Chocolate Enrober Machine for Nut-Coated Bars 500kg/h

Overview of the Production Process

The process for enrobing a chocolate bar with nuts involves creating a center (which could be a plain chocolate bar, a nougat, a caramel, or a wafer), coating it in liquid chocolate, and then immediately covering it in nuts before the chocolate sets. The line is a sequential series of machines that perform these steps automatically.

Key Sections and Equipment in the Production Line

A typical line flows in this order:

1. Pre-Production: Chocolate and Nut Preparation

Chocolate Melting and Tempering: Solid chocolate is melted and then tempered. Tempering is a critical process of carefully heating and cooling chocolate to stabilize the cocoa butter. This gives the final product a glossy shine, a firm snap, and prevents fat bloom (those white streaks you sometimes see).

Equipment: Chocolate Melter / Tempering Machine. These can be separate units or combined. Modern tempering units are continuous and precisely control the temperature of the chocolate.

Nut Preparation: Nuts (almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, etc.) are typically roasted, blanched (if needed to remove skins), and chopped to a specific size. They are often kept warm to prevent them from cooling the chocolate upon contact.

Cooling and Setting

The now nut-covered chocolate bars travel through a Cooling Tunnel.

This is a long, multi-zone refrigerator. The temperature is carefully controlled to allow the tempered chocolate to crystallize slowly and properly. Rushing this process can cause cracking or a dull appearance.

The cooling time and temperature are critical parameters for final product quality.

Packaging

After cooling, the bars are completely solid and ready for wrapping.

They are fed into an automatic packaging machine which wraps them in foil, film, or a paper-backed foil wrapper to protect them from moisture, odor, and light.

Finally, the wrapped bars may be collated into boxes or cases for shipping.

Equipment: Flow Wrapper, Foil Wrapper, Cartoning Machine.

Machine working video

Critical Considerations for a Nut Coating Line

• Viscosity and Temperature Control: The temperature and viscosity of the chocolate must be perfectly maintained throughout the enrobing process for an even coat.

• Nut Size and Temperature: The nuts must be uniformly sized to ensure consistent coverage. Their temperature should be close to the chocolate's temperature to not shock it and cause setting issues.

• Cleanability: Nuts produce a lot of dust and small particles. The equipment, especially the nut applicator and its recirculation system, must be designed for easy cleaning to prevent cross-contamination and meet food safety standards (like HACCP).

• Line Synchronization: The speed of the center feed conveyor, the enrober, the nut applicator, and the cooling tunnel must be perfectly synchronized to avoid pile-ups or gaps.

• Yield Optimization: Systems for recycling excess chocolate (through the bottoming system) and excess nuts are essential for economic production.

This type of production line can range from a semi-automatic setup for small artisan producers to a fully automated, high-speed line capable of producing tens of thousands of bars per hour for major confectionery companies.