Buhler Ag

Werner Kuster

Willy Braeker

Johannes Leuthold

A conching machine having at least two rotors (6, 7, 10, 10') respectively arranged in a trough compartment (3, 4, 5) of a conching trough (1), with the trough walls (2, 15, 115) of the conching trough (1) of each rotor (6, 7, 10, 10') being arranged as closely surrounding each other. Of the rotors (6, 7, 10, 10') at least one rotor (6, 7) is designed with radially extending blades (8) and at least one further rotor as a cutter rotor (10, 10') with at least one cutting edge (12).

Conching machine with multiple rotors

A method is described for controlling the grinding of a dispersion of solid particles in a doughy-pasty mass, such as a chocolate mass, on a roller mill line having at least one preceding and one postponed roller mill (1 or 4), of which at east the postponed roller mill (4) is a roll refiner mill with a plurality of rollers (W1-W5). In this arrangement, the outlet roller gap of the preceding roller mill (1) is changed for decreasing or increasing the layer thickness of the mass in the postponed roller mill (4) having at least three rollers. Additionally and besides changing the outlet roller gap of the preceding roller mill (1) a control of the layer thickness of the postponed roller mill (4) is carried out according to a proportional-integral-differential control system. In doing so, the layer thickness can be measured on the postponed roller mill (4) within predetermined limits, with a change-over to the control system of the preceding roller mill (1) taking place upon exceeding these limits due to the difference of the actual thickness to the nominal layer thickness.

Method and system for controlling a layer thickness in a grinding

In a conching device (1) at least one rotor (2, or 3, respectively) is driven by an electric motor (9). The driving motor (9) is controlled by means of a motor control unit (8). To establish the amount of energy introduced into the conching device (1), at least one motor-operation parameter is detected and evaluated. To shorten the conching time of a conching process to the necessary extent, it is provided to establish the amount of energy introduced into the conching device at least during the viscous-plastic phase of the chocolate mass and to control the conching process in dependency upon the summation value of energy attained. Since the amount of energy introduced during the viscous-plastic phase determines the properties and the quality of the chocolate, a high reproducibility will be ensured.

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Niederuzwil, Switzerland

Werner Kuster