Swedish packaging firm Tetra Pak has introduced an innovative extrusion wheel which is capable of producing stick ice cream products with large inclusions at highest capacity.
The wheel has the capacity to manufacture stick ice cream products with large-sized inclusions, including whole nuts, real fruit segments or cookie dough chunks.
The new wheel, which can be added to existing lines, uses an advanced vertical rotating design that proceeds continuously at a synchronised speed to the line.
Extrusion wheel holds capacity to produce up to 12,000 products per hour per lane, helping producers to significantly increase the current capacity.
The new equipment will help to insert the stick at the starting stage of production, enabling to fill ice cream with large inclusions.
According to Tetra Pak, the new wheel allows to maintain the position of the stick and integrity of the inclusions up to 25mm in diameter.
In addition, the wheel design comprises moulding cavities that helps to provide uniform product shapes and smooth surface.
The stick will be inserted into the ice cream at the end of production in the traditional method of stick ice cream production.
Tetra Pak product and concept manager Elsebeth Baungaard said: “The ice cream market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.8% in value, and 2.2% in volume between 2017 and 2022, mainly driven by premium single-serve ice cream products with new flavours and recipes.
“We look forward to seeing how our new extrusion wheel helps customers create novel and exciting products on their existing lines, with flexible capacity and the highest quality, all at the lowest cost per product in the industry.”
Tetra Pak provides packaging equipment for liquid food products, as well as a range of processing and packaging technologies for use with a broad array of products from ice cream and cheese to fruit, vegetables and pet food.
