Chile New Ice Plant Equipped with a 5T/24h Tube Ice Production and 5 kg Automatic Packing System

ICEMA is preparing a 5T/24h tube ice production and automatic packing system for a newly established ice plant in Chile. The customer plans to produce 35 mm tube ice for local commercial sales, with the finished ice automatically weighed and packed into 5 kg bags.

Instead of purchasing only a standalone ice machine, the customer selected a solution that includes a water-cooled tube ice machine, ice storage hopper, automatic packing machine and 500 L/H reverse osmosis water treatment system. The project is planned around the customer’s actual operating process, covering water treatment, ice production, temporary storage and final packaging.

5T/24h Capacity Based on Estimated Daily Sales

The customer selected a 5-ton-per-24-hour tube ice machine according to the estimated daily ice sales in the local market.

For a new ice plant, production capacity needs to match expected business volume. The purpose is not simply to select a larger machine, but to choose a capacity that can support the planned daily supply and fit the customer’s current sales forecast.

Based on this requirement, the 5T/24h machine became the core of the project, while the downstream storage and packing equipment was selected to support the same production scale.

35 mm Tube Ice for Local Ice Sales

The main equipment is a 5T/24h water-cooled tube ice machine operating with 380V/50Hz three-phase power and R404A refrigerant. The machine produces 35 mm tube ice.

According to the project configuration, it is equipped with a RefComp compressor, Siemens PLC, Schneider electrical components, a remote touchscreen and a galvanized steel frame.

The ice outlet is also customized for connection with the downstream conveying equipment. This is important because the production process continues after the ice leaves the machine. The tube ice still needs to enter the storage and packing section, so the outlet connection was considered during the equipment design stage.

Ice Storage Hopper as a Buffer Between Production and Packing

A stainless steel ice storage hopper is installed between the tube ice machine and the packing section.

Its main function is temporary storage and process buffering. The tube ice machine and packing machine do not necessarily operate at exactly the same rhythm. After discharge, the tube ice first enters the hopper and is then continuously supplied to the packing system.

This arrangement helps reduce the effect of differences between ice-making and packing cycles and creates a smoother connection between the two processes.

The production flow can be summarized as:

Water Treatment → Tube Ice Production → Temporary Ice Storage → Conveying → Automatic Weighing → 5 kg Packing

Automatic 5 kg Packing for Direct Sales

The customer plans to sell the finished tube ice directly after packing, so the final bag size was included in the project design from the beginning.

The system is equipped with a 5 kg automatic packing machine. After the ice enters the packing section, it is automatically weighed and packed into 5 kg bags according to the customer’s sales requirement.

This is an important part of the project because the customer is not only producing ice, but preparing a finished product for local distribution. The packing specification is therefore directly linked to the customer’s business model.

By combining the tube ice machine, storage hopper and automatic packing equipment, the line can move the ice from production to packaged product in a more continuous sequence.

500 L/H RO System for Edible Ice Production

The project also includes a 500 L/H reverse osmosis water treatment system.

The customer reported that the local source-water quality is not ideal, while the tube ice produced by the plant will be used as edible ice. For this reason, improving the feed-water quality is an important part of the project configuration.

The source water will first pass through the RO system before entering the tube ice machine, providing more suitable feed water for the subsequent ice-making process.

The addition of the RO system also shows why project configuration should be based on local operating conditions. Even when two customers select the same ice-making capacity, differences in water quality, packaging method and site layout may lead to different equipment combinations.

A Production Line Designed Around the Customer’s Business Process

This Chile project is not simply a 5T/24h tube ice machine order. It is a production system designed around the customer’s future ice-selling process.

The RO system prepares the water, the tube ice machine performs the core ice-making process, the storage hopper connects production with packing, and the automatic packing machine produces 5 kg bags for direct sales.

By planning these sections together, the project is better aligned with the customer’s actual operating requirements and gives the new ice plant a clear production route from incoming water to finished packaged tube ice.