Chocolate molding machine BEM3 series

Product overview
The BEM3 range is a co-extrusion depositor that forms filled or unfilled biscuit products and portions them before baking. It sits after dough and filling preparation and before the oven; baking is performed separately. The head forms a continuous rope with the filling centered inside the dough shell; a transverse nozzle matrix creates multiple lanes and the selected cutting device portions products directly onto trays or a tunnel-oven belt.

Process suitability — eliminate the co-encrusting machine if

• The dough is not plastic enough to form a stable shell; a dough that cracks on extrusion tears the shell and the filling leaks at the cut.
• The filling viscosity cannot be matched to the pump and core pressure; mismatched, the core blows out at the nozzle.
• Baking is on a tunnel oven whose belt is neither CB5 articulated wire mesh nor solid steel; other belts break the shell at transfer and the filling leaks.
• The filling carries particles and diaphragm cutting is required; particle-bearing fillings are limited to guillotine applications.
• The production room is not conditioned to about 20 °C; if the fat softens, the dough loses shell form and sealing stability.
• Output above 1200 kg/h is required (that is the ceiling of the range).

Output handling — decision guidance

• Rotary tray oven → BEM3-6-TVS-VF: reciprocating shuttle onto 400 × 600 mm trays, retractable tail conveyor and tray conveyor; maximum nominal capacity 600 kg/h; 380 V three-phase, 7.8 kW. Capacity figures are the combined weight of dough and filling. The trays are not included.
• Inline tunnel oven → BEM3-12-TVS: direct discharge onto an 800 mm tunnel-oven belt (must be CB5 articulated wire mesh or solid steel); maximum nominal capacity 1200 kg/h; 380 V three-phase, 8 kW. Capacity figures are the combined weight of dough and filling.

Cutting system by product geometry
Each row maps a product to one tooling. Diaphragm cutting is standard; wire and guillotine cutting are optional.
Table: Product | Cutting system | Consequence
Particle-free filling, fully enclosed, maximum Ø40 mm | Diaphragm — standard | Particle-bearing filling disturbs the closing action; diaphragm applications require particle-free filling.
Filled or unfilled bars; double-colour dough with a centre filling | Guillotine — optional | The only tooling for double-colour dough with a centre filling. Normally accepts 5–8 mm particles, subject to filling confirmation.
Unfilled wire-cut cookies | Wire — optional | Wire tooling cannot close a filled core, so it portions unfilled dough only.

How co-extrusion works
In a typical center-filled biscuit line, dough and filling are fed to separate metering systems. The extrusion head forms a continuous rope where the filling stays centered inside the dough shell. A transverse nozzle matrix creates multiple lanes and the selected cutting device portions products directly onto the belt or trays. Head height and nozzle-to-conveyor distance are adjusted to match dough texture and cutting type to prevent shell tearing and filling leakage.

Process inputs and failure modes

• Dough plasticity: must be plastic enough to form a stable shell without cracking.
• Baked shell thickness: typically 3–5 mm.
• Filling viscosity should be matched to the pump and core pressure to avoid blow-outs.
• Particle-bearing fillings are limited to guillotine applications; maximum particle size normally 5–8 mm and must be confirmed before manufacture. Diaphragm applications require particle-free filling.
• There is no filling heating on the machine; the filling must arrive at working temperature.
• Nozzle-to-conveyor distance is adjusted for clean shape definition and minimal smearing.

Position in the production line
Upstream: dough and filling are prepared separately and fed to the machine's metering systems (stiff dough kneading done on a Z mixer where required). Downstream: cut, sealed pieces go straight to baking — onto trays for a rotary-type oven on the BEM3-6-TVS-VF, or directly onto the tunnel-oven belt on the BEM3-12-TVS. The encrusting machine forms and portions the pieces only; baking is a separate machine.

Warranty and lead time
AkayGAM co-encrusting machines carry a 1-year warranty against manufacturing and construction defects. Lead time: 3–4 months from order because model-specific output handling and selected cutting tooling are configured at manufacture.

