Patent GB-814645-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to chocolate enrobing and like machines
IPC: A23G9/24
Filed: 1955-03-08
Abstract: 814,645. Chocolate tempering and enrobing machine; chocolate. MEAGHER, G. March 8, 1956 [March 8, 1955; Nov. 11, 1955], Nos. 6716/55 and 32255/55. Classes 28 (1) and 129. Trickle-feeding apparatus for use with a chocolate enrobing or like machine has means for distributing fully melted chocolate couverture in a film of uniform thickness over the surface of a rotating drum maintained at a lower temperature, the film being removed by takeaway means at a higher temperature than the drum and conveyed to the " kettle" of the machine, and means sensitive to the attainment of a predetermined temperature by the couverture leaving said drum which control means for regulating the temperatures of the drum and take-away means to produce at least partial tempering of the couverture before it reaches the " kettle." A constantly rotating cylindrical drum 10 has tubular coaxial trunnions 11 journalled in upstanding plates 12 at the opposite ends of a tank 13. Cooling water is circulated through trunnions 11 into drum 10 from pipes 16, 17 associated with glands 14 carried by bridge members 15 on end plates 12. The lower half of drum 10 is enclosed in a tank 13 with a hot water jacket 18 and an extension 19 above which extends a hot water jacketed supply pipe 20 for melted chocolate. Adjacent extension 19 there is an adjustable doctor blade 21 and on the side of the tank there is a scraper 23 heated by a hot water pipe 24. Scraper 23 is inclined downwardly, over a shoot 25 with a hot water jacket 26. This apparatus is mounted on a support 27 above and to one side of the delivery conveyer 28 of an enrober or the like 29, drum 10 being driven e.g. from an additional sprocket 30 on the input shaft 31 of a variable-speed gear-box 32. The jackets 18, 26 and pipe 24 are connected in circuit through a circulating pump with the water jacket 36 of a drip-tray 37 which is heated by a thermostatically controlled immersion heater 38 and is disposed beneath conveyer 28 and adapted to return excess chocolate to kettle 35. Couverture at approximately 110‹ F. is fed to the tank 13 which is maintained at about 90‹ F. and is picked up as a film by drum 10 which is at less than 09‹ F. The film is continuously removed by a scraper 23 and flows over the bulb 40 of temperature controller 41 which controls the flow of water through valve 45 to drum 10. Thus on leaving drum 10 the film is at the point of crystallization of its cocoa butter content. Settings of blade 21 and scraper 23 depend on the peripheral speed of drum 10. In a modification, Fig. 4, the chocolate may be fully tempered by using two cylindrical drums 50, 51, rotated preferably at the same rate, a uniform film of chocolate couverture being fed to the upper drum 50 and removed therefrom by a scraper 59 which has a water jacket to prevent the chocolate couverture from solidifying. The couverture then falls on to the lower drum 51 from which it is removed and passed to the " kettle." The temperatures of the two drums, which are hollow, are controlled by temperature controllers positioned in the flow of melted chocolate which control the flow of water to the hollow cylinders.