JP2007116988A - Chocolate production system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a revolutionary chocolate production system, unlike a conventional chocolate molder plant in an idea, capable of flexibly changing a line structure, coping with a simultaneous production of a variety of kinds and making an installation space compact. <P>SOLUTION: This chocolate production system has a structure in which production units independent in every function such as a filling unit and a demolder unit are arranged around a cooling unit as the center, having a plurality of terminals. The transportation of molds is performed between each production unit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a chocolate manufacturing system capable of flexibly changing a line configuration.

  As a method for producing chocolate, methods such as molding, pan coating, and enrobing are known. Among them, mold molding refers to producing a plate chocolate or the like by filling chocolate dough into a resin mold, cooling and solidifying and peeling off, and is produced by a chocolate molder plant. Chocolate molder plants include a chain molder system that transports fixed molds with a chain, and a free molder system that transports fixed molds with attachments and conveying screws without fixing the mold. ing. A series of chocolate molder plants are equipped with a number of facilities such as depositors and cooling tunnels.

 A conventional method for producing a plate chocolate with center filling in a free molder plant will be described with reference to FIG. First, the shell dough depositor 1 fills the mold with the shell chocolate dough, and the tapping machine 2 removes the bubbles from the chocolate dough and vibrates the mold so that the dough is filled to every corner of the mold. Thereafter, the mold is inverted by the mold inversion machine 3, a part of the shell chocolate dough is shaken off from the mold by the oscillator 4, and the shell chocolate dough protruding from the mold is removed by the rim scraper 5. Then, the mold is reversed again by the mold reversing machine 6, and the shell chocolate dough is cooled and solidified by the shell dough cooler 7 to produce shell chocolate (the mold may be reversed after the shell dough cooler). Next, the center filling depositor 8 fills the center filling, the tapping machine 9 vibrates the mold, and the center cooler 10 cools and solidifies the center filling. Then, if necessary, the center heater 11 warms the upper surface of the solidified center filling and shell chocolate, fills the bottom chocolate dough with the bottom dough depositor 12, and vibrates the mold with the tapping machine 13. Then, the bottom chocolate dough overflowing from the mold is scraped off by the bottom scraper 14, and the chocolate dough is completely cooled and solidified by the final cooler 15. And the type | mold which came out of the final cooler is reversed with the type inversion machine 16, and a type | mold is struck with the peeling hammer 17, and chocolate is peeled from a type | mold. The mold from which the chocolate has been peeled is heated by the mold warmer 18, then inverted by the mold inversion machine 19, and again subjected to a series of chocolate manufacturing processes.

  As another example of the conventional method, a case where a hollow chocolate is provided in the shell chocolate and a three-dimensional chocolate containing a solid material smaller than the hollow is made will be described with reference to FIG. First, the shell dough depositor 1 fills the mold with the shell chocolate dough, and the tapping machine 2 removes the bubbles from the chocolate dough and vibrates the mold so that the dough is filled to every corner of the mold. Thereafter, the mold is inverted by the mold inversion machine 3, and a part of the shell chocolate dough is shaken off from the mold by the oscillator 4. Then, the mold is reversed again by the mold inversion machine 6. After passing through the shell dough cooler 7, every other type, the solid material is put into the shell chocolate with the center feeder. Next, the upper surface of the shell chocolate rim is melted with a rim heater, and only the shell chocolate mold that does not contain solids is inverted by a mold inversion machine, and the shell chocolate mold that contains solids is stacked. Combined, the rims are bonded together and cooled and solidified by the cooling unit. Then, the overlapping molds are separated, the lower mold is inverted by the mold inversion machine 16, and then the chocolate is peeled from the mold by hitting the mold with the peeling hammer 17. The mold from which the chocolate has been peeled is inverted after being warmed by the mold warmer 18 and is again subjected to a series of chocolate manufacturing processes.

