Flake Ice Machine
1. Category Introduction
DAXTRO flake ice machines produce thin, dry, sub cooled flake ice in daily capacities from 300 kg to 50 tons. Flake ice is the fastest cooling medium of the common ice types because it wraps around a product and leaves no air gap, which is why it dominates fisheries, meat processing and concrete cooling.
The machine is built around a vertical drum evaporator. Ice is frozen on the outside of the drum and scraped off by a precision blade, so production is continuous rather than cyclic and the first ice is available within about a minute of start up.
Flake thickness is held at 1.5 to 2.0 mm with no sharp edges, so the ice cannot cut product or injure an operator. Ice contact surfaces are 316L stainless steel, frame and panels 304, CE marked and built under ISO 9001.
2. Working Principle
How the ice is made
A vertical drum rotates slowly inside a water trough. Refrigerant evaporates inside the drum wall and freezes a thin layer of water onto the outer surface. Because the drum is turning constantly, the layer builds evenly and stays thin.
How the ice is released
A hardened scraper blade is held against the drum surface and lifts the frozen layer off as a continuous sheet, which breaks naturally into flakes as it falls into the bin. There is no harvest cycle, no hot gas interruption and no waiting.
Why flake cools faster
Sub cooled flake ice sits at around minus 5 to minus 7 degrees Celsius when it leaves the drum. Combined with its flat, flexible shape, it conforms to the surface of the product, so it removes heat by direct contact instead of through an air gap.
3. Performance Advantages
▪ Fastest heat transfer of any ice type. Flexible flakes wrap the product completely. No gaps, no air pockets, no brine, which is why processors specify flake for high value perishables.
▪ Continuous output, no cycle. The drum runs steady state, so the machine delivers a constant flow from the first minute rather than ramping up and down through freeze and harvest cycles.
▪ Sub cooled and dry. Ice leaves the drum well below zero and stays dry, so it does not dilute the product and does not create wet floors or slush in storage.
▪ Safe to handle. Edges are soft and smooth at 1.5 to 2.0 mm thickness. No sharp corners to cut operators or damage delicate fillets.
▪ Low water and power per ton. Direct expansion on the drum gives a short heat path, which shows up as lower specific energy consumption at the same output.
▪ Built for continuous duty. Screw and piston compressor options with air or water cooled condensers, sized for two or three shift operation on a marine or industrial site.
4. Applications
▪ Fisheries, on shore and on board. Immediate chilling of landed catch, with flake that packs around whole fish and fillets without crushing them.
▪ Poultry and meat processing. Rapid carcass chilling and holding, with dry ice that keeps the work area clean and the product undiluted.
▪ Concrete cooling. Flake ice dosed into the mix to hold placement temperature within specification on mass pours.
▪ Chemical and dye processing. Controlled cooling of exothermic reactions, where a steady ice supply is part of the process.
▪ Supermarket and fresh display. A bed of flake ice that holds fish, meat and produce at temperature without hiding it from the customer.
▪ Bakery and dough cooling. Cooling and humidity control in dough mixing, where flake ice melts into the mix at a controlled rate.
5. After-Sales Service
▪ Global spare parts stock. Nine service hubs hold blades, drum assemblies, water pumps and control components. Blades are treated as a consumable and always kept in stock.
▪ Blade and drum service. Blade clearance is the single biggest factor in flake quality. Setting gauges and a replacement schedule are supplied, and remote guidance covers adjustment step by step.
▪ Remote commissioning and support. Parameters, rotation direction and blade clearance are reviewed before shipment and again during commissioning by video.
▪ Documentation package. Operation manual, electrical drawings, refrigerant schematic and spare parts list in English.
▪ Warranty and response. Twelve months warranty on the machine, longer on the compressor per its own terms. Inquiries answered within one working day.
