Plate Ice Machine
1. Category Introduction
DAXTRO plate ice machines produce flat, dry ice sheets in daily capacities from 2 tons to 30 tons. Plate ice is thick, hard and slow melting, and it is the format that best suits bulk cooling where the ice has to travel or sit for a long time.
Ice forms on both faces of vertical plate evaporators with a falling water film, then releases as a sheet when hot gas passes through the plate. The sheet falls onto a breaker and splits into manageable pieces, so one machine produces large flat plates or smaller broken pieces depending on how the breaker is set.
Ice contact surfaces are 316L stainless steel, CE marked and built under ISO 9001. Plate ice is a non food grade line, intended for industrial cooling rather than direct food contact.
2. Working Principle
How the ice is made
Water is pumped to the top of a bank of vertical plate evaporators and falls as a thin film down both faces of each plate. Refrigerant evaporates inside the plate, freezing the film into a sheet that thickens until it reaches the set thickness.
How the ice is released
Hot gas is admitted into the plates and the sheet releases from both faces at once. It slides down onto a breaker bar assembly which splits it into pieces sized for the application, and the pieces drop into the bin.
Why the sheets stay dry
Water is recirculated rather than held in a mould, so there is no standing water to be trapped in the ice. The result is a hard, dry, dense sheet with very little free water, which is why plate ice stores well.
3. Performance Advantages
▪ Thick, hard, slow melting. A dense sheet with a high mass to surface ratio releases cooling steadily over a long period, ideal where ice is transported or stored before use.
▪ Dry, so no dilution and no mess. Recirculated water and a clean release give a dry product. No melt water in the hold, the truck or the process.
▪ Large flat pieces or broken pieces. The breaker setting decides whether you get whole plates or smaller pieces, so one machine covers several customer formats.
▪ Efficient at medium to large scale. Plate evaporators give a high ratio of heat transfer surface to floor space, keeping the machine compact for its output.
▪ Simple, robust construction. Few moving parts outside the water and refrigerant circuits. Access to plates and breaker is direct.
▪ Stable long run performance. Thickness is controlled by freeze time, so output stays predictable across a long production campaign.
4. Applications
▪ Fisheries and fish transport. Dry, slow melting ice that survives a long trip to a landing site or a distant market.
▪ Meat and poultry. Bulk chilling and transport cooling where free water would damage packaging and hygiene.
▪ Concrete cooling. Plate ice dosed into mass concrete, with the option of large pieces for slower release.
▪ Chemical processing. Cooling of exothermic reactions where a stable, dry ice supply is part of the process design.
▪ Mining and remote sites. Cooling in locations where ice must be produced in one place and used in another.
▪ Ice plants. Plate ice as a second product line alongside tube or block ice, using the same cold room and packing area.
5. After-Sales Service
▪ Global spare parts stock. Nine service hubs hold breaker components, plate assemblies, pumps and controls.
▪ Plate and breaker service. Plate surface condition affects release. Inspection guidance, breaker adjustment and replacement parts are supported from stock.
▪ Remote commissioning and support. Freeze time, water flow and breaker setting are reviewed before shipment and during commissioning by video.
▪ Documentation package. Operation manual, electrical drawings, refrigerant and water schematics 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.
