From the extruder the gum passes to a sheet-rolling machine, which is composed of a series of giant rollers, where the gum is flattened into thinner and thinner sheets. The final thickness is determined by the type of gum being made. Stick gum comes from the thinnest sheets, while candy-coated gum is made from a thicker sheet. Next the gum is scored and cut, the stick gum into a stick pattern, and the gum destined for candy-coating into little square pellets. The pellet gum is candy-coated in large revolving pans.
Liquid sugar is introduced into the pans and the gum is dried with conditioned air.
This process is repeated several times until the sugar coating is built up to the required thickness. Finally the gum is wrapped and packed by high-speed machinery, crated and placed in storage areas to await shipment. Large tractor-trailers haul the gum to distribution centers, from where it is delivered to retail outlets and, ultimately, the consumer. Gum manufacturers also constantly enhance the way gum is made to provide high quality gums. Over the years the time it takes to manufacture gums has been significantly reduced.