| Application and Product Type |
Confirm that the depositor is suitable for the intended chocolate products and inclusions. |
Common applications include pralines, molded pieces, bars, shells, filled chocolates, biscuits, and compound-coating products. Product viscosity, temperature, particle size, and mold format should be defined before selection. |
Product specification sheet, sample trials, supported chocolate temperature range, maximum inclusion size, and approved mold dimensions. |
High |
| Depositing Capacity |
Match output to the required production volume without relying only on the maximum advertised speed. |
Small and medium production lines commonly use outputs measured in kilograms per hour or deposits per minute. Actual output depends on deposit weight, number of nozzles, mold pitch, chocolate viscosity, and cleaning intervals. |
Factory acceptance-test results using the buyer’s product, deposit-weight tolerance data, cycle rate, and stated operating conditions. |
High |
| Deposit Accuracy |
Maintain stable portion weights and consistent filling levels. |
Request a written tolerance target for deposit weight. The acceptable tolerance should be agreed according to product size, recipe, legal metrology requirements, and the buyer’s quality standard. |
Calibration procedure, test reports at several portion sizes, weight-control method, and sampling frequency. |
High |
| Food-Contact Materials |
Ensure all product-contact parts are suitable for food processing and compatible with chocolate fats. |
Product-contact components are commonly specified in stainless steel and food-grade polymers or elastomers. Materials must be verified for the destination market and the actual recipe. |
Material certificates, declarations of conformity, elastomer specifications, welding-finish details, and food-contact compliance statements. |
High |
| Hygienic Design |
Reduce product residue, contamination risk, and cleaning time. |
Important features include smooth product-contact surfaces, minimal dead zones, accessible piping, drainability, removable nozzles, and separation of product and utility areas. |
General arrangement drawings, hygienic-design checklist, cleaning instructions, product-contact surface-finish information, and sanitation risk assessment. |
High |
| Temperature Control |
Keep chocolate within the temperature range required for stable flow and tempering performance. |
Chocolate handling temperatures vary by chocolate type and formulation. Many dark, milk, and white chocolate processes use different working temperatures, so the machine should provide adjustable and monitored heating zones. |
Temperature-control range, sensor accuracy, heating method, alarm limits, insulation details, and temperature-mapping results. |
High |
| Electrical Compatibility |
Make the equipment compatible with the destination country’s electrical system. |
Common industrial supplies include 380–415 V, three-phase, 50 Hz in many markets and 440–480 V, three-phase, 60 Hz in parts of North America and other regions. The exact supply must be confirmed before production. |
Electrical schematic, rated voltage and frequency, full-load current, short-circuit rating, control-panel specification, and plug or cable requirements. |
High |
| Regulatory Compliance |
Identify the regulations that apply in the import country and intended installation environment. |
Depending on destination, buyers may need machinery safety, electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility, food-contact, sanitation, pressure-equipment, or workplace-safety documentation. Requirements differ by jurisdiction. |
Risk assessment, declaration of conformity where applicable, technical file index, electrical test records, user manual, and country-specific compliance statement. |
High |
| Safety Functions |
Protect operators during production, cleaning, adjustment, and maintenance. |
Typical safeguards include emergency stops, interlocked guards, over-temperature protection, overload protection, anti-scald measures, and controlled restart after power interruption. |
Safety-circuit description, emergency-stop test procedure, guard-interlock test, hazard analysis, and operator training materials. |
High |
| Installation Requirements |
Confirm that the facility can support the machine before shipment. |
Check floor loading, machine footprint, access-door dimensions, lifting points, ventilation, drainage, compressed air, water, electrical capacity, and connection locations. Utility requirements vary by configuration. |
Approved layout drawing, foundation or floor-load data, utility schedule, installation clearance requirements, and lifting instructions. |
High |
| Compressed Air |
Verify air quality and capacity if pneumatic valves or actuators are used. |
