1st-line wrote:Hi All,

Here is a picture (courtesy of Lelit) of the production line with testing of the Bianca. If you look closely, the coffee boiler is on a slant.

The beauty of the lines we carry is that many of them do not have to be tested at 1st-line immediately prior to shipping. We choose manufacturers who do it right the first time. Lelit is one of them.

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What is the purpose of the slanted coffee boiler?

The steam boiler looks really big! Website says only 1.5L though so is it really wide and short? I guess the rotary pump sits below it?

Not sure yet on the slanted boiler. It may be by design for better temp stability or it may be for fitting all the components in a small space.

Yes, the steam boiler looks huge, but it does not go all the way to the bottom. This is a good feature as this means less heat at the bottom of the machine.

The rotary vane pump is situated horizontal right behind the front panel below the gauge and PID display.

We still trying to break the one in our showroom! No luck yet!

Jim, the reason you slant the boiler is not for better temp stability, or to fit everything in (a few manufacturers do it). With a slanted boiler it's harder for air getting into the brew boiler to cause a thermosyphon stall. When fittings are on the top of a boiler, a drop of just a few mm is enough. It was a common problem with the Expobar brew boiler. When I input to machine design, I either recommend a slanted boiler, or the slightly more elegant solution of a tube that protrudes 2-3cm into the boiler.

DaveC wrote: ... I either recommend a slanted boiler, or the slightly more elegant solution of a tube that protrudes 2-3cm into the boiler.

Interesting. A protruding tube seems like a simpler and cheaper solution. Why would they choose to angle the boiler instead?

Depending on the fittings used, it can be simpler just to angle the boiler. it's like the E61 groups, there are a few different ways to secure the pipes onto those....it's really down to the manufacturers preference on fittings. Additionally the size of the HX pipe desired and boiler can make it difficult and pointless going through a fitting as it may have to be reduced.

Anyway, that's why it's done. You have to remember things and ideas change all the time. I still see machines that simply connect the pipes to the top of a vertical boiler and trust to luck that air never gets in. Machines like that can get thermosyphon stalls as they age and air leaks into the brew boiler, or water leaks out etc..remember the common thermosyphon stalls of the Brewtus II.

Hi Dave, thanks for the reminder. As I get older, my 'brain farts' tend to slip in more and more.

The Izzo Alex Duetto IV has a vertically positioned brew boiler but avoids this problem by positioning the top pipe for the thermosyphon at a point about 25% from the top of the brew boiler thus preventing the problem of air getting in and causing a thermosyphon stall.

speedplay wrote:The Izzo Alex Duetto IV has a vertically positioned brew boiler but avoids this problem by positioning the top pipe for the thermosyphon at a point about 25% from the top of the brew boiler thus preventing the problem of air getting in and causing a thermosyphon stall.

I'll give you 3 guesses who was responsible for that!...well not the Duetto IV, but the Duetto (MK I) and they kept the design because it worked (really well). It's even on my Duetto serial number 0001

1st-line wrote:Hi Dave, thanks for the reminder. As I get older, my 'brain farts' tend to slip in more and more.

Jim, I suspect some of the manufacturers have forgotten why they do it.... Sometimes old mistakes resurface as well as new designers get employed and old ones die out. A lot is changing with espresso machines and fairly quickly...plus so many makes and new ideas.

I was told a solenoid group could not be used on the Bianca because of aesthetics, I would have believed it too, except I know about a difference of design in the E61 solenoid group that made Lelit not use one. I know, because I am involved in another design project and asked a group manufacturer to do a tiny change to the standard solenoid E61 group design....trying to persuade them more like. They still see it as a custom change, but I want them to make my change standard....we shall see if it's a battle I can win with persuasion or not.

I like gauges on groups, top is my Vesuvius with an E16 group gauge, below is an ACS Minima (Alpha machine), with a solenoid E61, I would like to have a group gauge on it to simplify the design and improve pressure readings, but cant....the last photo of the Minima shows why. I also have some additional design ideas for the future for it and those are scuppered a bit as well.

Well finally I finished my review of the Lelit Bianca...I hope you find it interesting.

https://wp.me/p7LpqI-4R

Phenomenal write up! Our batch of Lelit Bianca espresso machines are being produced right now! Not only are we waiting patiently, our customers who pre-ordered are patiently waiting, as well!