Temperature control of casting moulds

During production of chocolate bars, up to 20 individual bars are produced simultaneously in one mould. In order to ensure a uniform thickness of the chocolate as well as a damage-free removal of the cooled chocolate, a precise tempering of the mould is necessary.

The filling of the hot chocolate also creates an excess of heat in the centre of the mould compared to the edges. To compensate, the moulds are subjected to a complex temperature profile.

In conjunction with a machine vision system and a thermal imaging camera, the process between the preheating station and the filler is visualized and monitored. The image information of the thermal imaging camera is analysed and evaluated by the algorithms of the system. Inhomogeneous areas of the preheated moulds can thus be detected. In this case the filling process is not started.

The user interface provides excellent information. The customer thus has a perfect overview of the temperature curves of the moulds and can optimally adjust his upstream processes.

By installing the system in the existing production line, the production flow can be optimized and the output of the production increased.

The modularity and flexibility of the machine vision system is also shown in the integration of the control system into the plant. This reduces the effort to a minimum.