Wafer production · Packaging
Automatic Wafer Production Line
From liquid batter to cut, cooled and wrapped cream wafers: five machine groups that work as one line, with the flow wrapper planned in from the start.
Automatic wafer baking oven: insulated tunnel, batter depositor and automatic sheet take-off.
5 + 1
machine groups, one line, flow wrapper
290 × 470 mm
or 350 × 500 mm wafer sheets
Up to 90
sheets or books per cooler
Up to 14
books per minute, single cutter
Overview
About the Automatic Wafer Production Line
A cream wafer is only as good as the slowest step behind it. The Protrus Automatic Wafer Production Line brings baking, sheet cooling, cream spreading, book cooling and cutting together under one layout and one speed concept. Batter is deposited onto heated plate pairs in the baking oven, and the baked flat sheets travel through an arch-shaped cooler so that they reach room temperature without tension or warping. The cream spreading machine coats the sheets with one or two creams and stacks them into multi-layer wafer books. A refrigerated book cooler sets the cream firm, and the cutting and distribution system turns each book into fingers, bars or bites and lays them in rows for the Protrus horizontal flow wrapper. Every machine group has its own PLC, and the line follows the oven speed, so output stays steady from the first sheet to the last pack.
Process flow: batter dosing and baking (1, 2), sheet cooling (3), cream spreading and book building (4, 5), book cooler (6), cutting, distribution and flow wrapping (7, 8).
Arch-type wafer sheet cooler (left) and cream spreading machine with book building section (right).
Five Machine Groups in One Wafer Line
Wafer baking oven. Cast plate pairs with chrome-plated baking surfaces, engraved pattern to order, automatic sheet take-off, drip-free batter depositor and frequency- controlled main drive.
Wafer sheet cooler. Arch design up to 90 sheets, 2 m walk-through passage, aluminum frame, stainless inner panels.
Cream spreading machine. Contact or non- contact spreading, one or two creams, all stainless, PLC control.
Wafer book cooler. Up to 90 cream-coated books, 20,000 kcal/h refrigeration, alignment at the infeed.
Cutting and distribution. Single or double cutter, exchangeable stainless knife frames, block turner, automatic infeed and row distribution to the flow wrapper.
Why Choose an Automatic Wafer Line
Hand transfer between the oven, the spreader and the cutter breaks sheets, varies cream weight and slows the whole plant. On an automatic line each sheet is handled the same way, cooled for the same time and creamed with the same amount, so the wafer tastes and bites the same in every pack. Planning the line as one project also fixes the details that decide output: sheet size, number of sheets per book, cooling time and cutting pattern.
Applications
Automatic Wafer Production Line: Application Areas
Cream wafers, wafer fingers, bites and wafer cores for chocolate bars, in any cream flavor and pack size.
One line covers a wide range of flat wafer products. Sheet size and pattern are set by the baking plates, flavor and color by the cream, the number of layers by the book builder and the final shape by the knife frames in the cutter. The finished pieces go straight to a Protrus horizontal flow wrapper as single packs, multipacks or family packs, or they continue to an enrobing line as cores for coated wafer bars.
Wafer Products from the Line
Baked wafer sheets
Cream-coated wafer book
Cream-filled wafer
Vanilla wafer fingers
Wafer family pack
Chocolate-coated wafer
Cocoa cream wafer
Hazelnut cream wafer
Strawberry cream wafer
Lemon cream wafer
Cocoa sheet, vanilla cream
Wafer bites
Typical Wafer Products
| Product | Typical format | Book build | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cream wafer, single serve | 40 to 120 mm long, 15 to 50 mm wide | 3 to 5 sheets, 2 to 4 cream layers | Flow wrapper, single pack |
| Wafer fingers, family pack | Fingers 45 × 15 mm to 120 × 25 mm | 3 to 5 sheets | Flow wrapper, pile or slug pack |
| Wafer bites and cubes | 15 to 30 mm square | 3 to 4 sheets | Flow wrapper or bag filler |
| Wafer cores for coated bars | Bar size to order | 2 to 4 sheets, firm cream | Enrobing, cooling, flow wrapper |
| Two-color cream wafers | Any of the above | Alternating creams | Flow wrapper |
From Wafer Book to Flow Pack
Wafer book cooler (left) and cutting and distribution system (right).