Model comparison (BEM3 models)
Table: Model | Maximum nominal capacity | Output handling | Baking route | Power | Eliminates if…
BEM3-6-TVS-VF | 600 kg/h | Reciprocating shuttle (VF) onto 400 × 600 mm trays; retractable tail conveyor + tray conveyor | Semi-automatic, rotary-type oven | 380 V three-phase, 7.8 kW | Output must run inline to a tunnel oven, or throughput above 600 kg/h is needed — use BEM3-12-TVS
BEM3-12-TVS | 1200 kg/h | Direct discharge onto an 800 mm tunnel-oven belt (CB5 articulated wire mesh or solid steel belt) | Inline tunnel oven | 380 V three-phase, 8 kW | Baking is on a rotary tray oven, or tray-based handling is required — use BEM3-6-TVS-VF

Common features (common to all models)

• Top dough-feeding drums in engineering plastics, variable speed.
• Sliding vane-type main dough feeders in hard chrome-coated black steel, variable speed.
• Gear-type cream feeding pump, variable speed.
• Fixed nozzle count: 6 on the BEM3-6, 12 on the BEM3-12; a head cannot be fitted with fewer.
• Capacity figures are the combined weight of dough and filling.
• The depositor runs continuously; the conveyor runs continuously or in index mode.
• Motorised head height, HMI-controlled, setting the nozzle-to-conveyor distance.
• Dough and filling feed rates set independently on the HMI and stored as recipes.
• Diaphragm cutting standard; wire and guillotine cutting optional.
• Production room conditioned to about 20 °C for reliable shell formation.
• Compressed-air requirement: 6 bar.
• Product-contact materials: aluminium, AISI 304 stainless steel, engineering plastics and hard-chrome-coated black steel.
• Cleaning: manual; CIP is not available.
• Supply voltage: 380 V three-phase.

Model-specific highlights

• BEM3-6-TVS-VF: tray-output co-encrusting for semi-automatic rotary-oven baking at up to 600 kg/h. Reciprocating shuttle conveyor (VF); retractable tail conveyor; tray conveyor; trays 400 × 600 mm; total power 380 V 7.8 kW.
• BEM3-12-TVS: inline co-encrusting that discharges directly onto a tunnel-oven belt at up to 1200 kg/h (designed for 800 mm belt width). Tunnel-oven belt must be CB5 articulated wire mesh or solid steel. Total power 380 V 8 kW.

Frequently asked notes

• Suitable fillings: cream-based fillings, chocolate creams, nut pastes and jam-type fillings provided viscosity and particle content meet the cutting choice (diaphragm vs guillotine).
• Leakage prevention factors: correct dough plasticity, baked outer dough thickness 3–5 mm, suitable belt or tray transfer, correct nozzle-to-conveyor distance.

Caractéristiques / spécifications techniques

• Series: BEM3 series.
• Models: BEM3-6-TVS-VF (tray model, 600 kg/h) and BEM3-12-TVS (tunnel model, 1200 kg/h).
• Capacity: 600 kg/h (BEM3-6-TVS-VF) or 1200 kg/h (BEM3-12-TVS); capacity = combined weight of dough + filling.
• Fixed nozzle counts: 6 (BEM3-6) or 12 (BEM3-12).
• Power: 380 V three-phase; 7.8 kW (BEM3-6-TVS-VF) or 8 kW (BEM3-12-TVS).
• Cutting: diaphragm standard; wire and guillotine optional (guillotine accepts particles typically 5–8 mm subject to confirmation).
• Compressed air: 6 bar.
• Product-contact materials: AISI 304 stainless steel, aluminium, engineering plastics, hard-chrome-coated black steel.
• Cleaning: manual (no CIP).
• Operational environment: production room conditioned to ~20 °C recommended.
• Warranty: 1 year against manufacturing and construction defects (AkayGAM).
• Lead time: typically 3–4 months from order for model-specific configuration.