English 
Zhengfeng Road, Licheng District, Jinan City, Shandong Province,China
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Product Description
Product Overview
The TINDO XRL series is a continuous steam-heated meatball cooking and cooling line that takes formed meatballs from the forming machine and automatically cooks, cools, and conveys them to the next stage — eliminating the traditional batch-boiling bottleneck that limits most meatball factories to 2-3 tons per shift.
Designed as the middle section of a complete meatball production line, the XRL series uses a fully sealed steam cooking tunnel with automatic constant-temperature variable frequency control. Formed meatballs enter raw at one end and exit fully cooked and cooled at the other — no manual intervention, no temperature fluctuation between batches, no secondary contamination risk from open boiling tanks.
For the upstream forming stage, see our Meatball & Fish Ball Forming Machine.
Unlike traditional open-top boiling tanks that lose 30-40% of steam energy to the factory floor and expose product to airborne contaminants, the XRL cooking section uses a fully sealed tunnel design. Steam is contained, heat is recycled through a hot water circulating pump, and the product never contacts ambient air between forming and cooling. The result: 20-30% lower steam consumption and zero secondary contamination risk.
A three-component transport system ensures smooth, orderly product flow. The scraper guides meatballs into position, the conveying chain controls dwell time through the cooking zone, and the circulating pump maintains uniform water temperature and flow across the entire tunnel length. Meatballs exit the cooking section at exactly the right temperature and texture — no clumping, no surface damage, no undercooked centers.
Each section of the line connects via seamless joints that eliminate the catch points and dead zones where meatballs accumulate and overcook in conventional segmented lines. An automatic lifting mechanism raises each section independently for cleaning access, with built-in safety protection devices that lock the section in the raised position during maintenance.
The PLC maintains cooking water temperature at the setpoint regardless of production speed changes. Variable frequency drives control both the conveyor chain speed and the circulating pump speed — slow down for larger meatballs (Φ50mm+) that need longer cooking dwell, speed up for small fish balls (Φ16-20mm) that cook in under 3 minutes.
The infeed section connects directly to the upstream meatball forming machine via a synchronized conveyor. Formed meatballs drop into the cooking tunnel without manual transfer. At the discharge end, cooked meatballs are conveyed seamlessly into the cooling tank or quick-freezing tunnel. One operator can manage the entire forming-to-cooling chain.
TINDO developed the first domestic meatball cooking assembly line in 2004 in partnership with Jiashibo. Twenty years of continuous refinement — based on real factory feedback from high-volume hot pot ingredient manufacturers — have produced the current XRL generation. This is not a prototype; it is a mature platform running in dozens of factories across China and export markets.
Parameter | XRL-6 | XRL-8 |
|---|---|---|
Theoretical Capacity | 10-12 t/shift | 15-18 t/shift |
Heating Method | Steam | Steam |
Temperature Control | Full automatic constant temperature | Full automatic constant temperature |
Speed Regulation | Variable frequency | Variable frequency |
Power | 5.5 kW | 6.0 kW |
Material | Full SUS304 stainless steel | Full SUS304 stainless steel |
Cooking Section | Fully sealed tunnel | Fully sealed tunnel |
Section Connection | Seamless joints with automatic lifting | Seamless joints with automatic lifting |
Dimensions (LxWxH) | 14,200×900×1,090 mm | 15,700×900×1,090 mm |
Dimensions can be customized based on production capacity requirements. Contact our engineering team for a layout tailored to your factory floor.
The XRL cooking and cooling line is the middle stage of a three-stage meatball production system:
Stage 1: FORMING → Stage 2: COOKING & COOLING → Stage 3: FREEZING & PACKING
[Meatball Forming Machine] → [XRL Cooking Line] → [Cooling] → [IQF Freezer] → [Packing Machine]Stage | Equipment | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
Before | Ground meat paste is shaped into perfectly round meatballs at 200-400 pcs/min | |
Before | Blends ground meat with seasonings and brine before forming | |
COOKING | XRL Steam Cooking Tunnel (this page) | Formed meatballs are cooked at constant temperature in a sealed steam tunnel |
COOLING | Integrated cooling tank (this page) | Cooked meatballs are cooled to handling temperature |
After | IQF Freezer | Individually quick-frozen for retail packaging |
After | Vacuum or thermoforming packaging |
Product | Typical Size | Cooking Dwell Time | XRL Model |
|---|---|---|---|
Fish balls | Φ16-25 mm | 2-3 min | XRL-6 or XRL-8 |
Shrimp balls | Φ20-30 mm | 2-3 min | XRL-6 or XRL-8 |
Chicken meatballs | Φ20-28 mm | 3-4 min | XRL-6 or XRL-8 |
Pork meatballs | Φ25-35 mm | 4-5 min | XRL-6 or XRL-8 |
Beef meatballs | Φ25-40 mm | 5-6 min | XRL-8 recommended |
Lion head meatballs | Φ50-80 mm | 8-12 min | XRL-8 with extended cooking zone |
Core-filled balls (hot pot) | Φ25-35 mm | 4-5 min | XRL-6 or XRL-8 |
Vegetable balls | Φ20-30 mm | 2-3 min | XRL-6 |
Traditional Open Boiling Tank | XRL Sealed Steam Cooking Line | |
|---|---|---|
Energy efficiency | 60-70% — steam escapes continuously | 85-90% — sealed tunnel recirculates heat |
Temperature uniformity | ±8-15°C — hot and cold zones within the tank | ±1-2°C — constant across the entire cooking zone |
Product contamination risk | High — open tank exposes product to airborne particles | Near zero — product never contacts ambient air |
Batch consistency | Operator-dependent — different workers, different results | PLC-controlled — identical parameters every batch |
Labor requirement | 3-4 workers per shift per tank | 1 operator for the entire forming-to-cooling chain |
Cleaning | Drain tank, manual scrubbing | Automatic lifting sections, full washdown access |
Throughput ceiling | ~5 t/shift per tank (physical limit of batch boiling) | 10-18 t/shift continuous |
Q: Do I need the meatball forming machine to use the XRL cooking line?
Yes — the XRL is designed to integrate directly with a forming machine. The infeed conveyor synchronizes with the forming machine's discharge. TINDO supplies both the Meatball Forming Machine and the XRL cooking line as a matched pair.
Q: Can the XRL handle different meatball sizes on the same shift?
Yes. Adjust the conveyor speed via the VFD to change cooking dwell time — slower for large balls, faster for small ones. The temperature setpoint remains constant; only the speed changes. Size changeover takes under 5 minutes.
Q: What steam pressure and volume does the XRL require?
Standard industrial steam at 2-4 kg/cm². Exact consumption depends on model and production speed. Our engineering team provides a detailed steam specification sheet with every quotation.
Q: Is the cooling section included or separate?
The cooling tank is integrated into the XRL line — it connects directly to the cooking section discharge. Cooked meatballs are cooled to handling temperature (35-40°C) before exiting the line, ready for freezing or packaging.
Q: Can the line produce core-filled meatballs?
Yes. The XRL handles solid meatballs and core-filled balls (e.g., hot pot fish balls with filling). The gentle conveying chain does not rupture filled balls.
Contact our engineering team for a complete line layout, steam specification, and factory-direct quotation.
info@tindotech.com | WhatsApp: +86 185 6009 1508
