Design of a Mechanical-Thermal Cam Device for Rolled Fondant Softening by Numerical Simulation

This paper presents the design and validation of a novel mechanical-thermal system for automated softening of rolled fondant in confectionery. Manual softening suffers from ergonomic risks, inconsistent pressure application, and long processing times. The proposed device integrates stainless-steel heated rollers (internal temperature 40C with a progressive compression mechanism driven by four rotating symmetric cams. Thermal and structural performance were evaluated via finite-element simulation in ANSYS fluent and ANSYS Mechanical. A theoretical heat-transfer model predicted a power requirement of 66.23 W to maintain a roller surface temperature of 35C, closely matching the simulation result of 65.26 W (1.5% deviation). Theoretical analysis revealed a contact pressure of 0.21 MPa (0.1% of stainless-steel yield strength), while the simulation resulted 0.247 MPa, and a maximum stress of 1.5 MPa under cyclic loading with peak deformations below 10-8 m. An experimental assessment of an operating torque of 5. 7 4 - N m (safety factor 1.5), informing motor and transmission sizing. These findings validate the system's ability to deliver uniform, repeatable fondant softening while improving ergonomics, confirming effectiveness of the integrated thermal-mechanical design.