Patent Document 1 discloses a molder plant for forming a shell product. Patent Document 2 discloses a molding plant in which a conveying screw is combined with a parallel support guide of a molding die. These do not fall within the category of a conventional chocolate molder plant that is connected by a mold conveyance mechanism in which the entire plant is linked.
JP-A-6-197695 JP 7-155108 A

  The conventional chocolate manufacturing system shown above is excellent for mass-producing a specific variety, but is not suitable for producing a wide variety of products. In order to produce a wide variety of products, it is necessary to install appropriate equipment. However, the length of the plant is fixed and the installation space is limited, so there are limits to the installation of various facilities. For example, when making the above-mentioned chocolate plate with center filling, a lot of equipment and installation space are required, such as three cooling units. In addition, when making assorted products that combine multiple varieties, it is necessary to switch the chocolate dough for each varieties and wrap them when all the varieties are ready. Space for the produced varieties is also required. In addition, in the conventional chocolate molder plant, the entire plant is linked and moved in conjunction with the mold transport mechanism, so if a problem occurs at one location, the entire molder plant needs to be stopped. A large number of defective products are generated in various parts of the plant.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and can provide a novel chocolate production system capable of flexibly changing the line configuration, which can flexibly cope with multi-product production, can be compact in installation space, and a production method using the system. It was an issue to provide.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have found that the above problems can be overcome by arranging independent manufacturing units for each function, and have completed the present invention.
In other words, the chocolate production system of the present invention has a structure in which independent production units are arranged for each function around a single cooling unit having a plurality of terminals, and molds are transferred between the production units. It is a chocolate manufacturing system.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of the chocolate of this invention is a method of manufacturing chocolate using the said system of this invention.

  According to the present invention, a chocolate manufacturing system that is compact and suitable for switching production of multiple products and simultaneous production of multiple products without requiring a plurality of cooling units, and having a reduced number of defective products, and a manufacturing method using the system Is provided, enabling cost reduction and flexible production support.

In the present specification, the following terms are defined as follows.
A terminal refers to an end provided on the outside of the cooling unit adjacent to the inlet or outlet of the cooling unit.
Chocolate means chocolates or processed chocolate products stipulated in the fair competition rules concerning the display of chocolates.
A mold warmer is a device that regulates the temperature of a mold used for chocolate molding to a temperature suitable for filling chocolate dough.

The depositor is a device for filling chocolate or the like.
A tapping machine is a device that gives vibrations to a mold. This allows chocolate dough and the like to reach every corner of the mold and bubbles to escape.
The oscillator is a device that sifts the mold and is used to remove excess chocolate dough when the shell is adjusted.
A licking roll is a roll that wipes away chocolate from the mold.
The center heater is a device that heats the upper surface of the center and the shell, and smoothly scrapes the bottom fabric overflowing from the mold.

The functional shell make- up unit of each component unit consists of a mold warmer, mold reversing machine, shell dough depositor, tapping machine, mold reversing machine, oscillator, scraper, mold reversing machine, etc., and is a unit that forms a chocolate shell excluding the bottom. is there. If necessary, a part of the chocolate dough may be removed by providing a licking roll in front of the scraper. In addition, mold reversal may be performed before the mold warmer. Furthermore, the mold can be inverted immediately after the oscillator. Further, when forming a chocolate shell using a cooled cone, in the shell make unit, after the tapping machine, a cooling cone for pressing, extending and cooling and solidifying the deposited chocolate dough in the mold is provided, and then The function of the shell makeup unit can be replaced.

The cooling unit is composed of one or a plurality of cooling tunnels, and is a unit that cools chocolate, center filling, and the like. It is preferable that the temperature and the passing speed of each cooling tunnel can be set individually.
The center filling unit includes a center filling depositor, a tapping machine, and the like in order, and is a unit for filling the center filling.
The bottom make-up unit is composed of a bottom fabric depositer, a tapping machine, a scraper, and the like, and forms a bottom. If necessary, a center heater may be provided in front of the bottom dough depositor to raise the temperature and soften the center filling and the upper surface of the shell. Moreover, you may remove a chocolate dough partly by providing a licking roll before a scraper as needed.

The demoulder unit consists of a mold reversing machine, a peeling hammer, etc. in order, and is a unit that separates the mold from the chocolate. If necessary, a twister for twisting the mold may be provided in front of the mold inversion machine to facilitate separation of the mold and the chocolate.
In the system according to claim 1 of the present application, when manufacturing centered chocolate, each manufacturing unit is configured in the following order.
Shell make unit, cooling unit, center filling unit, cooling unit, bottom make unit, cooling unit, demolder unit

And each component unit is good to arrange | position centering on one cooling unit used in multiple times.
The driving of each unit is independent, and the driving speed can be adjusted appropriately for each unit.
The movement of the mold between the units can be performed by a transport vehicle or a conveyor.
In the system according to claim 1 of the present invention, each unit is arranged as described above, so that the generation of defective products can be suppressed and chocolate having the same quality as that of the conventional product can be produced. And it is especially suitable for manufacture of the chocolate containing the center which uses a cooling unit several times, the solid chocolate which has a cavity, and the chocolate which produces multiple types simultaneously.

