Machine of the month: Carle &amp; Montanari-OPM’s Aerocore

Piston depositor designed for aerated masses.

The AeroCore from Carle & Montanari-OPM is a new volumetric piston depositor with the exclusive (patent-pending) Always-In-Line-Pistons (AILP) dosing system that’s engineered for depositing of aerated and non-aerated chocolate masses and fat creams in tablets, bars, pralines.

Thanks to new AILP technology, the AeroCore is especially suitable for dosing aerated pressurized masses, which keeps the pistons “always in line,” both in the suction and in the dosing phase of the product. This eliminates all the pressure drops caused by changes of material flow direction.

The AILP concept indeed ensures extreme precision during AeroCore’s dosing phase, even at high pressures (the AeroCore could work up to 8 bars), guaranteeing excellent quality even for small pralines.

The AeroCore takes advantages of all the features of the standard Core, encompassing a completely removable and modular depositor that’s electronically driven. Consequently, dosing groups are assembled on sliding guides for easy removal for cleaning and replacement.

Like the Core, the AeroCore has been designed for toolless replacement of the whole group (piston block, hopper, dosing plate and minipallet), allowing production changes in less than 10 minutes. The unit’s maximum running speed is 25 cycles/min., with a maximum width of 1,000 mm. Piston diameters range from 8 to 60 mm.

The Core/AeroCore’s special configuration prevents any contamination between different products (white/dark chocolate, water/fat based cream or point/ribbon depositing), achievable only with one depositor, thereby avoiding extended downtimes.

Like the Core, the AeroCore depositor can be equipped with different depositing tools, including the following: point depositing equipment; point depositing special equipment for mixed chocolate & small ingredients; one-shot; ribbon-depositing equipment; and sliding knives equipment.

Key features of the AeroCore unit include:

A machine frame that allows dosing of up to 8 bars
Servo-driven
Aluminium/stainless steel execution
Large number of piston options
A servo-driven nozzle closing system that avoids tails at the end of dosing period
Easy cleaning and maintenance

For more information, visit www.cm-opm.it.

With more than 30 years experience in B-to-B reporting, writing and editing — the bulk of which was dedicated to covering the bakery, confectionery and snack industries — Pacyniak has chronicled changes within the food industry since the early 1980s. A Boston University journalism degree graduate, he worked for a variety of publications before joining BNP Media in 1994 as editor of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery magazine. In 2001, he took over as editor-in-chief of Candy Industry until 2018.