| CONFECTION - September 1998, "Automating the production of striped candy rope" LMC International has developed a new extrusion system for the continuous production of striped candy rope. The recently launched Hard Candy Striping Extruder (HCSE) meets the demand for a fast, cost effective system to replace the labour intensive process of hand building striped candy rope. According to marketing manager Eve La Rosa, LMC has already installed machines at the production facilities of two US manufacturers. The HCSE incorporates a special co-extrusion die which allows for the continuous production of a sugar rope with alternating striped patterns typical of starlight mints, humbugs and candy canes. For continuous production the extruder is linked to a rope sizer and a cluster. The sugar rope is then fed to a forming machine for candy canes, lollipops or starlight balls. The HCSE works with sugar mass produced in both batch and continuous cookers and is capable of outputs of more than 1,000 kg an hour. The hoppers, extruder screws and supply lines which make up the HCSE are heated using hot oil jackets. According to LMC, the sugar mass should be kept at a constant temperature to ensure the coloured stripe does not bleed. Products manufactured using the HCSE have noticeably brighter stripes which are uniform in size and interval, claims LMC. To allow for easy cleaning of the machine, LMC has engineered the HCSE with steam cleaning connections which allow low pressure steam to be fed through the main hopper, the jacketed line and the die. |
] back [