Chocolate Moulding Machine: The Ultimate Buying Guide

Undoubtedly, most people across the globe love chocolates.

So do you fancy engaging in chocolate moulding business? Heads up!

Chocolate moulding machine is an equipment that makes various chocolate assorted products.

These include chocolate moulds, bars, and even a few different chocolate shapes.

Chocolate moulding machine

Well, today we shall unmask for you all the relevant information you seek about this equipment.

Uses of Chocolate Moulding Machine

Well, the chocolate moulding machine is specifically vital in the preparation of the chocolate moulds just as we previously noted.

Even so, the moulded products come in different types as follows:

Molded chocolate

• Solid – significantly comprising of only chocolate.
• Inclusions – this category consists of chocolate and some extras (grounded nuts, raisins, rice crisps, and fruit pieces). You can interchangeably deposit both of those ingredients in the mould. i.e., either adding chocolate first before the inclusions or vice versa.
• Cookies and wafers – it involves pressing cookie or wafer cream onto the already deposited chocolate into the mould cavity
• Others are pure chocolates, center filling chocolates and nuts mixed chocolate among others.

But still, the piece of equipment is also suitable in the preparation of chocolate bars, blocks, drops, squares or any other products of various shapes.

Of course, they come in different sizes depending on unique specifications.

And yet, all these products and formations are possible because they all emanate from the mould cavity.

Chocolate mould forms the basis of the products corresponding shapes and sizes.

What is a Chocolate Mould

A chocolate mould is a sturdy frame with several hollow interior sections.

It is uniquely sized and shaped to give the hot liquified chocolate a distinctive shape when it cools down and solidify.

Chocolate mould

The moulds come in different materials; some are plastic, others, rubber, but still, few are polycarbonate materials.

The difference in materials consequently means variation in quality and suitability.

So you need to verify their material type condition before purchasing a chocolate moulding equipment.

Now, you need to consider some issues when handling chocolate moulds: have a look.

Characteristics of Chocolate Moulds

i. Chocolate Moulds Vary in Sizes.

The earlier developed ones hold chocolates of about 15 and 20 grams.

However, the recent ones can accommodate either 7 to 10 grams.

Though still, the respective masses are significantly lower, these moulds do vary in sizes.

ii. They Come in Several Shapes.

You can go for the traditional/ simple shaped ones such as the squares and circles.

Alternatively, you can pick on the modern ones, for example, chess, skull, musical instruments and human-shaped like, etc.

iii. Water compromises the quality of the chocolate.

The kind of chocolate moulds also distinguishes the resultant shape of chocolate involved.

Take, for example; a flat mould produces smooth chocolate.

Similar to the cases of a 3D, solid, hollow, plain, and decorated chocolate molds which in turn produces an exact match of the chocolate products.

Elsewhere, you need to take good care of the molds.

The first precautionary measure is proper cleaning.

Always wash the molds properly using a soft piece of cloth, preferably in warm water.

After that, you may dry and store it in a cool and dry place.

Note:

Never use an abrasive cleanser when tidying moulds.

The cleaner might peel off the surface layer of mold material which may then induce itself in the chocolate cream.

And as we know, some of these building blocks for moulds, specifically chemicals aren’t healthy for human consumption, for example, Polythene.

Benefits of Chocolate Moulding Machine

Indisputably, this state of the art equipment will always blend well with your molding operations.

Indeed, it enhances your molding art experiences as well as producing the best quality ever that you desire.

Servo driven chocolate moulding plant

Now, take a look at some of the top benefits you achieve with such equipment.

i. A DrasticHigher Production Capacity

Unlike the manual filling and molding of chocolates, the machine drastically presents an overall rise in the output of fine chocolates.

ii.  and Efficient Molding

By the aid of the rotating wheel, conveyor, and other components, the molding procedure is faster and much effective when dealing with melted chocolate.

iii. Faster Rate of Production

With the right machine and equipment, you may produce hundreds or even thousands of chocolates per hour.

iv. It presents an efficient way of interchanging molds.

v. Some machines significantly reduce the costs of expenditure on energy by combining and integrating all the accessories such as depositors and coolers right into a single compact structure.

vi. Simplicity and versatility in operation. It’s easier to operate the machine, thereby requiring little labor.

vii. It needs minimal overhead space. The equipment only requires less space for the general outputs.

Classification of Chocolate Moulding Machines

Chocolate moulding plants range from the simple, for small output to more prominent continuous molding line.

It, therefore, means availability of these machines ranges typically depending on the scale of your production and efficiency.

So, we can categorize these machines based on the mechanisms of operations so that we have:

• Fully automatic chocolate moulding machine
• Semi-automatic chocolate moulding machine
• Manual chocolate moulding machine.

Section of the Chocolate moulding machine

I. Fully Automatic Chocolate Moulding Machine

This is a unique kind of equipment owing to its faster production rates compared to other categories.

It’s capable of producing up to thousands of molds every hour and hundreds in each cycle with a wide variety of shapes.

