Frequently asked questions

What does “fully automatic” mean on a Yoshan roaster?

The PLC runs the roast from a stored curve: it controls burner, airflow and drum against bean temperature, then times the cooling. On shop-size SD Pro models (1.5–12 kg) the operator fills the hopper and opens the drop door when the profile ends; SD-20 Pro and above add motorised loading and pneumatic discharge. Semi-automatic YS models give the same touch screen but the operator makes the adjustments — see PLC automation explained.

Can I still roast manually on an automatic model?

Yes. Every SD Pro switches between full-auto and manual mode on the touch screen, so you can develop a profile by hand, save it, and let the PLC replay it. How to build that first profile is in roast profile development.

How repeatable is an automatic roast?

The Yoshan curve system holds the bean-temperature track within ±0.1 °C of the stored profile, drops the batch in a 13-second window and runs cooling at 2 minutes for specialty and 2.5 minutes for blends. That is the consistency wholesale and private-label buyers audit for. Moving a profile between sizes is covered in roast profile scaling.

How many roast profiles can it store, and does it work with Artisan?

Profiles are stored on the PLC and replayed automatically; an Artisan interface for logging and analysis on a laptop is fitted at order. Profiles export, so a curve developed on a 6 kg Pro can be scaled to a 30 kg Pro. Connection steps: Artisan setup.

Which control components are used?

Yoshan PLC touch-screen control on SD-1.5 to SD-20 Pro; Siemens full-auto system on SD-30 Pro and above, with Weishaupt burners on full hot-air production models. Both are serviceable worldwide and we give part numbers so spares can be sourced locally. See the parts we do not make ourselves and control panel wiring.

What is the smallest fully automatic roaster you make?

SD-1.5 Pro: 1–1.8 kg per batch, gas or electric (electric is full hot-air on 380 V three-phase), USD 5,399 EXW Shenzhen. It is the model cafés buy when they want production-line repeatability at bar-side volume. Next up are SD-3 Pro (USD 8,889 gas, 11,209 electric) and SD-6 Pro (USD 12,999 with loader). Compare on the 1 kg and 3 kg pages.

Do I need a trained roaster to run an automatic machine?

Not for daily production — one operator can run repeated cycles after a video training session using the stored profiles. You still need someone who understands roasting to build the profiles in the first place; we help set the first curves during commissioning. Support channels are described in after-sales support.