Horizontal Cooker HK Range

The Hofmann HK Series Horizontal Cooker is an indirectly heated horizontal thermoplastic road marking material melting and holding kettle available in two models — HK800-1 with a gross container volume of 880 liters (approximately 1,310 kg with thermal oil, without hydraulic unit) and HK1000-1 with a gross container volume of 1,100 liters (approximately 1,485 kg with thermal oil, without hydraulic unit). Both models use indirect heating via thermal oil circulated through the vessel jacket, driven by gas or diesel oil burners operating at 24V or 230V. The hydraulic agitator shaft is heated, and the agitator shaft sealing mechanism is insulated against the operating heat generated during the melting cycle. A thermal oil circulation system maintains uniform temperature distribution throughout the jacket. Hydraulic power unit options are 3.1 kW (approximately 115 kg), 4.6 kW (approximately 233 kg), and 10.0 kW (approximately 380 kg). An optional electric thermal oil preheating module (approximately 65 kg) is available for cold-start acceleration.

The distinctive structural feature of the HK Series is its two-chamber design with a heated intermediate partition wall containing a material passage opening. Fresh thermoplastic material added into the front chamber begins melting without significantly cooling the already-molten material held in the rear chamber — which remains at or near application temperature throughout the refill cycle. This architecture ensures that application-ready molten thermoplastic is available continuously, even during active material replenishment, eliminating the waiting period that occurs in single-chamber systems when new cold material is added. The thermal oil circulation system distributes heat uniformly around the horizontal vessel body, and the heated agitator shaft agitates material throughout both chambers simultaneously.

The Hofmann HK Series Horizontal Cooker is deployed on high-volume road marking projects where continuous material availability is operationally critical — including motorway resurfacing programs, airport runway and taxiway marking operations, and major arterial road marking campaigns where machine downtime caused by material temperature drops during cooker refilling would directly reduce daily marking output. The horizontal orientation also gives the HK Series a lower center of gravity than vertical cookers of equivalent capacity, improving stability when mounted on truck flatbeds or trailers.

Leader Infra supplies both HK Series horizontal cooker models for high-volume road marking contractors — delivering two-chamber continuous material availability in 880 and 1,100 liter indirect-heated horizontal configurations, with thermal oil circulation, heated agitator shaft, and three hydraulic power unit options for thermoplastic and spray thermoplastic applications.

FAQ — What operational advantage does the two-chamber design give the HK Series over a single-chamber cooker during high-volume marking operations? In a single-chamber cooker, adding fresh cold thermoplastic material directly into the molten mass reduces the overall temperature of the batch — the machine may need to pause operations while the material reheats to application viscosity. The HK Series two-chamber design isolates the cold material addition in the front chamber, keeping the rear chamber at full application temperature throughout the refill cycle and allowing the marking machine to continue operating without interruption.