Tetra Pak has launched an Extrusion Wheel that produces stick ice cream products with large-sized inclusions, such as whole nuts, real fruit segments, or cookie dough chunks at highest capacity on the market.

The Tetra Pak Extrusion Wheel, which can be added to existing lines, uses an innovative vertical rotating design that moves continuously at a synchronised speed to the line, to produce up to 12,000 products per hour per lane, double the capacity of what is currently available.

The new equipment also reverses the traditional method of stick ice cream production: rather than inserting the stick into the ice cream at the end of production, it is there from the start, so the ice cream with large inclusions is then filled around it. This maintains the position of the stick as well as the integrity of the inclusions – which can be up to 25mm in diameter. The wheel design includes moulding cavities that also ensure uniform product shapes, and a smooth surface every time.

Paal Otto Hennig-Olsen from ice cream producer Hennig Olsen Iskrem said, “As an ice cream producer focused on innovation, the Tetra Pak Extrusion Wheel allows us to be more responsive to fast growing consumer trends for novel and high-quality products. The flexibility to adjust production capacity and adapt recipes to meet tastes and flavour preferences in different markets has also helped give us a competitive advantage.”

Elsebeth Baungaard, Tetra Pak Product and Concept Manager said: “The ice cream market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.8% in value, and 2.2% in volume between 2017 and 2022, mainly driven by premium single-serve ice cream products with new flavours and recipes. We look forward to seeing how our new extrusion wheel helps customers create novel and exciting products on their existing lines, with flexible capacity and the highest quality, all at the lowest cost per product in the industry.”​​'