Rotor mixer INM

verticalcontinuousin-line

Overview
The INM continuous inclusion mixer meters dry, free‑flowing solid inclusions into a continuous chocolate stream. It installs downstream of a tempering machine and discharges by gravity into a depositor hopper. Designed for a chocolate inlet flow of 500–1,000 kg/h and recipes containing up to 25% inclusions by finished product weight. Not suitable for liquid, paste, sticky, or oversized inclusions (any piece exceeding 20 mm in the product path).

Process suitability

• Reject the INM if the inclusion is liquid, paste, or sticky and bridges the hopper (the screw cannot meter these reliably).
• Reject if any piece exceeds 20 mm anywhere in the product path.
• Reject if the recipe requires more than 25% inclusions by final product weight.
• Reject if chocolate inlet flow falls outside 500–1,000 kg/h.
• Reject if the outlet must be pressurised or transferred through a long pipe instead of free fall into a depositor hopper.
• Reject if CIP (cleaning-in-place) is mandatory; the INM is cleaned manually.

Control and configuration options
Function | Definition | Consequence
Demand control | Standard. Depositor hopper level, PLC sequence and heated diverter valve. | Decides when the machine runs and which way the product goes. The valve changes the product path; it does not control the inclusion ratio.
Standard ratio control | Standard. Stored recipe screw and rotor speeds, recalled for the selected recipe. | The inclusion percentage stays repeatable only while the chocolate flow is stable.
Flowmeter control | Optional. Measures the chocolate going to the INM; the PLC corrects the solid-feeding rate against the measured flow. | Without it, the inclusion percentage drifts as the chocolate flow changes.
Vertical screw conveyor for the particle hopper | Optional. Fills the particle hopper from a loading-height hopper; the hopper level sensor starts and stops it. | Without it, the particle hopper is filled by hand.

Recipe calibration and percentage control
Each inclusion is calibrated in the Customer Setup area. The operator records the measured inclusion feed rate produced by a reference screw speed in kg/min and saves it as a recipe. Multiple recipes can be stored and recalled. With the optional flowmeter the PLC combines this calibration with the measured chocolate flow and the target inclusion percentage to calculate the required feeder-screw speed. Rotor speed can remain independent or follow the calculated screw speed proportionally. The PLC uses the calculation I = C × x / (100 − x), where C is the chocolate flow (kg/h), I is the inclusion feed rate (kg/h) and x is the inclusion percentage of the finished product.

Automatic operation from depositor hopper level
The INM runs automatically from the chocolate level in the depositor hopper. When the depositor calls for product the mixing rotor starts; after an HMI-set delay the heated automatic diverter valve opens the route through the INM and the solid-feeding screw starts (with or after a separate delay). When the depositor hopper reaches high level the valve switches to the return line and the rotor and feeder stop together. The return stream must be routed through a decrystallization tube before reaching the storage tank (returning tempered chocolate directly can seed crystals and lower tank temperature). The diverter valve body is heated to prevent chocolate setting inside its passages.

Nut preparation: BCM400 granules or whole nuts
The INM doses whatever the hopper supplies. Hopper input determines visual consistency in the finished product. Two upstream options for nuts are described and compared below.
Property | BCM400 chopped granules | Whole roasted nuts direct
Piece size | Calibrated in 4 sieve fractions | Natural nut size, kernel-by-kernel variation
Visual consistency in finished piece | Uniform — pieces look the same shot to shot | Variable — different shots show different nut counts
Compatible inclusion sizes | Calibrated fractions within the 20 mm product-path limit | Limited to nuts already within the 20 mm product-path limit
Hopper bridging risk | Low — calibrated dry granules flow under gravity | Higher — irregular kernels can lock at the screw inlet
Eliminates if… | You need whole-nut visibility for premium product positioning | You need uniform, calibrated piece size

Maintenance, cleaning & warranty
Tube clearing at recipe changes: stop the solid-feeding screw and run plain chocolate through the mixing tube to flush the previous inclusion before the next recipe. Screw feeder and hopper: clear residual inclusions at the end of a run; dry free-flowing inclusions leave little residue, while sticky or oil-coated pieces can build up and must be removed to avoid bridging. Cleaning is manual; the machine is not built for CIP. Warranty: 1-year warranty against manufacturing and construction defects. Lead time: 3–4 months from order; built to required voltage and piping specifications.

Technical data / specifications

• Model / series name: INM Continuous Chocolate Inclusion Mixer.
• Suitable chocolate inlet flow: 500–1,000 kg/h.
• Maximum inclusion percentage: up to 25% of finished product weight (standard operating limit).
• Maximum allowed inclusion piece size in the product path: 20 mm.
• Standard construction features: solid-feeding screw with dosing hopper (adjustable feeding speed); hopper level sensor; VFD-controlled mixing rotor speed; water-jacketed stator with electric resistance heater and PID temperature control; heated automatic diverter valve; AISI 304 stainless steel product-contact parts.
• Power: 380 V, three-phase, total consumption 3 kW (standard).
• Optional equipment: flowmeter control for closed-loop inclusion percentage control; vertical screw conveyor for automatic hopper filling; decrystallization tube required on return line when returning tempered chocolate to storage.
• Cleaning: manual only (not CIP).
• Warranty: 1 year. Lead time: 3–4 months from order.