Flexible popped chips machine
Producers of healthy snacks like popped chips, are much more competitive when they are able to quickly steer towards innovative ideas like a new variety of popped chips. The same goes for having the flexibility to quickly adjust for different ingredients to create a wider range in what they offer. A machine with the option to have multiple molds and the ability to process a broad range of gelatinized micropellets such as cereals (rice, wheat, corn) pulses (peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas), potato, grits and rice will make sure this advantage on a competitive market is ensured.
Feeding gelatinized micropellets through a hopper to a mold
The HYDROSNACK by Engi Technologies is a machine to produce very thin chips slices. The raw material in the form of gelatinized micropellets or cereal are fed through a hopper by use of a hydraulic system, much like with a rice cake machine. A slide plate presses the material in a heated mold and kept under pressure for a short amount of time. The water in the moisturized material will heat up and become steam, preparing it for the popping. When the slide plate retracts slightly, space is opened up for the material to pop and take the form of popped chips. The cooking head of the machine now opens and the chips will fall on a conveyor belt and continue the journey to a drum to remove unpopped ingredients and then – if so desired – to a flavouring station, before the chips continue towards the packaging department.
For the triangular snacks with a (side of 50 mm), the output can go up to 8,600 snack per hour. Popped products are produced with the HYDROSNACK from a wide variety of materials such as cereals (rice, wheat, corn) pulses (peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas), potato, grits and rice, either alone or as part of various customer specific recipes. It is very easy to change a mold and switch between round mini chips, round chips, triangular, rectangular or square chips. A lower mould opening till 200 mm is available if desired. Other than that, optional, the machine has a connection for remote online technical support and a diagnostic remote control that is available online.
Benefits
- Equipped with a dosage cup cleaning system
- A“0”leakage dosage plate
- Volumetric feeding system
- Easy to use