Custom Chute for Ice Hopper

At Casco Manufacturing Solutions, every custom project is an opportunity to solve a real‑world problem with creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship. Whether helping companies keep their teams safe or supporting OEMs as they evolve critical product designs, our team thrives on developing solutions that make a meaningful difference.

Below are two recent projects that highlight the breadth and flexibility of Casco’s custom manufacturing expertise.

Solving Safety & Contamination Risks for Modern Ice

Custom Chute for Ice Hopper

Modern Ice — a Cincinnati‑based ice equipment merchandiser — approached Casco with a two‑part problem that impacted both safety and product quality.

The Challenge

1. Ice Spill Hazard:
   When their packaging hopper filled completely, excess ice could fall onto the floor, melting and creating a slip hazard for employees.
2. Contamination Risk:
   With the hopper’s top left open, debris and contaminants had the potential to fall inside, putting product quality at risk and potentially affecting consumers.

Casco’s Solution

Casco designed a custom chute system built from FDA‑approved, food‑grade fabric — the same medical‑grade material we use for sealed healthcare products. The chute was engineered to:

• Completely encircle and cover the hopper opening
• Prevent leakage using RF welding to ensure airtight, watertight seals
• Utilize clear paneling where needed for visibility and workflow efficiency

This one‑of‑a‑kind chute served as both a contamination barrier and a safety enhancement, protecting workers while preserving product integrity.

Customer Experience

Rod Proctor of Modern Ice shared:

“It was a pleasure to work with Casco. They were friendly and provided quick, creative ideas that made each step of the process easy. They did not hesitate to come to our facility in order to fully understand the problem we were facing.”

Our team loved working on this project — not only because it presented a fun engineering challenge, but because it involved materials outside our typical scope, allowing us to stretch and expand our custom manufacturing skill set.