Industrial Flake Ice Machines

What "industrial" means for flake ice

The word covers a wide range. At the top end, dedicated flake ice plants for fisheries and food factories make many tons a day and are engineered systems. Most supermarkets, seafood counters, restaurants, hospitals and processors don't need that scale. They need commercial-industrial modular heads: plug-and-play machines that make 700-1,250 lb a day each and can be stacked or combined as demand grows. That's what this collection covers.

The four flake heads compared

All four are about 22 inches wide: the ITV IQF heads measure 22.01 x 24.49 x 28.04 inches and the ICETRO IM-0770-AF 22 x 25 x 26 inches. Specifications from each product page.

What the numbers mean

• Most flake ice from one head: the ITV IQF 1200 makes 1,250 lb/day rated and 930 lb at 90/70. It needs a 220V circuit.
• Most on standard 115V: the ITV IQF 900 makes 664 lb/day at 90/70 without special wiring.
• Most efficient: the IQF 1200 uses 4.36 kWh per 100 lb; the IQF 700 uses 4.7 and has low-GWP R290 refrigerant.
• Simplest install at 760 lb: the ICETRO IM-0770-AF needs only power and water, with no remote condenser. Its sibling, the IM-0770-AN, makes nugget ice in the same cabinet.
• Warm-day loss is about 18-26%. Plan capacity on the hot-day figure.

Why ITV flake ice is "dry"

ITV's Ice Queen flakers use a vertical cylindrical evaporator to make what ITV calls "dryer," more compact flakes: sub-cooled ice with about 15% residual water (about 85% ice content). Dry flake ice:

• Lasts longer on display, because it starts colder and carries less free water.
• Flows better in bins and dispensers and clumps less.
• Cools faster through its large surface area.

Compare this with ITV's IQ chip heads, which make wet granular ice with about 40-50% residual water. Chip ice is softer and suits drinks and bagging; flake suits displays and processing. See commercial crushed ice machines for the full comparison.

Applications

Sizing a flake ice system

1. Measure display volume. A common planning figure is about 30 lb of ice per cubic foot. A 16-ft seafood case with a 3-ft deep, 3-inch bed holds 16 x 3 x 0.25 = 12 cubic feet, or about 360 lb.
2. Add daily replacement and top-ups. Many stores rebuild the bed daily and top up through the day: allow 1.5-2 times the bed volume.
3. Add bagging and back-room use. Customer bags and fish storage can equal the display volume again.
4. Compare with hot-day output and add 10-20% headroom.

Example: a supermarket with a 16-ft seafood case (360 lb bed x 1.75 = about 630 lb) plus 300 lb of bagging and storage needs about 930 lb a day. One ITV IQF 1200 (930 lb at 90/70) just covers it. Two IQF 700 heads (about 1,270 lb on a hot day) add headroom and backup.

One big head or several smaller ones?

For seafood departments and healthcare, where running out stops service, two heads are usually the better choice.

Bins for flake ice

Flake ice is bulky and can bridge in a bin, so use bins the manufacturer approves for flake ice:

• ITV heads pair with ITV S-series bins (such as the S500, S750, S900 or S1050) or ITV SCS/SCD dispensers. The IQF 900 lists the S750, S900 and S1050.
• ICETRO IM-0770-AF mounts on a matching ICETRO storage bin.

ITV's Optical Pinpoint control lets you set the ice stock level in the bin precisely, which helps when you want a smaller reserve on quiet days. Confirm the exact bin and any adapter on each product page. See ice storage bins.

Installation

• Electrical: a dedicated 115V circuit for the IQF 700, IQF 900 and IM-0770-AF; a 220V single-phase circuit for the IQF 1200.
• Water: potable water. ITV recommends an anti-scale filter in hard-water areas, because flake heads run an auger continuously. See water filters.
• Drain: gravity drains for head and bin. Flake bins produce more meltwater than cube bins; size drains accordingly.
• Air: these are air-cooled. The IQF 900 is tropicalized (T-Class) for high-ambient operation; still, keep the room ventilated and the head away from heat sources.
• Service access: ITV's EASI design and the front LED diagnostic display (I-Check system) make service easier. Leave room to open the front.

See our installation checklist and electrical requirements guide.

Running costs

At 800 lb a day and $0.15 per kWh, the IQF 1200 (4.36 kWh/100 lb) uses about $1,910 of electricity a year, the IQF 700 (4.7) about $2,060, the IM-0770-AF (5.18) about $2,270 and the IQF 900 (5.9) about $2,580. Water use for the ITV heads is low, about 4.3-12 gallons per 100 lb. See our operating cost guide.

Food safety and hygiene

• Use a dedicated scoop, stored outside the ice.
• Never return display ice to the bin.
• Clean and sanitize the head and bin on the manufacturer's schedule, and more often in seafood use.
• Keep drains clear; standing meltwater in a bin is a hygiene risk.

Read our guide to flake ice for seafood displays.

Flake ice in food processing

In meat, poultry and fish processing, flake ice chills product quickly after slaughter or catch and keeps it cold through cutting and packing. In bakeries and some food plants, flake ice is added to mixes to control temperature during mixing. Flake's large surface area and moldability make it cool faster than cubes, and its softness avoids bruising delicate products. Processors usually combine several heads on large bins, sized to the peak production shift.

Planning for growth

Modular flake heads make it easy to add capacity later:

1. Start with one head on a large bin sized for your expected future demand.
2. Leave space, power and drainage for a second head beside or on top of the system, following the manufacturer's stacking and adapter rules.
3. Add a second head when demand grows. It also gives you backup.

Because the ITV IQF heads share one 22-inch cabinet size, you can mix capacities (for example an IQF 700 and an IQF 900) where the bin and adapters allow.

Worked example: a small fish processor

A processor icing 3,000 lb of fish a day at roughly a 1:1 ice-to-fish ratio for initial chilling needs about 3,000 lb of flake ice a day. Three ITV IQF 1200 heads make about 2,790 lb on a hot day, slightly short. Four heads, or three heads plus overnight bin storage, meet it. At this scale, compare modular heads with a dedicated flake ice plant on cost, space and maintenance.

Choosing between the four heads

Common mistakes

1. Planning on rated output. Hot-day output is about 18-26% lower.
2. Undersizing the bin. Flake ice takes more space per pound than cubes.
3. Forgetting the 220V circuit for the IQF 1200.
4. No scale control. Auger wear and lost output follow.
5. One machine for a critical department. Plan backup.

Related collections

• Undercounter flake ice machines and all flake ice makers
• Industrial ice machines and 1000 lb ice machines
• Commercial crushed ice machines and chip ice machines
• Healthcare ice machines and ITV ice makers