Flake ice may also occasionally be used in soft drinks. Crushed ice consists of small, irregular pieces made by crushing larger chunks of ice. Its primary use is for keeping drinks cool. Ice nuggets, made by extruding and freezing slushy flake ice into small pieces, are also used primarily to cool drinks. Types of machines .
Integrated units are the simplest to install, but usually come with a fixed capacity.
The capacity of nonintegrated units can be increased by stacking additional ice-making machinery on top of the first machine or by placing a second machine next to the first on top of a larger bin. Ice makers are also classified as batch or continuous in operation. Batch models tend to produce ice that is purer than its source water, since the freezing process separates out the impurities. Types of condenser . There is no addition to air conditioning loads, because the heat removed in making the ice is discharged outside the building.