Équipement essentiel pour une ligne de production de nouilles instantanées à petite échelle
Establishing a small-scale instant noodle production line requires a careful selection of equipment designed for efficiency, hygiene, and consistent quality. Instant Noodle making machine While smaller in scale and output compared to industrial giants, these lines must still perform the same core processes: mixing, sheeting, cutting, steaming, frying or drying, cooling, and packaging. Understanding the specific machinery involved is crucial for planning, investment, and operational success.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the essential equipment typically found in a small-scale instant noodle production line.
1. Raw Material Preparation & Storage
Before production begins, proper handling and storage of raw materials are paramount.
- Flour Sifter: This is a critical first step. A vibrating or rotary sifter is used to aerate the wheat flour, remove any foreign materials, lumps, or impurities, and ensure a consistent particle size. This prevents blockages in downstream equipment and contributes to a uniform dough mixture.
- Storage Silos/Hoppers: Small, food-grade stainless steel silos or hoppers are used for storing flour. They are equipped with level indicators and are often connected via pneumatic systems or screw conveyors to the mixing station.
- Liquid Preparation Tanks: Stainless steel, jacketed tanks are used for preparing and storing saltwater brine, kansui (alkaline solution), and other liquid ingredients. These tanks often include mixers and heating/cooling systems to ensure solutions are perfectly blended and at the correct temperature for dough mixing.
2. Dough Mixing and Compounding
This stage transforms raw materials into a homogeneous dough.
- Horizontal Dough Mixer: This is the workhorse of the initial mixing stage. It consists of a horizontal stainless steel trough with rotating blades or shafts. It uniformly blends flour, water, and other ingredients into a crumbly dough. For small-scale operations, mixers with capacities of 50-200 kg per batch are common. Key features include a water injection system for precise hydration and a jacketed body for temperature control.
- Dough Feeder (Hopper): This device sits below the mixer and temporarily holds the crumbly dough, feeding it consistently and evenly into the next stage of the process, which is the sheeting line.
3. Dough Sheeting and Calendering
This process transforms the crumbly dough into a continuous, smooth, and thin noodle sheet.
- Compound Sheeter / Pre-press: The initial sheeting unit. It receives the loose dough and compacts it into a single, thick, and uneven sheet through a pair of large-diameter rollers.
- Calendar Rollers (Sheeting Rolls): This is a series of sequential rolling stations. Each station consists of two parallel rollers with a progressively smaller gap between them. Instant Noodle making machine The thick dough sheet passes through these stations, becoming thinner, smoother, and more cohesive with each pass. A typical small line may have 4-6 pairs of calendar rollers. The final gauge determines the thickness of the noodle strand.
4. Noodle Slitting and Waving
The continuous sheet is now cut into strands and given its characteristic shape.
- Slitting Machine / Cutting Rollers: This unit features a pair of rollers with precisely machined grooves on their surfaces. As the final dough sheet passes between them, Instant Noodle making machine these interlocking grooves cut it into fine, parallel strands. The width of the grooves determines whether the final product will be thin or thick noodles.
- Waving (Crimping) Device: Immediately after cutting, the straight noodle strands are passed over a vibrating conveyor or through a set of guided, overlapping plates. This action gently folds the noodles back and forth, creating their iconic wavy form. This waving is crucial as it prevents the noodles from sticking together and creates a more open structure for efficient steaming and frying.
5. Steaming
Steaming partially cooks the noodles, gelatinizing the starch and setting their structure.
- Continuous Steamer: A small, tunnel-like machine through which a mesh conveyor belt carries the waved noodle blocks. Live saturated steam is injected into the tunnel, enveloping the noodles. The temperature (typically 98-102°C) and residence time (1-5 minutes) are precisely controlled to achieve a specific degree of starch gelatinization (often 80-90%), which is vital for the final texture.
6. Dehydration: Frying vs. Drying
This is the preservation step, and the equipment choice defines the type of instant noodle produced.
A) For Fried Instant Noodles:
- Continuous Fryer: A key piece of equipment for fried noodles. It consists of a long, heated oil tank through which a conveyor belt moves the steamed noodles. The noodles are immersed in hot oil (150-165°C) for a short time, rapidly vaporizing the internal moisture and cooking them fully. The fryer includes heating elements, a temperature control system, and often an oil filtration system to extend the oil’s lifespan.
B) For Non-Fried (Air-Dried) Instant Noodles:
- Multi-Stage Dryer: A large, insulated cabinet with multiple conveyor tiers. Hot, dehumidified air is circulated over the noodles as they pass through different temperature and humidity zones. This process is much slower than frying, gently removing moisture without cooking the noodles in oil. It results in a less oily product but requires more energy and time.
7. Cooling
Noodles exit the fryer or dryer at a high temperature and must be stabilized before packaging.
- Cooling Tunnel / Cooling Conveyor: A simple but essential machine that uses multiple fans to blow ambient or cooled air onto the hot noodle blocks as they travel on a conveyor. Cooling prevents condensation inside the packaging, which would lead to sogginess and microbial growth.
8. Packaging
The final stage involves weighing, portioning, and sealing the product.
- Weight Checker & Distributor: An automated scale that weighs each noodle block and ensures it meets the target weight. Under-weight blocks are rejected.
- Automatic Packaging Machine: This machine performs several functions:
- Film Forming: A roll of laminated packaging film (e.g., BOPP/AL/CPP) is formed into a tube.
- Filling: The noodle block (and often a separate seasoning sachet) is dropped into the tube.
- Rinçage à l'azote : To prevent oxidation and rancidity, Instant Noodle making machine the air inside the package is replaced with inert nitrogen gas.
- Scellage : The package is sealed longitudinally and transversely with heated jaws, creating individual pillow packs.
- Seasoning Sachet Packing Machine (Optional but common): A separate, smaller machine that portions powdered or liquid seasonings into small laminated sachets.
Ancillary and Support Equipment
- Oil Filtration System: For fried lines, a filter is used to continuously or periodically remove food particles from the frying oil, maintaining its quality and extending its usability.
- Boiler: Provides the necessary steam for the steaming process.
- Air Compressor: Powers pneumatic cylinders and controls on various machines.
- Conveyor Systems: A network of belts that connects all the main equipment, creating a continuous production flow.
Layout of a Small-Scale Line
A typical linear workflow is as follows:
Flour Silo -> Flour Sifter -> Dough Mixer -> Dough Feeder -> Compound Sheeter -> Calendar Rollers -> Slitting Machine -> Waving Device -> Continuous Steamer -> [Fryer ou Dryer] -> Cooling Tunnel -> Packaging Machine -> Cartoning (Manual or Automatic)
In conclusion, a small-scale instant noodle production line is an integrated system of specialized machines. While the initial investment is significant, understanding the role and necessity of each piece of equipment allows for efficient planning and operation, enabling the production of a consistent, high-quality, and marketable product.
