CHOCOLATE MOULDING
A one-shot moulding machine with four nozzles (image courtesy Hans Brunner).
components such as magnets and tracking devices to add modern traceability capabilities.
Discussing consumer demand for moulded chocolate products, Markus Gebhart, General Manager at Hans Brunner, tells me that it remains a very popular segment, specifically for seasonal products. He points out that today, there is a moulding line to suit all requirements. Moulding machinery has been developed for use in smaller operations which may have, traditionally used a manual moulding process – examples include standard and one-shot depositors as well as tempering machines and spinners. “These solutions offer a good solution for bean-to-bar manufacturers, allowing them to expand their product offerings beyond tablets. These tools give them the ability to also create pralines, truffle balls or hollow figures, for example, to help grow their businesses,” says Markus.
A typical one shot moulding line process will start with an empty mould passing through a pre-heating phase to ensure the chocolate flows freely into the mould cavity. Next the mould will pass through a depositing module where the solid or centre filled element of the product is deposited into the mould cavity. Next the mould will undergo a period of vibration to ensure air bubbles are removed from the chocolate and to ensure event filling of the cavity. Then, the filled mould will be cooled to allow the chocolate to become solid.
Demoulding is usually achieved either using a vacuum or twisting motion of the mould, depending upon the line and the product being created. Vacuum de-moulders can often also double up as a packaging aid by automatically placing the chocolates into a container. The empty mould then undergoes cleaning and should be ready to repeat the process. “Moulds can be designed specifically for use in the new
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“While plastic moulds typically have higher set up costs, each unit can be produced at a much lower costs than their metal counterparts”
generation of smaller machines and are now available as standard product ranges,” says Markus. “However, some customers do want bespoke mould designs and these can also be created using the same polycarbonate plastic material that is used in most industrial moulds.” “The chocolate mould has always been an important element of the chocolate manufacturing process,” stresses Markus. “They are responsible for the appearance of the chocolate and are in direct contact with the final product during the moulding process.” For this reason, Markus wanted to highlight how important it was that mould manufacturers have a thorough understand of the moulding process to ensure it is able to create the optimum design, depending on the selected production method. “Areas to watch include the need for reasonable de-moulding angles to ease the de-moulding step and to avoid air bubbles in the final product through the mitigation of any sharp peaks in
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