What is the difference between a chocolate melter and a tempering machine?

A melter such as the Pomati Tank Melter melts chocolate and keeps it ready for production. A tempering machine such as the Pomati T35 takes melted chocolate through the controlled tempering cycle before it moves into depositing, molding or enrobing. Pairing the two lets the tempering machine focus on tempering instead of losing time to melting.

What should I consider when choosing a chocolate tempering machine?

Start with how much chocolate you work with, how quickly you need to move through production, the space you have and what happens right after tempering. A compact tabletop machine such as the Pomati T5 fits smaller batches; a Pomati T20 can anchor a larger flow with enrobing and molding equipment; and the SL Series keeps tempered chocolate ready throughout the day. Plan the downstream step into the decision from the start.

What size chocolate tempering machine do I need?

Size follows how much chocolate you temper per hour. Pomati’s range runs from the T5 (5 kg tank, up to 15 kg/hour) and T8 (9 kg, 27 kg/hour) through the SL 16 (16 kg, 53 kg/hour), T20 (24 kg, 90 kg/hour) and SL 30 (30 kg, 99 kg/hour) to the SL 50 (50 kg, 165 kg/hour), T35 (50 kg, 180 kg/hour) and SL 80 (80 kg, 264 kg/hour). Share your products and daily volume, and Erika will help you size it.

What is the difference between Pomati’s T Series and SL Series?

Both are Pomati tempering machines. The T Series runs from the tabletop T5 to the industrial T35, and the T8, T20 and T35 work with the Enrobing Trolley, while the T20 and T35 pair with the Enrobing Belt and the T-Line. The SL Series uses automatic auger tempering with touch screen control, pedal dosing, a heated vibrating table and night mode, connects to the CNSL enrobing belt, and Pomati rates it at 35% lower energy consumption than the average of existing machines on the market.

When should a chocolatier consider enrobing equipment?

Enrobing makes sense when you want a consistent, repeatable way to coat products. The Pomati Enrobing Belt suits a dedicated setup with the T20 or T35, the Enrobing Trolley adds a movable option for the T8, T20 and T35, and the CNSL enrobing belt is the coating option for the SL Series. The choice comes down to how often you enrobe, what you coat and how products move into cooling.

What should I consider when choosing a one-shot depositor?

Start with the products: mold format, shape, filling characteristics and how much chocolate and filling each piece takes. Then look at the equipment around the One Shot Depositor Series, such as the OSM Molds Loader, OSD Depositing Heads and OSV Vibrating Table, and plan mold handling, changeovers, cleaning, vibration and cooling as one process.

What is the difference between chocolate panning and molding equipment?

Panning builds a coating around centers such as nuts as they tumble, using machines such as the Pomati Mini Bassina or Bassina. Molding shapes chocolate inside a mold: the T-Line organizes mold feeding, depositing and vibration, while the Molds Tipper and Mold Spinning Machine support shells and hollow pieces. The finished product decides the path.

When is a cooling tunnel part of the right chocolate setup?

A cooling tunnel helps when cooling needs to happen in the production flow rather than as a separate step. The Pomati Cooling Tunnel suits a traditional in-line setup in different lengths, and the Vertical Cooling Tunnel is a space-saving alternative when floor space is limited.

Can chocolate equipment be combined into a production line?

Yes. A Pomati T20 can anchor a line with enrobing equipment and cooling, the SL Series connects directly to the CNSL enrobing belt and a pneumatic dosing plate, the T-Line builds molding steps around compatible tempering machines, and the One Shot Depositor Series pairs with mold-handling and vibration equipment. Erika checks compatibility, handling and space before the line is built.

Can Erika help me choose and test the right chocolate equipment?

Yes. Erika looks at the full chocolate process with you so each machine fits the steps around it. The Baker’s Lab, Erika’s showroom and test facility, offers in-person and remote demonstrations on Pomati tempering machines, panning machines and the One Shot Depositor Series, supervised by our on-staff technical baker and set up around your products: we review couverture requirements, product dimensions and your production goals first, and remote tests come with video and a detailed test report. Contact Erika to set up a demonstration.

Chocolate Equipment Chocolate Equipment for
Tempering, Enrobing & Molding

Ask Erika

Chocolate Production & Finishing Erika’s Professional Chocolate Equipment Lineup

Choosing chocolate equipment starts with what you want to make. Enrobed centers, molded shells, filled chocolates and panned confections each take a different path, but almost every path starts with well-tempered chocolate. From there, melting, tempering, enrobing, one shot depositing, molding, panning and cooling are the steps you build around it.