Cream-coated books leave the spreader soft. The book cooler holds up to 90 books long enough for the cream to set, so the cutter makes clean edges without smearing or crumbling. The cutter trims about 5 mm on each side of the book, keeping trim waste to a maximum of 5 percent, and the distribution belt spreads the cut wafers into lanes at the pitch of the flow wrapper infeed. Trim can be ground and returned to the cream as rework.
Industries and Plants
Biscuit and confectionery producers use the line for their core cream wafer brands and private label orders. Chocolate makers bake their own wafer cores for coated bars and pralines, and snack companies add wafer bites and family packs to their range. A two-color spreader, a nut sprinkler and a cream weight check make the same line ready for seasonal and premium variants.
Sheets, Creams and Formats
Plain and cocoa wafer sheets bake on the same oven with a change of batter. Fat-based creams in cocoa, hazelnut, vanilla, milk, strawberry or lemon are prepared in mixers and fed to the spreader, where one or two creams can alternate from layer to layer. Changing from a family- pack finger to a bite-size cube only needs another knife frame in the cutter and a different format on the flow wrapper, so one line can serve several brands and markets.
Formats are typical values; the final sheet size, book build and cutting pattern are confirmed with the customer’s recipe and pack design.
Specifications
Automatic Wafer Production Line: Technical Specifications
Key data per machine group. The final line size depends on the target output, sheet size and book build and is confirmed in each Protrus offer.
Technical Data by Machine Group
| Machine group | Main data | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wafer sheet size | 290 × 470 mm or 350 × 500 mm (11.4 × 18.5 in or 13.8 × 19.7 in) | Other sizes on request |
| Baking oven | Cast plate pairs, chrome-plated baking surface, flat sheets with engraved pattern; number of plates sized to output | Plate count per offer |
| Oven heating and drive | Gas burners with insulated tunnel and hinged covers; frequency-controlled main drive with hand crank for power failure | Electric heating on request |
| Batter dosing | Pump-fed depositor with drip stop between plates | Batter mixer optional |
| Sheet take-off | Automatic, to the sheet cooler infeed | |
| Wafer sheet cooler | Arch type, up to 90 sheets, minimum 2 to 3 min at room temperature; 2 m (6.6 ft) passage height | Aluminum frame, stainless inner panels |
| Cream spreading machine | Contact roller or non-contact spreading; 1 or 2 creams; book building by stacking; all stainless; PLC | Nut sprinkler, cream weight check |
| Wafer book cooler | Up to 90 books; 20,000 kcal/h (approx. 23 kW) refrigeration; R404A; O-ring belts at infeed and outfeed | Lower-GWP refrigerant on request |
| Book cooler functions | Book alignment at infeed; unloading position at end of production; own control panel | |
| Cutting system | Single or double cutter; up to 14 books/min (single); exchangeable stainless knife frames | Double cutter for higher output |
| Cutting accessories | Automatic book infeed; block turner for lengthwise feeding; row distribution to the flow wrapper | |
| Trim waste | Max. 5 % of the book, approx. 5 mm per side | Depends on final cut size |
| Control | PLC on each machine group; line speed follows the oven; main control panel per machine | Line signals to the flow wrapper |
| Construction | Stainless steel product-contact parts; heat-resistant bearings and grease in the oven | Hygienic, easy to clean |
| Electrical supply | 380 to 400 V, 3 phase, 50 Hz | 60 Hz on request |
| Packaging | Protrus horizontal flow wrapper matched to the product and pack style | See flow wrapper range |
The Five Machine Groups at a Glance
1. Wafer baking oven
2. Wafer sheet cooler
3. Cream spreading machine
4. Wafer book cooler
5. Cutting and distribution
Line Planning and Options
Line sizing
Oven plate count, cooler capacity and cutter type are matched to the target output and book build.
Upstream options
Batter mixer and buffer tank, cream mixers and tempering, two- color spreader, nut sprinkler.
Quality options
Cream weight check, double cutter, block turner, trim grinder for rework.
Packaging
Single, pile, slug and family packs on Protrus horizontal flow wrappers, or enrobing for coated bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get a Quote
Plan your wafer line with Protrus
Protrus sizes the oven, coolers, spreader and cutter as one line, adds the matching flow wrapper and sends a layout with a budget offer.
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