Many food-processing machines use clean, dry compressed air. The required pressure and flow must be taken from the final machine specification rather than assumed from a standard model. |
Minimum and normal operating pressure, air-consumption rate, filtration requirement, air-quality specification, and connection size. |
Medium |
| Controls and Automation |
Provide repeatable recipes, clear alarms, and integration with the existing production line. |
Useful functions include recipe storage, access levels, temperature monitoring, deposit-count tracking, alarm history, and communication with upstream or downstream conveyors when required. |
Control-system architecture, software functions, communication protocol list, backup procedure, language options, and cybersecurity responsibilities. |
Medium |
| Changeover and Cleaning |
Minimize downtime between recipes, products, colors, or mold formats. |
Compare tool-free access, quick-release nozzles, removable hoppers, recipe recall, clean-out functions, and the number of parts requiring manual disassembly. |
Changeover-time test, cleaning validation method, parts list, sanitation chemicals compatibility, and recommended cleaning frequency. |
High |
| Packaging and Transport |
Protect the machine from moisture, shock, corrosion, and deformation during international transport. |
Review packed dimensions, gross weight, center of gravity, lifting points, moisture protection, and container-loading method. Oversized equipment may require special transport planning. |
Packing list, commercial invoice data, crate dimensions, gross and net weights, lifting diagram, preservation method, and shipping photographs. |
Medium |
| Installation and Commissioning |
Define who is responsible for mechanical installation, electrical connection, testing, and operator training. |
Support may be provided remotely or on site. A commissioning plan should include alignment, utility checks, empty-run testing, product trials, safety verification, and production acceptance criteria. |
Installation method statement, commissioning checklist, acceptance-test protocol, training agenda, and responsibility matrix. |
High |
| Warranty Coverage |
Clarify the warranty period, exclusions, response time, and replacement-part responsibilities. |
Warranty terms should separately identify mechanical parts, electrical components, wear parts, labor, travel, freight, and defects caused by incorrect installation or operation. |
Signed warranty terms, claims procedure, response-time commitment, excluded conditions, and required maintenance records. |
High |
| Spare Parts Availability |
Secure critical parts for routine maintenance and unexpected failures. |
Recommended stock commonly includes seals, gaskets, heater components, temperature sensors, fuses, pneumatic parts, nozzles, filters, and other recipe-specific wear parts. |
Two-year recommended spare-parts list, prices and validity period, part numbers, interchangeability information, and estimated dispatch time. |
High |
| Remote Technical Support |
Ensure support is available across time zones and in a language understood by operators. |
Confirm support hours, remote diagnostics method, escalation process, video-support capability, and target response time for production-stopping failures. |
After-sales service procedure, support contacts, escalation chart, remote-access policy, and service-level commitment. |
High |
| Serviceability |
Allow technicians to inspect, clean, calibrate, and replace components safely. |
Evaluate access to pumps, valves, sensors, heaters, control cabinets, and lubrication points. Maintenance intervals should be based on operating hours, product type, and cleaning frequency. |
Preventive-maintenance schedule, troubleshooting guide, exploded drawings, lubrication chart, calibration instructions, and lockout procedures. |
Medium |
| Total Cost of Ownership |
Compare the full operating cost rather than the purchase price alone. |
Include machine price, tooling, freight, duties, installation, utilities, labor, cleaning, spare parts, maintenance, product waste, and expected downtime over the planned service life. |
Itemized quotation, utility-consumption data, tooling costs, maintenance-cost estimate, spare-parts pricing, and five-year operating-cost assumptions. |
High |
| Factory Acceptance Test |
Verify performance before shipment using agreed product, molds, and operating conditions. |
Test items may include output, deposit accuracy, temperature stability, alarms, safety devices, changeover, cleaning access, and integration signals. |
Signed factory acceptance-test protocol, test videos, measured results, nonconformity list, corrective-action record, and final approval certificate. |
High |
