A local chocolate bar manufacturer came to RAYPLEX  for engineering plus solutions.  An existing 300 ft chocolate bar line needed a new tunnel cover.  The chocolate bar had to be gradually cooled.  Access was required all along the cooling tunnel, plus observation windows were required for inspection.  The 300 ft. tunnel had to be virtually airtight.  Sanitation required the cover to be steam cleaned on a regular basis.

Each fibreglass tunnel section was manufactured with food and drug approved resin.  Urethane foam 1" thick was sandwiched between layers for both strength and insulation.  Air tightness was maintained by using magnetic gaskets on one end and stainless strips on the other end.  Each cover then self sealed itself to its neighbour.  Gasket levax windows were bent to shape and installed.

Our customer reported the cooling tunnel worked better than expected.  A more uniform product quality was achieved with lower rejects.  Maintenance staff liked being able to remove the cover in the area where work was to be performed.  All surfaces were designed for easy cleaning.  Special attention was paid to eliminate pockets where food products could accumulate.

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