The Tetra Pak® Linear Moulder A2 stick novelty freezer enables flexible and efficient automatic continuous linear production of moulded ice products such as ice cream, sherbet, water ice or fruit-juice sticks novelties. It is optimized for high capacities and complex products.
The production of moulded stick products is carried out in six main stages: 1. Filling ice cream mix or water ice into moulds 2. Inserting wooden sticks into ice cream 3. Freezing product in cold brine bath 4. Defrosting thin outer layer of product with warm water spray for release from mould 5. Extracting frozen product from mould 6. Coating with chocolate and subsequently dry ingredients, if applicable 7. Lay-down into wrapping machine
The moulder can be fitted with a volumetric top filler, a combination top filler, a volumetric bottom filler, a time elapse top filler, a pencil filler and back suction equipment.
By changing the filling method (or sequence of filling methods) it is possible - and relatively simple - to produce an almost infinite variety of products. Pre-set recipes in the automation system recognize and adapt to the filling method that is in place at any given time.
The unit carries out a series of different actions: indexing of the moulds, extraction of the product, indexing of the tongs, dipping and gentle lay down to multilane wrapping. Thanks to five built-in servo drives, the timing of these different actions can be controlled down to the millisecond, which is what makes reliable high speed production possible.
The brine tank, nozzle plate and complete cooling system are designed to ensure consistent product quality and minimizing energy consumption. Brine is pumped at -40 through the nozzles of the nozzle plate, ensuring contact with the entire surface of the mould. This carefully designed process gives very efficient heat transfer, making production economical and ensuring reliable product quality.
The linear moulder is designed to remove any products that remain in the moulds after extraction and thereby preventing contamination of the cleaning water. The mould cleaning system consists of four tanks. Completely fresh water is only added at the last spray system and the used water is sent back into the system reducing the amount of fresh water needed by approximately 50%.