Erika Baking Equipment is an official distributor of Pomati, which makes machines and accessories for chocolate processing across that whole path. The right setup depends on product format, batch size, mold or belt requirements, floor space and what happens after each step.

Explore Chocolate Equipment

Chocolate Equipment Types Tempering, Enrobing, Molding & Panning Explained

Cocoa butter can set in several different crystal structures, and the one you want, often called Type V, is the reason chocolate is tempered. Tempering is how you make sure the chocolate sets in that form. A tempering machine controls heating, cooling and circulation to stabilize cocoa butter crystallization for smooth, glossy chocolate, and a melter keeps chocolate melted and ready so the tempering machine doesn’t start from solid chocolate.

Tempered chocolate then goes one of several ways. Enrobing applies an even chocolate coating to a center. Molding shapes chocolate in a mold, and one shot depositing fills a mold with chocolate and filling in a single deposit. Panning builds a coating around centers such as nuts as they tumble in a pan. Cooling sets the finished product before packaging.

Erika’s lineup is built for working with couverture and other ready-made chocolate. If your production starts from cocoa beans, talk it through with us and we’ll help you plan around the steps you need.

Our Chocolate Brands Pomati Chocolate Equipment From Erika

Erika Baking Equipment is an official distributor of Pomati. Pomati has served the chocolate market since 1967 and makes machines and accessories for chocolate processing, from tempering machines to depositing, coating and cooling. Its customers range from pastry shops, ice cream parlors and bread makers to small and medium-size confectionery factories.

That range means one brand can carry a chocolatier from a tabletop T5 to an SL Series line with CNSL enrobing, a pneumatic dosing plate and a cooling tunnel, with compatible accessories along the way. Our Baker’s Lab offers chocolate demonstrations on Pomati tempering machines, panning machines and the One Shot Depositor Series, each set up around the client’s products and goals.

The Erika Approach Why Chocolatiers, Pastry Chefs, & Bakers Choose Chocolate Equipment From Erika

Choosing chocolate equipment is rarely just about capacity. Erika maps the whole chocolate workflow with you: what you’re making, how chocolate is melted, tempered and transferred, how molds or centers are handled and where operators work, so each step hands off cleanly to the next.

Our Baker’s Lab is our showroom and test facility, and demonstrations are a recommended part of buying from us. Pomati tempering machines, panning machines and the One Shot Depositor Series are available for testing, and each demonstration is set up around your needs: before a chocolate test, our team reviews couverture requirements, product dimensions and your production goals, and our on-staff technical baker supervises the demonstration and completes a detailed test report with video. If you can’t visit, you can send your recipe and ingredients instead.

After the sale, Erika’s support team handles replacement parts and technical questions, and our repair service covers New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Eastern Pennsylvania. Outside that area, we assist through our nationwide network of service partners. Erika has supported professional bakers since 1991.

On the Production Floor How Chocolate Equipment Fits Into Production

Chocolate production works best when each step supports the next. A Pomati Tank Melter keeps chocolate melted and ready, while a Pomati T20 or, for larger production, an SL 80 takes over tempering.

From there the path depends on the product: the One Shot Depositor Series for filled molded chocolates, the Enrobing Trolley or CNSL enrobing belt for coated centers, the T-Line for molded products and the Mini Bassina for panned confections. A Vertical Cooling Tunnel then sets the product before finishing or packaging.

Many of these machines can be combined into a line, so melting, tempering, depositing, enrobing, molding and cooling work together with less handling between stages. Chocolate work often sits alongside pastry production, and finished pieces can move on to precise portioning with waterjet cutting equipment.

Common Questions Frequently Asked Questions

These questions help chocolatiers, pastry teams and bakeries compare melting, tempering, enrobing, one shot depositing, molding, panning and cooling equipment by product, batch size, floor space and what happens after each step.

