Ice resurfacing machine

Zamboni (Type 552 Ice Resurfacer)

Ice resurfacing machine with cabin (Resurfice Olympia)

An ice resurfacing machine (also ice maker , Eishobel or Zamboni ) is a vehicle , the on skating rinks , in order which is used ice to the ice or the ice-hockey thirds to smooth again.

The ice resurfacing machine was invented in 1949 by Frank J. Zamboni , whose company has become one of the leading manufacturers of ice resurfacing machines. Zamboni has become a generic name in several languages , so the term is sometimes preferred to the term ice processing machine .

functionality

An ice resurfacing machine is usually a rectangular vehicle on four wheels that is driven by a motor. It consists of the following components:

At the rear of the machine is the carriage, in which a sharp knife is inserted across the entire width, which planes off the top layer of the ice. A worm shaft transports the snow to the center, where it is transported upwards into the snow tank by another screw shaft or a conveyor belt. The snow tank can be tilted like a dump truck for unloading or it is emptied by opening the snow tank lid via an inclined chute.
Wash water is applied to the ice behind the knife in order to dissolve remaining powder snow and to wash out deep furrows, so that they can then be filled with warm water without air inclusion (see below). After the washing process, the rest of the washing water is drawn off a rubber lip and sucked off using suction nozzles. The washing water is filtered in the device and reused.
There is a hot water tank under the snow tank. The warm water, approx. 30 to 60 ° C, is applied to the ice behind the sledge as the last step of the processing and distributed with a wipe to even out small unevenness in the ice and give the surface a new shine. The heat below thaws the ice somewhat, so that the new layer of ice freezes together with the old ice. Compared to cold water, warm water also contains less air, which would soften the ice.
Under or next to the machine there is often a swiveling and rotating broom with which the ice surface in the area of the board and the lower part of the board itself is cleared of loose snow and ice.
Because the edge of the ice surface cannot be reached by the machine, the ice there becomes thicker over time. To keep the edges smooth, either an additional ice cutter is used (roughly like a lawnmower ), or the ice resurfacing machine has a swiveling additional knife that extends to the edge.
Gas -powered motors ( natural gas or propane ) or electric motors are mostly used for the drive , but gasoline motors are also used. Via a four-wheel drive, usually hydrostatic in internal combustion engines, the z. T. with spikes driven wheels occupied. The slide, the tilting device or the lid for the snow container and the broom are moved hydraulically .