Moreover, being fully automatic means, it uses a sophisticated driving mechanism together with a PLC control system.

Such that it guarantees the satisfaction of high demands for output.

Still, it incorporates all the processes, including depositing, drying, vibrating, cooling, de-molding, and transmission.

Consequently, most large industries engaging in manufacturing usually prefer such a machine.

Apart from the primary components, it also consists of modern technical sections, including a set of valves, piston, dosing plate, stirrer, heating system, and stirrer.

II. Semi-Automatic Chocolate Moulding Machine

The semi-automated machine is next in line depending on efficiency after the fully automatic one.

It’s also popular since most of them are less expensive compared to the fully automatic machinery, despite it still being capable of the mid-level type of production output.

The only difference between the semi and fully automatic chocolate moulding equipment lies in the level of automation of the operations.

Some operations aren’t always automated for the semi-automatic version.

Nevertheless, it can still produce a range of chocolate products, including pure chocolates, two or four color chocolates, etc.

III. Manual Chocolate Moulding Machine

Unlike the others, this category of machines are characteristically small in size; some come in the form of the desktop version, tabletop or wheel-mounted designs.

By far, this type is suitable for kitchen use, startup bakeries, cake shops, and confectioneries.

They are thus useful for serving a small scale production where speed isn’t a consideration.

Nevertheless, they’re easier to tidy, maintain, service and move to a convenient operational area.

Functional Features of Chocolate Moulding Machine

Here are the primary features of the chocolate moulding machine:

• Stacker feeder
• Vibratory station
• Feed conveyor system
• Pre-heat mould heater
• Dosing plates
• Depositor head connected to hot water heating channel and circulatory system. Besides, there are options for the single depositor, double depositors, triple or more depositors.
• Complete control system with either a fully automatic PLC control together with a servo system or manual system
• Stainless steel framework, aluminum contact parts, especially the food grade and mild steel outer sections.
• Set of distribution plates.

Similarly, depending on the customer’s specifications and preferences, the following features are customizable and may form part of the moulding line:

• Vertical cooling subway for mould cooling.
• Feed conveyor belt
• Stacker feeder.

Parts of a Chocolate Moulding Machine

Chocolate moulding station

The machinery consists of several parts and sections.

Several of them forming the basic ones, others customizable while some complimentary.

Below are the various components and their corresponding importance.

Note that in a full production line, these parts may collectively form various stations in the production chain.

· Tamper Unit

Station for pre-crystallizing, heating and mixing the chocolate to a specific temperature.

· Mould Loader

Here, you load your preformed moulds.

· Mould Heater

Infrared ceramic resistances heat the moulds to preset optimum temperature automatically.

· Depositors

For sensitive filling of the product chocolate into the moulds.

An optional water-based dropping may be available for depositing fluid-based products.

However, in cases whereby your production involves the use of granules, then you will need a special chocolate depositor for introducing chocolate mixed granule.

· Vibrating Table

The bench vibrates at a specific frequency, tumbling the moulds up and down as they move down the next stage.

· Control Unit

The system comprises of a user-interface screen and control panel together with PLC.

Other appliances you’re likely to find here are: power switch buttons, start buttons, variable frequency drive, fuse, and safety limit switches.

· Granule Dosing Unit

It’s made up of pneumatically controlled spreaders for dropping granules into the loaded and already filled moulds.

· Chocolate Pump

It provides a suction force to maintain the flow of the chocolate through the pipes and into the depositors.

· Cooling Channel

Efficient for cooling the moulds to a set temperature limit.

Remember, every point of the mould is effectively and uniformly cooled.

· Chocolate – Granule Mixer

For homogeneously mixing granules with chocolate.

· Mould Unloader

The unloader handles the already cooled mould, at this point, the products exit while the empty moulds transit to the mould control unit.

· Exit Tunnel

Here, the products leave the moulding line.

Machine Framework; the whole machine structure is sturdy as a result of the stainless steel material.

How Chocolate Moulding Machine Works

From the design and construction of the moulding machinery, you’ll realize the ease and flexibility of all the corresponding operations.

For example, the equipment has several modules and stations that enable the necessary addition of other accessories and stations.

These many include tempering machine, biscuit placing, etc.

Above all, the operational process is quite straightforward, especially for a fully automatic machine where all the procedures go on intermittently.

Furthermore, the moulds which form the basic functional structure here passes via all the stations from the mould heater and back again once it finishes the shifts in all those stations.

Please note that stations found in the production line are changeable and customizable too, but all depend upon the customer’s preference.

Below is an overview of how the chocolate moulding process occurs.

However, for simplicity, we shall categorize the moulding processes into two, i.e., shell product creation, and full mould creation.

Creation of Shell Products

The main stages of this process include:

· Loading moulds

To kickstart the operation, load the premade moulds into the mould loader.

However, Note; we assume the machine is already on and running.

Plus you have already initiated the basic settings such as temperature variations and inputs.

· Mould Heating

At this point, the moulds pass through the heating tunnel where they get heated to the already set temperature automatically.

Immediately the machinery stops, the heating tunnel spontaneously rises while the drain fan begins running.

