Making maple candy is a blend of science and art, especially when it comes to our vacuum cooling process. Every step in this process has strict parameters related to temperature, pressure, invert sugar levels, and timing, among others. While our four-headed unit is efficient, even candy pouring can be challenging. Our new packaging (more details in our upcoming blog post) requires tighter tolerances on candy weight, prompting us to develop a solution that guarantees even candy pouring.

We experimented with various screw-in nozzles, 3D printed with high-strength polycarbonate, to achieve the desired result. It took several iterations to perfect the setup, but since a plate of nozzles only takes an hour or two to print and costs less than a dollar, we quickly found the ones that worked best.

Initially, we discovered that the stock nozzles on our machine were too large in diameter, leading to inconsistent flow rates that varied with temperature and pouring speed. By reducing the diameter of each nozzle, we ensured consistent pressure, resulting in a more even flow rate. However, smaller diameters caused excessive pressure, causing syrup to squeeze out of some of the threaded fittings. This issue was easily resolved by lowering the speed of our gear pump, an effortless task since our motor is driven by a variable frequency drive (VFD).

Despite these improvements, the outer two nozzles still poured slightly slower than the middle two. Swapping out the 3.2mm nozzles with 3.3mm ones was the perfect solution. Now, all our candy molds fill at the same rate, resulting in more uniform candies, faster candy-making days, and reduced waste.

Checkout some pictures below as well as a video of the nozzles printing.

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