How great ice is made
Sphere, bullet, nugget and cube ice come from four very different methods. Here they are, step by step, in live 3D.
Same water. Four ways to freeze it.
How sphere ice is made
Water circulates inside a spherical mold and freezes from the wall inward, pushing air bubbles out of the way for a clearer sphere.
- Water inWater fills the spherical mold and keeps moving.
- Freezes outside-inCopper coils chill the mold; ice grows inward and pushes bubbles out.
- Mold opensThe mold warms briefly and the halves part to release the sphere.
- Into the binThe sphere drops into the bin and the mold closes for the next round.
Take it apart. Every part is there for the ice.
Keep scrolling. The shell fades, 14 parts come apart, and then a full ice cycle plays out.
A countertop bullet-ice maker
Brushed steel, a viewing window and a touch panel. Let’s open it up and see where the ice comes from.
14 key parts
From the lid and ice pusher to the compressor and copper condenser, each part does one job, and does it well.
Where the cold comes from
The compressor pushes refrigerant through the copper condenser and fan to shed heat, then into the evaporator prongs to pull heat away. Orange is hot, blue is cold.
Water rises to the prongs
The pump lifts water from the reservoir into the tray, and the prongs dip in.
Ice grows layer by layer
The prongs chill fast and water freezes onto them in layers, forming hollow bullets.
Into the basket
The prongs warm briefly, the tray tips back, and the pusher sweeps the ice into the basket.
Stops when full, reuses melt
Melt water drains back to make more ice. When the basket is full, the sensor pauses production.
Why big spheres melt slower
Ice melts at the surface. For the same amount of ice, a sphere has the least surface of any shape.
The upshot: for the same volume, the sphere has about 55% less surface touching the drink, so it melts slower and dilutes less. That is why whiskey drinkers love a big sphere.
Maths: sphere V = 4/3·π·r³ and A = 4·π·r² with r = 2.75 cm; cube edge 2.5 cm.
Where did the bubbles go?
Drag the handle to compare clear and regular ice.
The cloudy center is trapped air plus minerals from the water.
Keep the water moving and freeze it from one side, and the bubbles get pushed away.
The YH515 and YH22 switch between clear and regular modes.
Cold is heat, moved somewhere else
An ice maker doesn’t make cold. It moves heat out of the water and into the room. Four parts, one loop.
- 01Compress
The compressor turns refrigerant into hot, high-pressure gas. - 02Shed heat
The copper condenser and fan push the heat outside. - 03Expand
Through the capillary, pressure drops and it gets cold. - 04Absorb
In the evaporator it pulls heat from the water, and the water freezes.
Great ice needs good habits
Use clean drinking water
Filtered water means less scale and clearer ice.
One-touch cleaning
Some models, like the YH1600, have a dedicated Clean button.
Keep it ventilated
Leave space at the sides and back; never block the vents.
The basket isn’t a freezer
Ice slowly melts and is remade; store it in a freezer for longer.
Read the lights
Ice full? Scoop some out. Add water? Fill to the line.
Dry before storing
Drain, wipe dry and air it out before storing.