The Expert's Corner

A major global confectionary company approached ROSS to improve their process of manufacturing a chocolate product. They were using a kitchen-style single planetary mixer that was unable to handle the high viscosity peaks that occur during mixing. The material spikes to over 1 million centipoise and finishes around 20,000 cps.

The Double Planetary Mixer was the most evident solution which actual testing definitively confirmed to be the right machine. It easily combined powdered sugar and cocoa butter with a small amount of water in a vessel pre-heated to 140oF. As the batch contents transitioned from a soft paste to a thick, heavy log-like material, the mixing action of the two planetary blades efficiently moved the product though it went through multiple changes in viscosity and texture. Rotating on their own axes while orbiting on a common axis, both blades are designed to continuously advance along the periphery of the mix vessel, remove material from the sidewalls and transport it towards the interior. The kitchen mixer would stall out, whereas the Double Planetary Mixer was only drawing idle current up to the end point when the chocolate reached the desired smooth icing consistency.

Ross Mixers are concocting premium products at the customer's manufacturing facility and many other places, much to the joy of chocolate lovers around the planet.