Hot Beverage Technology
Thermoblock
Term from the vending glossary
Flow-through heating system in coffee machines: water is heated as it passes through a heated metal block, rather than being stored hot in a boiler. Advantage: rapid warm-up time (30–60 s), low standby power consumption.
A thermoblock heats water on demand: water flows through a heated metal body and exits at brewing temperature. This contrasts with a boiler, which maintains a reservoir of hot water ready for use. The flow-through heater achieves dispensing readiness faster after switch-on and keeps less water heated, saving standby energy.
The disadvantage emerges during peak demand: rapid successive vends can overwhelm the re-heating capacity, whereas a boiler serves from its pre-filled buffer. High-volume machines often combine both heating methods to mitigate this. Scale buildup is the primary maintenance concern in both designs — the narrow passages of a thermoblock are more susceptible to performance degradation from scaling.