An agitation device includes a holder that holds a cartridge containing a liquid on a placement surface angled with respect to a horizontal plane; and a rotator that rotates the holder to agitate the liquid.

An improved blending apparatus for manufactured wood products with a rotating blending drum or cylinder with a pattern of alternating flights of different configurations extending from the interior of the drum. The flights lift the strands as the drum rotates to different heights before the strands free-fall back to the bottom of the drum. One flight is shorter, and may be trapezoidal in cross-section. The second flight is taller, and may have a “bull-nose” configuration with substantially vertical sides. During operation, the design of the bull-nose flight tends to hold more strands and to carry them closer to the top of the drum before the strands drop and fall. In contrast, the shorter height and angled sides of the trapezoidal flight tends to hold fewer strands and to not carry them as high along the side before strands drop and fall. The alternating pattern causes a more consistent and dispersed fall of strands as the drum rotates, resulting in a significantly larger and more consistent amount of the sprayed adhesives and waxes being applied to the strands, and not passing through gaps to build up on the drum wall.

A system for heating, coating, cooling and screening a granular substrate is provided. The system, such as an apparatus for continuous coating granular particles, includes a preheater apparatus for heating granular particles, a rotary drum having an inlet horizontally coupled to the preheater for receiving heated granular particles directly from the fluidized bed preheater, a coating apparatus positioned within the drum for applying a coating to the heated granular particles, and a cooling apparatus positioned horizontally in association with the drum for cooling the granular particles subsequent to coating.

A concrete mixer system includes a control system configured to provide a first input to a drum drive system to rotate a drum of a concrete mixer at a target speed while the drum is empty and clean, acquire operating data regarding an operating characteristic of the drum drive system to determine a baseline operating characteristic of the drum drive system in response to the first input, provide a second input to the drum drive system to rotate the drum at the target speed following one or more uses of the concrete mixer and while the drum is empty, acquire the operating data to determine a current operating characteristic of the drum drive system in response to the second input, and provide a buildup notification indicating that there is a buildup of drum contents within the drum in response to a difference between the baseline operating characteristic and the current operating characteristic exceeding a threshold differential.

An apparatus for mixing a particulate material with a liquid in a container is adapted for tumble blending. The apparatus comprises a mixing device and a liquid injection nozzle. The mixing device includes mixer elements adapted to mix a particulate material by mechanical action. The nozzle is disposed to direct liquid in the direction of the mixer elements when mixing is taking place and ingress of material is prevented from entering into the nozzle.

A mixing drum includes a body defining a head aperture and a discharge aperture opposite the head aperture, a head coupled to the body and extending across the head aperture, and a mixing element positioned within the volume and coupled to the body. The head and the body define a volume. The body is formed from at least a first section and a second section. The first section overlaps the second section.

A vehicle includes an engine, a drum, a drum drive system, and a control system. The drum drive system includes a pump configured to pump a fluid through a hydraulic system and a motor positioned to rotate the drum to agitate drum contents. The control system is configured to perform a calibration test to determine a baseline operating pressure of the fluid in the hydraulic system, perform a buildup detection test to determine a current operating pressure of the fluid in the hydraulic system, and determine that there is a buildup of the drum contents within the drum in response to a difference between the baseline operating pressure and the current operating pressure exceeding a threshold differential. In some embodiments, the calibration test and the buildup detection test are only performed if a temperature of the fluid exceeds a threshold temperature.

The disclosure provides a new and improved oligonucleotide synthesizer.

Mixing devices and associated methods are described herein. Various embodiments of mixing devices can comprise a plate configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis and a plurality of enclosures coupled to the plate. The enclosures can each include (a) at least one sidewall that defines an oblique angle with the plate and (b) a chamber configured to receive a media and a fluid. The enclosures can be fluidly coupled to a fluid source for receiving the fluid in the chambers. When the plate is rotated, the enclosures revolve about the longitudinal axis to mix the media with the fluid in the chambers.

A mixing drum includes a body defining a head aperture and a discharge aperture opposite the head aperture, a head coupled to the body and extending across the head aperture, a bearing member coupled to the body and defining a bearing surface surrounding the body, and a mixing element positioned within the volume and coupled to the body. The head and the body define a volume configured to contain a fluid mixture. The mixing element is configured to drive the fluid mixture toward the head when the drum is rotated in a first direction. The mixing element is configured to drive the fluid mixture towards the discharge aperture when the mixing drum is rotated in a second direction opposite the first direction. The head is made from a first material, and the body is made from a second material having a lesser density than the first material.