Visitors during Carle&Montanari – OPM’s open house, which was held earlier this spring in Rozzano, Italy, take in the full range of “chocolate planet” processing and production equipment.

When Carle & Montanari-OPM (CM-OPM) held an open house for customers at the company’s Rozzano, Italy facility earlier this spring, visitors had the opportunity to see the first Italian production hub for the chocolate and confectionery world. In doing so, attendees were presented with the latest solutions in the field of chocolate production, moulding, wrapping and packaging. 

Both companies retained their historic manufacturing plants located in Alba, Italy and Rozzano, the later opening its doors to visitors Feb. 29 – March 2. This synergy between these two “chocolate planet” suppliers allows customers to interface with a single source that can propose flexible, personalized solutions for every possible production requirement.Thanks to the strategic alliance between Sacmi and Ima last year, Carle & Montanari and OPM combined the best of their respective production skills and know-how, creating a unique center capable to provide complete, turnkey solutions for chocolate processing and packaging.

During the open house, guests were exposed to complete processing and production systems.

Starting with cocoa processing, visitors saw the company’s five-roll refiner, the HFI518, which can deliver 1,200 kg/h at 18-20 microns fineness. Equipped with an electric inverter-controlled motor, the machine allows for better optimization of speed relative to the refining precision required for the specific product.

Then there was the CLOVER 60, a vertical conche designed for the final processing and transformation of refined cocoa powder. Fully automated for the operations of loading and unloading, the conche can produce 6,000 kg of finished product.

Finally the chocolate temperer BETA 15, suitable for the cooling and pre-crystallization of chocolate or cocoa liquor, rounded out the processing equipment on display. The unit’s design, which incorporates the use of new materials while optimizing  the closed cooling circuit, helps reduce energy consumption.

For those interested in production equipment, the CAVEMIL R 650 205/410 was on display. Thisnew chocolate moulding line features an innovative moulds movement concept by rollers (chain free), thereby providing outstanding flexibility and the ability to easily manage different formats, from tablets to chocolate bars and pralines of different shapes and sizes.

The Cavemil R can reach a speed of 15 moulds/minute (with 650x205 mm or 650x410 mm moulds). To complete the line, the revolutionary chocolate depositor CORE was integrated into the moulding operation. This depositor is designed for a quick replacement of the CORE unit (piston block, hopper, dosing plate) by means of a dedicated mini-pallet and a commercial fork-lift. As such,  a production change can be made in less than 10 minutes using just one operator. Moreover, the system  simultaneously  guarantees no contamination between different kinds of product.

At the open house, space was also set aside for CM-Fima’s wrapping machines, including the  revolutionary Sweet Magic Kiss, which visitors were able to see in action. The new high-speed wrapper can handle up to four different basic wrapping styles.

Also under the CM-Fima brand, there was the VPACK-2 CFU/CDU, a high-speed flexible wrapping machine designed to wrap up to 800 products per minute and to change the packaging style in less than 15 minutes. This machine has a simple and ergonomic design, allowing good accessibility, making cleaning, maintenance and change-over operations  easy.

For primary packaging, CM-OPM showcased the Power Flow-Wrapper EVO, a flow-pack machine designed around the principles of accessibility, easy maintenance, sanitation and ergonomy. The particular coupling between the wheels and the product chain allows the controlled flow-wrapping of small products, reaching a top speed of 1,200 pieces per minute.

The second flow-wrapper on display was the Power Flow-Wrapper MS,whose main characteristics are its sturdiness, the presence of a servo-motor for each group and the high automation of the operations, which enable a 500 pieces-per-minute output.

To complete the solutions showcase, two secondary packaging options were presented: the Power Trifunctional Cell,a top-loading robot with two controlled axes, equipped with anti-collision device, and the FSV D3, a compact and reliable vertical box erector available in two versions, depending on production needs and box dimensions.