Hello!

I have a small factory. We produce about 15 tons of chocolate per year (truffles, enrobed pralines, moulding pralines etc.). Premium segment. While we are working on wheeled machines Prefamac (30 kg each). Next season I want to upgrade production. I want to buy an automatic tempering machine 30 or 60 kg and enrobing belt. Choose between Selmi R-200 and Prefamac.

I want to purchase a reliable and convenient facilities. I do not want to overpay for the bells and whistles.

I ask you to share your experiences and advise which brand to choose? Thank you in advance.

updated by @vladislav: 04/10/15 09:40:32

Vladislav:

I represent FBM equipment to ChocolateLife members around the world. FBM introduced continuous tempering technology to the artisan chocolatier market back in 1977 and has been a technology leader since then. FBM was also the first company to introduce all-digital controls on their machines back in 1997.

One thing to consider about enrobing belts is that the actual amount of chocolate you need is relatively small. If you are running 500 pieces per hour through the machine and putting 5 grams of chocolate on each piece, you only need 2.5kg of chocolate per hour. Getting a machine with a working bowl of 24kg that can temper >90kg/hr of chocolate is much more capacity that you can use and it costs a lot more than you should have to pay.

FBM makes machines with 7kg and 12kg working bowl capacities that accept an enrober belt and that cost thousands of Euros less than Selmi machines. All FBM machines are made to order, so you can get yours customized if you want. A common customization is a longer take-off belt. You can also get a device that will sprinkle chopped nuts and the like over the top of your enrobed items.FBM will build and deliver the machine you need.

In order to increase the capacity of your enrobing line you need to increase the width of the belt, not the size of the tank. The FBM Unica (which has a 25kg working bowl) can be equipped with a 25cm-wide enrober belt instead of the standard 18cm belt. This increases the capacity of the system by about 30%. FBM also makes tempering/enrobing units with 30cm (45kg working bowl) and 40cm (60kg working bowl) belts.

I can also offer ChocolateLife members a 10% discount off the list prices on all machines (not including shipping, etc.).

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clay - http://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/

thank you very much for your response and calculations. It is with great interest I read your posts in this forum. Could you send me a link to the video machines, you have written?

What is the maximum capacity of the belt? The fact that my season volumes may be 3-5 tons per month (range) and I need a reserve capacity. Also I will be grateful if you could inform the approximate level of prices.

Vladislav --

There are many videos about FBM equipment on their YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/fbmboscolo

As to the question of what is the maximum capacity of the belt ?

Don't think about kilos of chocolate per hour as the measure of capacity when buying an enrobing system. It's all about the average number of piece per hour you can put through the machine.

Your throughput will depend on the size of the pieces you are enrobing, what's being done after the pieces come off the belt (how they are decorated), how many people are working the line (1 or 2 or more), how well the work is organized, how much experience the operators have working together, the width of the belt, and whether or not you have a cooling tunnel.

An average of 1000 pieces/hr over an 8 hour shift at 5gr of chocolate/piece is 5kg/hr, or 40kg/day or about 1MT/month of chocolate per month producing roughly 18,000 pieces.

Think about the number of pieces you need to produce, not how much chocolate you're using and work from there. FBM's Compatta, with a 12kg working bowl and an 18cm belt can handle the 5kg/hr required to produce 18,000 pieces/month. If you want to produce more than that, I would recommend moving up to a wider belt and seriously consider a cooling tunnel.

LIST prices for FBM tempering machines with enrober belts run from about 11,000 (7kg working bowl, 18cm belt) to 33,000 (60kg working bowl, 40cm wide belt). Cooling tunnels range from about 22,000 to 37,000 depending on width (30 or 40cm) and length (4-10 meters).

I can send you catalog pages via email if you want more information.

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clay - http://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/

thank you very much for the information. Yes, I will be grateful for the directories and information. Please send to 10477 at mail dot ru

The tunnel while I will not take. I have a big cold room. Confectioners will take the product off the line, laid on trays and transported in a refrigerated room. I think the performance will be less than 1,000 pieces per hour ... What do you think?

Thanks again for your thoughts. I thought.

From what city are delivery equipment?

Vladislav -

I will send you catalog sheets.

The cold room should work fine, it's not as productive as working with a cooling tunnel because you have to start and stop the enrober belt.

The machines will be shipped from Legagno, which is just outside of MIlan, Italy.

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clay - http://www.thechocolatelife.com/clay/

Clay

Can you send me a list price for FBM by email. I am based in Ireland.

louisenaughton@eircom.net

Louise O' Brien.

l