Safety Improvements
The cheap machines from China which have flooded the market are horribly unsafe to operate. Read through the details below to see how we mitigate some of the worst safety problems we've seen in other machines.
Unsafe Wiring
The picture below gives you an indication just how unsafe the wiring on some of these machines can be. The wiring found on these machines isn't just a poorly routed ratsnest, it is also undersized and underrated. This can lead to melting or breakdown of the insulation, resulting in bare wires directly contacting the metal frame/paneling of the machine. If this were to happen, an operator or customer contacting any part of the machine is potentially subjected to electrocution. The wiring in an Arctic Griddle has been precisely selected and routed to meet all UL 621 guidelines, resulting in a much safer unit to operate.
Metal Shavings
This one is for the safety of your customers. There is nothing worse than having your vanilla rolls coming out looking like stainless steel on the outside. Metal shavings in the ice cream is a problem multiple customers have reported to us about their cheap machines. After doing significant research into the problem we have identified the problem as result of high surface roughness of the rolling pan. The normal scratches that your pan will obtain while rolling do not pose a problem, rather it is microscopic surface roughness generated from the metal spinning process during manufacturing. Therefore, the Arctic Griddle pans are polished to a low surface roughness sanitary finish following the spinning process in order to eliminate any significant metal contamination in the ice cream rolls.
Fuses
In the event a problem does occur with your machine and an internal short develops, a fuse can be used to quickly disconnect power to the unit, preventing a possible fire. We have not seen a single other manufacturer using fuses. Arctic Griddles ship with a properly sized fuse for the unit, providing another level of safety over just relying on a breaker to trip.
Pressure Switches
A vapor compression refrigeration system (as used in all rolled ice cream machines) operates by compressing low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant vapor into a high-temperature high-pressure vapor. A safety issue can arise however if the pressure of the compressor output vapor gets too high. This can lead to blowouts in multiple parts of the system, an example being compressor terminal blowout (see next item below). The compressor (high-side) output pressure can rise to dangerous levels for a variety or reasons including a line blockage or a lack of airflow through the unit's condenser coils. A pressure switch can detect such over pressure conditions and shutdown the unit. Unfortunately, most cheap units don't include these safety switches. Our Arctic Griddles include both high pressure and low pressure switches. The two switches work together to not only protect the user but also the machine by shutting it down if any number of abnormal conditions exist.
Exploding Compressors
While rare, compressors can and do explode, either as a result of over pressure conditions or electrical faults. While the metal housing of the compressor is not likely to burst, what is most likely is for the terminal pins (which pass through the metal housing) to blowout, quickly releasing hot refrigerant and oil all over the place. The compressor in the Arctic Griddle is specifically oriented so that in the unlikely situation the terminal pins blow the refrigerant will not shoot out any of the openings.
Production Line Safety Tests
As part of the UL 621 safety certification process, each Arctic Griddle unit coming off the production line must pass three specific tests. These tests verify the pressure rating of the refrigeration system, the dielectric insulation of the wiring, and the ground wire continuity. (The final UL/NSF certifications are still pending as of this writing but the production line tests are implemented for each unit - September 1, 2018)