  The chocolate manufacturing system according to claim 1 of the present application is characterized in that there is no interlocked mold transport mechanism across the entire line, and a structure in which each manufacturing unit is combined. The details of the system according to claim 1 of the present application will be described by taking as an example the case of making a plate chocolate with center filling using FIG. First, a mold is supplied to a shell makeup unit A composed of a mold warmer, a shell fabric depositor, a tapping machine, a mold reversing machine, an oscillator, and the like, and the shell-made mold at the outlet of the shell makeup unit A is transferred to the terminal X1. . The mold enters the cooling unit B from the terminal X1, and the shell chocolate dough is cooled and solidified. The mold coming out of the cooling unit B is transferred to the terminal Y1 by transfer means such as a conveyor, and then transferred to the center filling unit C including a rim scraper, a depositer, a tapping machine and the like. The mold filled with the center filling in the center filling unit C enters the cooling unit B again from the terminal Y2 and is cooled. The mold coming out of the cooling unit B is transferred from the terminal X2 to a bottom make unit D including a center heater, a depositer, a tapping machine, a bottom scraper and the like, and is bottom-made.

  The bottom-made mold enters the cooling unit B again from the terminal X3 and is cooled, and then is transferred from the terminal Y3 to the demoulder unit E and the chocolate is peeled off from the mold. The peeled chocolate is subjected to a packaging process, the mold is transported by a transport vehicle or the like, and is supplied to the shell make unit A again. Thus, the chocolate manufacturing system according to claim 1 of the present application does not require a plurality of cooling units by passing through one cooling unit many times. It is also possible to provide a partition inside the cooling unit and change the set temperature for each section. In FIG. 2, the inlet / outlet of the center filling unit, bottom make unit, etc. is directly connected to the terminal of the cooling unit, but the inlet / outlet of each unit is not directly connected to the terminal, but the inlet / outlet of the unit and the terminal Transfer means such as a conveyor may be connected between them, and a plurality of molds may be stacked and transferred by a tray, or may be transferred by a type transporter. It is also possible to provide a mold holding device between the inlet or outlet of the unit and the terminal so that it can be held when some units are stopped.

  In the conventional chocolate molder plant, the entire plant is moved by one mold conveyance mechanism, and if a failure occurs at one place, the entire molder plant stops. On the other hand, the tempered chocolate dough increases and grows fat crystals over time and thickens and solidifies, so if the stop is prolonged, the chocolate dough filled in the mold hardens and becomes a defective product, The chocolate dough in the depositor also thickens and solidifies and cannot be used as it is. In that case, all the chocolate dough in the depositor has to be pulled out once, and the chocolate dough is also clogged in the depositor plate, so it must be replaced.

  As described above, in a conventional chocolate molder plant, a large number of defective products are generated due to a failure at one place, or the operation time is lost. In the chocolate manufacturing system according to claim 1 of the present application, for example, Even if a failure occurs in the most downstream demolder unit, the other units can be operated as they are and left in front of the demolder unit. Even after recovery, the demolder unit is 20r.p.m. and other units are 10r.p.m. In addition, if a failure occurs on the upstream side of the line, the downstream unit can be operated independently, so that the semi-finished product existing on the downstream line from the failure point may be regarded as a non-defective product. it can. In addition, when producing by changing the production capacity, since the time passing through the cooling tunnel also changes in the conventional chocolate molder plant, the conditions may change and a defective product may be generated. In the chocolate manufacturing system, even if the number of rotations of each unit is changed, production can be performed without changing the passage time of the cooling unit, and therefore, the generation of defective products can be suppressed.

  In addition, when making chocolate with further nuts in the above chocolate plate with center filling, a nut feeder will be installed on the line, but in conventional chocolate molder plants, there may be no space for installation. is there. In such a case, it is necessary to secure the installation space by extending the length of the molder plant or creating a bypass line. This will modify the molder plant itself, and it will take much more time and effort than installing a nut feeder. However, in the chocolate manufacturing system according to claim 1 of the present application, there is no mold transport mechanism that spans the entire plant as in the conventional chocolate molder plant, and since it is transferred for each unit, a new device is installed between the units. Or you can make a unit-by-unit modification. Therefore, it is possible to extend the line without any substantial modification and virtually without limitation.