What is the difference between a chocolate melter and a tempering machine?: A melter such as the Pomati Tank Melter melts chocolate and keeps it ready for production. A tempering machine such as the Pomati T35 takes melted chocolate through the controlled tempering cycle before it moves into depositing, molding or enrobing. Pairing the two lets the tempering machine focus on tempering instead of losing time to melting.
What should I consider when choosing a chocolate tempering machine?: Start with how much chocolate you work with, how quickly you need to move through production, the space you have and what happens right after tempering. A compact tabletop machine such as the Pomati T5 fits smaller batches; a Pomati T20 can anchor a larger flow with enrobing and molding equipment; and the SL Series keeps tempered chocolate ready throughout the day. Plan the downstream step into the decision from the start.
What size chocolate tempering machine do I need?: Size follows how much chocolate you temper per hour. Pomati’s range runs from the T5 (5 kg tank, up to 15 kg/hour) and T8 (9 kg, 27 kg/hour) through the SL 16 (16 kg, 53 kg/hour), T20 (24 kg, 90 kg/hour) and SL 30 (30 kg, 99 kg/hour) to the SL 50 (50 kg, 165 kg/hour), T35 (50 kg, 180 kg/hour) and SL 80 (80 kg, 264 kg/hour). Share your products and daily volume, and Erika will help you size it.
What is the difference between Pomati’s T Series and SL Series?: Both are Pomati tempering machines. The T Series runs from the tabletop T5 to the industrial T35, and the T8, T20 and T35 work with the Enrobing Trolley, while the T20 and T35 pair with the Enrobing Belt and the T-Line. The SL Series uses automatic auger tempering with touch screen control, pedal dosing, a heated vibrating table and night mode, connects to the CNSL enrobing belt, and Pomati rates it at 35% lower energy consumption than the average of existing machines on the market.
When should a chocolatier consider enrobing equipment?: Enrobing makes sense when you want a consistent, repeatable way to coat products. The Pomati Enrobing Belt suits a dedicated setup with the T20 or T35, the Enrobing Trolley adds a movable option for the T8, T20 and T35, and the CNSL enrobing belt is the coating option for the SL Series. The choice comes down to how often you enrobe, what you coat and how products move into cooling.
What should I consider when choosing a one-shot depositor?: Start with the products: mold format, shape, filling characteristics and how much chocolate and filling each piece takes. Then look at the equipment around the One Shot Depositor Series, such as the OSM Molds Loader, OSD Depositing Heads and OSV Vibrating Table, and plan mold handling, changeovers, cleaning, vibration and cooling as one process.
What is the difference between chocolate panning and molding equipment?: Panning builds a coating around centers such as nuts as they tumble, using machines such as the Pomati Mini Bassina or Bassina. Molding shapes chocolate inside a mold: the T-Line organizes mold feeding, depositing and vibration, while the Molds Tipper and Mold Spinning Machine support shells and hollow pieces. The finished product decides the path.
When is a cooling tunnel part of the right chocolate setup?: A cooling tunnel helps when cooling needs to happen in the production flow rather than as a separate step. The Pomati Cooling Tunnel suits a traditional in-line setup in different lengths, and the Vertical Cooling Tunnel is a space-saving alternative when floor space is limited.
Can chocolate equipment be combined into a production line?: Yes. A Pomati T20 can anchor a line with enrobing equipment and cooling, the SL Series connects directly to the CNSL enrobing belt and a pneumatic dosing plate, the T-Line builds molding steps around compatible tempering machines, and the One Shot Depositor Series pairs with mold-handling and vibration equipment. Erika checks compatibility, handling and space before the line is built.
Can Erika help me choose and test the right chocolate equipment?: Yes. Erika looks at the full chocolate process with you so each machine fits the steps around it. The Baker’s Lab, Erika’s showroom and test facility, offers in-person and remote demonstrations on Pomati tempering machines, panning machines and the One Shot Depositor Series, supervised by our on-staff technical baker and set up around your products: we review couverture requirements, product dimensions and your production goals first, and remote tests come with video and a detailed test report. Contact Erika to set up a demonstration.

Let's Connect Let Erika Help You Find the Right Chocolate Equipment

The right chocolate setup can start small and grow with what you make. The Pomati Cube handles compact melting, the Pomati T20 brings tempering into a controlled production process, and the SL Series scales automatic tempering from 16 kg to 80 kg. The Enrobing Trolley adds flexible coating, the One Shot Depositor Series produces filled molded chocolates in a single deposit, the T-Line automates molded production, the Mini Bassina handles panned products and the Vertical Cooling Tunnel brings cooling into the line without a long horizontal footprint.

Erika helps you look at those pieces as one process: what you’re making, how much you need to produce, the space you have and what needs to happen next.