A detachable rib for use in a mixing bowl that provides an obstacle for ingredients being driven around the inside of a mixing bowl. The rib comprises a blade configured to extend in an axial direction along an inner surface of the mixing bowl; and an attachment formation for engaging with a corresponding formation of the mixing bowl, the engagement securing the rib against circumferential movement in at least one rotational direction; such that in use the blade interrupts a path of food being driven around the mixing bowl.

A method for operating a bioreactor includes passing a drive shaft into a first tubular connector and a second tubular connector projecting from the first tubular connector, the first tubular connector and the second tubular connector being at least partially disposed within a container, the first tubular connector being more flexible than the second tubular connector, the second tubular connector having a length that comprises at least 20% of a combined length of the first tubular connector and the second tubular connector. Rotating the drive shaft so as to rotate the first tubular connector and the second tubular connector within the container.

A vane for an impeller of an agitator includes a socket having a base plane configured to mount the vane to an impeller, and a blade configured to mix a process fluid, the blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a blade tip extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge at an end of the blade facing away from the socket, the blade having a pressure side and a suction side, and the pressure side having a first concave region towards the leading edge, a second concave region toward the trailing edge and a convex region between the first and second concave regions.

A reactor for coating particles includes a stationary vacuum chamber having a lower portion that forms a half-cylinder and an upper portion to hold a bed of particles to be coated, a vacuum port in the upper portion of the chamber, a paddle assembly, a motor to rotate a drive shaft of the paddle assembly, a chemical delivery system to deliver a first fluid, and a first gas injection assembly to receive the first fluid from the chemical delivery system and having apertures configured to inject a first reactant or precursor gas into the lower portion of the chamber and such that the first reactant or precursor gas flows substantially tangent to a curved inner surface of the half-cylinder.

An axial impeller has blades formed from sheet metal blanks that are configured from taking a desired impeller blade and mathematically “unwinding” the blade to its flat counterpart. Preferably, the impeller blade is formed from a single rolling operation. The result of a thin, elongate blade, preferably having a trailing edge that defines a helix with rearwardly skewed, forwardly raked blades, provides an efficient impeller having good anti-ragging properties.

The stirring device, in particular for a fluid-mixing bioreactor, comprises a drive shaft including a rod, an agitating element and a sleeve of tubular shape. The sleeve forms a coupling sleeve receiving the shaft therethrough and is directly rotationally coupled to the rod. The agitating element, which has a hub with an annular side wall delimiting an inner space and an impeller assembly comprising blades, is indirectly rotationally coupled to the rod via the sleeve that is engaged in the inner space. One of an inner surface of the wall and an outer surface of the sleeve is a guiding surface with progressively reduced cross section. Axial movement between the hub and the sleeve is prevented in a locked configuration of a sleeve fastening arrangement. Hub-sleeve contact areas can be axially distributed.

A lock member includes a housing, a movement body, and an elastic member. The housing includes an open groove at an inner wall of the housing. A bottom of the open groove is provided with a movement surface. An end of the movement surface proximal to an opening of the open groove is a locking end, and an end of the movement surface distal to the opening of the open groove is an unlocking end. The movement body is provided in the open groove and moveable along the movement surface. The elastic member is provided in the open groove and configured to maintain the movement body at the locking end or the unlocking end of the movement surface.

A method for applying a curable building material, in particular in an additive method, including the steps of: providing at least two separate components of the building material; adding the at least two separate components into a mixing apparatus, in particular into a mixing chamber of the mixing apparatus, by a supply apparatus; mixing the at least two separate components in the mixing apparatus to obtain a curable building material in a set, cured state; supplying the set building material via a conveying line to a printing head, which is movable in at least one spatial direction, using a conveying apparatus; applying the set building material by the movable printing head.

A blender includes a proximal section having a proximal upper housing and a proximal lower housing, a distal section having a distal upper housing and a distal lower housing, at least one intermediate section disposed between the proximal section and the distal section and coupleable thereto, each of the at least one intermediate section including an intermediate upper housing and an intermediate lower housing, a shaft extending through the proximal section, the distal section and the at least one intermediate section, and at least one blade disposed on the shaft.

A fluid mixing system includes a support housing having an interior surface bounding a chamber. A flexible bag is disposed within the chamber of the support housing, the flexible bag having an interior surface bounding a compartment. An impeller is disposed within the chamber of the flexible bag. A drive shaft is coupled with the impeller such that rotation of the drive shaft facilitates rotation of the impeller. A drive motor assembly is coupled with the draft shaft and is adapted to rotate the drive shaft. An adjustable arm assembly is coupled with the drive motor assembly and is adapted to move the drive motor assembly which in turn moves the position of the drive shaft and impeller. An electrical controller can control movement of the adjustable arm.