IPCO is a major supplier of chocolate forming/moulding equipment, with systems designed for the production of industrial ingredients – chips, chunks, drops and blocks – and decorative products such as shavings, rolls, pencils, blossoms and many more.
A wide range of production components means the company can tailor systems to suit different needs, with solutions for everything from low cost, rapid deployment start-ups to high capacity multi-layer systems.
Rotoform HP – High Performance
At the heart of all IPCO’s high capacity solutions is the Rotoform rotary drop depositor, and the latest model in this series is the Rotoform HP (High Performance). Specifically designed for chocolate processing, the RF HP has opened the door to new levels of productivity in chocolate chip forming.
IPCO will showcase a live demo model of the Rotoform HP dosing unit at the interpack 2023.
A pump delivers the molten chocolate to the Rotoform via heated piping. The Rotoform itself consists of a heated stator – which is supplied with liquid chocolate – and a perforated rotating shell that turns concentrically around the stator to deposit drops of chocolate onto a continuously running steel belt. A system of baffles and internal nozzles provides uniform pressure across the whole belt width, ensuring that chips are of uniform shape and size.
The circumferential speed of the Rotoform is synchronized with the speed of the belt: drops are therefore deposited without deformation. The heat of the drops is transferred to cooling air blown onto the product and also to the belt itself. A short cooling time means that very little oxygen can penetrate the product.
Chips are free flowing for easy handling, storage and dosing. Chips of different sizes – from 30,000 to 300 pcs/kg – can be produced by simply changing the shell.
Triple pass chocolate cooling systems
IPCO has developed a range of triple pass cooling systems that enable high throughput rates while minimising floorspace requirements. The product is deposited on the first belt and adheres to the underside for the second pass. It is then removed on to a second conveyor for a third pass.
The company recently introduced an innovative piston depositor that combines a direct-to-belt delivery approach with precision control to enable the production of perfectly circular large – i.e. wide and/or thick – wafer products.
The piston depositor can be installed alongside existing Rotoform and extrusion equipment on IPCO CCM (Chip and Chunk Moulding) triple pass steel belt cooler lines. This enables three depositing systems to be integrated on a single line for maximum production flexibility. It can also be installed as an upgrade to older CCM lines, or as a standalone system on new lines.
Steel belts for cooling and solidification
IPCO has been supplying steel belts for use in confectionery and chocolate processing for almost 100 years, in applications ranging from simple conveying to continuous processes such as cooling/solidification, conditioning, drop-forming and casting.
Products processed this way include caramel, chocolate, hard melt candy, nougat, nut brittle and more. In each case, the product is applied to the belt as a melt, either through casting or drop depositing, and solidified as it passes through a cooling tunnel. The heat of the melt is transferred to cooling air blown onto the product and also to the belt itself.
