A method for processing pharmaceutical powders, which comprises providing a feeder module including a plurality of feeder units each with a storage hopper, a weighing cell, a conveyer, and a discharge end, connecting the storage hopper to a refilling system with a refilling valve, connecting the refilling valve to a level or weight indicator disposed above the refilling valve, connecting the discharge end to a common receiving container, refilling the storage hopper with a powder intermittently 40 to 80 times per hour, storing data during refilling, transporting powder from the storage hopper with the respective conveyer, and discharging powder from each feeder unit into the common receiving container. During each refilling of the storage hopper, the refilling valve dispenses powder into the storage hopper and, during the step of transporting the powder from the storage hopper, the conveyer is operated according to the data collected during previous refills.

A device for dosing bulk material, in particular plastic granules, for machines that process plastic granules, in particular for injection molding machines. The invention provides a bulk material feed (1), a material hopper (3) formed by multiple, preferably four, individually removable material hopper containers (2) and arranged under the bulk material feed (1) and ending in a dosing base device (4), and, optionally, a weighing container with a scale in the dosing base device (4). The individual material hopper containers (2) are arranged on a support spider (5) and the support spider (5) is formed by support spider plates (11) arranged vertically and perpendicular to one another. The support spider is mounted on the housing of the dosing base device (4). The support spider (5) has a height (h), which is at least the height (h.sub.1) of the material hopper container (2), which extends over the dosing base device (4), and corresponds to the immersion depth (h.sub.2) of the material hopper (3) into the dosing base device (4). A material hopper cover (6) is provided on the end of the support spider (5) facing away from the dosing base device (4).

A product dispenser, preferably for frozen food product, having a storage hopper, a rotatable drum having paddles on a periphery thereof located at a bottom of the storage hopper, and a drive motor connected to the rotatable drum. Rotation of the drum causes the product to be delivered to a weighing/dispensing assembly having a load cell and one or more dump doors on which product to be dispensed accumulates. A controller is configured to actuate the drive motor to rotate the rotatable drum in a first rotational direction at a start of a dispensing cycle, and to then actuate the drive motor to rotate the rotatable drum in a second rotational direction, opposite to the first rotational direction in a next dispensing cycle. Within a dispensing cycle, the controller can also monitor a drive motor current draw, and reverse the drive motor if a current limit is exceeded.

A statically weighed grading apparatus and method includes a static weight sensing apparatus weighing food parts prior to distribution to batches of food parts. The food parts are moved to batches to accumulate batches of parts having the same weight for each part, or batches of similar parts to achieve a desired total batch weight. Food parts are precisely deposited on a movement device to increase the density of food parts on the movement device maximizing throughput of the system. Several food parts can be transferred to the movement device to comprise a sub-batch prior to transfer to a final batch.

The method according to the invention provides a way to continue gravimetric weighing of bulk material during refilling of a gravimetric metered dispensing unit, and to determine the mass of the refilled bulk material using a refilling container during the filling operation material and so determine the actual mass flow discharged during refilling in real time or on average in order to adjust it to a target mass flow.

A gravimetric blender includes a plurality of receivers, each receiver having a single tube therewithin extending from a resin material/vacuum drawn stream inlet to a receiver outlet.

A gravimetric blender includes a plurality of receivers, each receiver having a single tube therewithin extending from a resin material/vacuum drawn stream inlet to a receiver outlet.

A method for feeding granular material into a hopper using a vacuum pump having a suction inlet communicating with the interior of a conduit to feed by vacuum a plurality of receivers connected to the conduit and vertically supported thereby.

A method for feeding granular material into a hopper using a vacuum pump having a suction inlet communicating with the interior of a conduit to feed by vacuum a plurality of receivers connected to the conduit and vertically supported thereby.

A material handling machine dispenses uniformly metered charges of smoking material from a bulk supply, by means of a metered material feeder that has a first hopper with an opening disposed over a first horizontal chute. The first chute is mounted on slanted springs and has a dispensing end above a second chute also mounted upon slanted springs. The second chute discharges onto a tippable weighing tray above a set of nested hoppers in which one is fixed and the other is vertically movable. A weight sensor may be attached to the tippable tray or the fixed hopper, or both. The move-able hopper may comprise a forming belt indenter to form a trough in a cigarette rolling apparatus. The first hopper may include an agitator that has at least one vertical rod for stirring the bulk material. The dispensing end of the first chute may also include a rotating rake.