automation
Automation may or may not be your priority, depending on the size of your business, but it sure can let you scale up your production levels and speed. Automated machines are expensive, however. Weigh their cost against your intended level of use.
6. Brand, Warranty, and Technical Support
As machines are a huge investment and can make or break your business’s output, you must work with experienced food-manufacturing machine suppliers. Opt for a machine with a long warranty period to be on the safest side.
You should also make sure your chocolate coin-making machine’s spare parts are easily available at low rates; the more specialized and automated the machine, the harder it will be to find parts. Your manufacturer should be willing to provide you with technical assistance, spare parts, and customer support.
Endnote
Chocolate coin-making machines can allow you to produce large batches of products that are in high demand. Whether you go for semi-automatic machines or fully digital ones, it’s an investment you won’t regret making. Make sure the machine you get has a decent warranty and is compatible with the rest of your assembly line.
Only purchase your machine from quality food processing equipment manufacturers. We have a range of chocolate machines available on our website. You can contact us for a quote anytime!