Innovations in Flaker Technology

Flaker technology is taking on a new twist with an ice machine that produces both flakes and a variation on flakes called “chiplets.” Flaked ice can be described as small, hard bits of ice. Chiplets are larger, irregular shapes of compacted flake ice measuring 1/4 by 1/4 by 1/4 in.

Applications are primarily supermarket display cases for extending the life of and enhancing the appearance of meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, and drinks.

A joint venture in the development of this technology comes with the U.S. company Manitowoc and the German company Ziegra Eis-machinen. The companies are bringing out the 700/800 Q-Series, capable of making 800 lb of flaked ice and/or 700 lb of chiplet ice every 24 hrs. The machine is 22-in. wide, 26.5-in. high, and 24.5-in. deep.

The technology includes a water valve that allows water to be metered continuously as the machine is making ice and shuts off the water supply when the machine is shut down. The water is then drained during shutdown periods so stagnant water is not left in the machine.

The water and control systems are designed with a “maintenance cleaning” feature, allowing for the addition of a cleaning solution during an automatic flush cycle. The cycle consists of a series of clean and rinse cycles in order to clean lime and scale from the evaporator.

In the Manitowoc/Ziegra units, all parts that require cleaning — including the water valve and reservoir — can be removed from the machine without tools and without shutting off the external water supply.

The evaporator was designed in Germany, where it is manufactured. The drive system includes a flexible coupling to better transmit the gear motor torque to the freezing unit and a split collar evaporator support to evenly distribute the coupling forces around the evaporator cylinder. The features are designed to reduce wear and tear and provide longer life for the water seal and bearings.

Other features include a microprocessor-based control system that monitors gear motor speed, incoming voltage, water level, and discharge temperature.

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