  As another embodiment, for example, when making an assorted product in which three varieties of sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate are assembled, the conventional method must be produced by switching the chocolate dough for each varieties. Packaging is done at the same time, and it takes time to commercialize the product, and it also requires space for unwrapped products. In the case of the chocolate manufacturing system according to claim 1 of the present application, in FIG. 3, filling units F1, F2, and F3 made of a depositer, a tapping machine, and the like are connected to terminals X1, X2, and X3, respectively, and are composed of a mold reversing machine, a peeling hammer, and the like. If the demolder units G1, G2, and G3 are connected to the terminals Y1, Y2, and Y3, respectively, three types can be produced simultaneously, and can be packaged immediately without the need for reserve. In this case, after the mold has been peeled off, it passes through the mold warmer H, and is again supplied to the filling units F1, F2, and F3.

Manufacture example About the chocolate manufacturing method which concerns on this-application Claim 2, the manufacture example of the plate chocolate containing a center filling is demonstrated using FIG. In this manufacturing method, a plurality of manufacturing units that can be driven independently were used without an interlocked mold conveying mechanism extending over the entire line. First, the mold is supplied to the shell makeup unit A consisting of a mold warmer, shell dough depositor, tapping machine, mold reversing machine, and oscillator. After the chocolate dough is filled into a mold heated to an appropriate temperature, the excess chocolate dough is removed. I got shell chocolate. Next, the mold in which the shell chocolate was formed entered the cooling unit B from the terminal X1, and the shell chocolate dough was cooled and solidified. The mold coming out of the cooling unit B was transferred to a terminal Y1 by a conveyor, and then transferred to a center filling unit C composed of a rim scraper, a depositer, and a tapping machine.

  Then, the center filling unit C filled the center filling, and returned to the cooling unit B from the terminal Y2 and cooled again. The mold coming out of the cooling unit B was transferred from the terminal X2 to a bottom make unit D comprising a center heater, a depositer, a tapping machine, and a bottom scraper to form a bottom chocolate. The mold subjected to the bottom make-up entered the cooling unit B again from the terminal X3, cooled, and then transferred from the terminal Y3 to the demoulder unit E, and the chocolate was peeled from the mold. The peeled chocolate was the same quality as the conventional product. Then, the peeled chocolate was subjected to a packaging process, the mold was transported by a transporter, and again supplied to the shell make unit A. Thus, the chocolate manufacturing method according to claim 2 of the present application does not require a plurality of cooling units by passing through one cooling unit many times.

  Since the present invention is a system that can be preferably used in chocolate manufacture and can flexibly change the line configuration, it can be used for efficient production and new product development.

The figure which showed the composition of the conventional chocolate manufacturing system in the case of making plate chocolate with a center filling The figure which showed the structure of the chocolate manufacturing system which concerns on this-application claim 1 in the case of making the plate chocolate containing a center filling. The figure which showed the structure of the chocolate manufacturing system which concerns on this-application claim 1 when making assorted chocolate

Explanation of symbols

1. Shell dough depositor 2. Tapping machine 3. Mold reversing machine 4. Oscillator 5. Rim scraper 6. Mold reversing machine 7. Shell dough cooler 8. Center filling depositer 9. Tapping machine 10. Center cooler 11. Center heater 12 Bottom fabric depositer 13. Tapping machine 14. Bottom scraper 15. Final cooler 16. Mold reversing machine 17. Peeling hammer 18. Mold warmer 19. Type reversing machine A. Shell make unit B. Cooling unit C. Center filling unit D. Bottom make unit E. Demolder unit X1. Terminal X2. Terminal X3. Terminal Y1. Terminal Y2. Terminal Y3. Terminal F1. F2. Filling unit F3. Filling unit G1. Demolder unit G2. Demolder unit G3. Demolder unit H. Mold warmer

Claims (2)

A chocolate manufacturing system having a structure in which independent manufacturing units are arranged for each function around a single cooling unit having a plurality of terminals, and molds are transferred between the manufacturing units. A method for producing chocolate using the system of claim 1.

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