· Chocolate Filling

For the filing activities, most machines employ the use of one-shot depositors which works by a system of pistons operated by the servo motor.

With a fully automatic machine integrated with modern technology techniques such as Cam-profile system, it’s possible to achieve sensitive fillings of approximately 60% filling ratio into the moulds.

Besides, you may customise your depositor to include water dropper, which deposits watery products.

· Granule Dosing

For applications involving granules, then you will have a granule dosage into the moulds taking place at this stage.

The unit operates using the spreaders and lapel system for some machinery.

· Mould Flipping Upside Down

The already filled moulds get twisted by the action of a pneumatically controlled actuator system.

· Cooling

The mould should then transits into the cooling chamber.

At this stage, every part of the mould cools down uniformly at a set temperature.

· Vibrating and Sliding

At the exit of the cooling tunnel, the conveyor belt picks up the moulds, vibrates as it pushes the moulds down to the next processing stage.

Again, for some machines, this procedure is servo motor regulated.

The vibration motion, in another perspective, helps in evenly redistributing the chocolate inside the mould.

· Flipping to the Original Position

From the cooling tunnel, the moulds retwist and reverse by the action of the pneumatic system.

Note: the chocolate that could potentially spill during flipping automatically redirects into the tank or the tempering machine.

· Mould Unloading

The now well-positioned moulds, passes through a pneumatic driving hammering process.

Here, the products (shells) disembark into the exit band while the empty moulds proceed to the mould control unit.

· Prepared shells.

After that procedure, you now have fully ready product shells.

Creation of Full Moulds

To create a full mould, you need to use the already created shell products in the next stage.

· Mould Loading

Now, reload the empty moulds but now pack them with the previously created shells.

· Chocolate Filling

The depositors press the chocolate into the moulds.

· Full mould

Cooling, vibration, and emptying then take place.

We finally have our target complete moulds ready.

Support Equipment in Chocolate Moulding Process

To some extent, you will require to optimize your moulding operation.

And the only way to do that is by incorporating other auxiliary machinery in the moulding line.

Though not mandatory, these machines complement the primary moulding machines.

This includes some optional operations such as tempering, granule depositing, biscuit feeding, etc. thereby dynamically enhancing your machine.

Chocolat moulding production line

Below are some of the conventional support equipment:

1. Tempering Machine

It heats the chocolate to a specific temperature, slightly cools, reheats as the machine mixes it to enable it to achieve a crispy and smooth crystallization.

2. Automatic Chocolate Depositor

The equipment deposits the chocolate into cavity moulds automatically, accurately and uniformly, thereby eliminating the needs for filling the cavities by hand.

3. Chocolate Enrobers

Used for making a thin chocolate coating medium onto some products such as cookies, nuts, and dried fruits.

4. Automatic Demoulder

The demoulding unit automatically demoulds pralines or bars from the moulds.

5. Biscuit Feeding Unit

If need be to include biscuits, then the feeding system automatically introduces the biscuits into the various moulds.

6. Granule Dosing Equipment

Combines the use of pneumatic spreaders and lapel system to dose granules into the moulds.

7. Chocolate Granule Mixer

Homogenously mixes the pure chocolate with the granules volumetrically after that channeling the mixture to the depositor.

8. Nut Feeder

In case you use whole nuts, then the nut feeding system can adequately feed them into moulds.

9. Feeder Mixer

Regulates and varies the number of inclusions( grounded nuts, raisins, rice crisps, and fruit pieces) in proportion to the amount of chocolate before introducing them to the depositor.

10. Filling and Weighing System

Probably, you will require an easy, fast, and accurate way of depositing and weighing the chocolate.

Thus a weighing system serves it right.

11. Chocolate Analysis Unit

The analyzer helps you in assessing the quality of your chocolate before depositing or filling, with such parameters, you’ll have the chance to improve it.

12. Chocolate Pumps

No matter the physical properties of the chocolate,  the pumps push it through the pipes.

SaintyCo Chocolate Moulding Machines

For chocolate molding machine assembly and manufacturing, SaintyCo is your reliable partner.

The SaintyCo Servo-driven Chocolate Molding Plant uses both mechanical and electrical control mechanisms to mold chocolates.

The series involves machines with larger capacity and higher production rates.

They automatically do almost all their basic operations including mold heating, pouring, cooling, vibrating, demolding, conveying amongst others.

Also, the servo system enables accurate pouring ration of the products.

If you need smooth, sweet and crispy chocolate, then that’s only possible with SaintyCo servo-driven machines.

Above all, these type of machines is reliable for the entire production of various types of chocolate products.

Conclusion

Fundamentally, chocolate moulding machines must be efficient and precise in the production of high-quality chocolate products.

And that should form the basis of your argument before making a quotation.

Therefore, you have to always insist on a reliable piece of equipment.

Besides, you may need to incorporate a set of auxiliary equipment in your moulding line to make it dynamic and versatile.

Lastly, the secret to efficient moulding is only through understanding the moulding procedure.