A pump feeder includes a hopper, a first mixing paddle, a second mixing paddle, a first auger, a second auger and dual outlets. The hopper receives edible material in the form of a thick, viscous base and mix-ins, and includes an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The first and second mixing paddles are located within the upper chamber and cause movement of the edible material within the upper chamber for both breaking apart and mixing of the edible material. The first and second augers are located within the lower chamber and cause movement of the edible material from a first end of the lower chamber to a second end of the lower chamber. The outlets are located at the second end of the lower chamber and connected to an inlet of a pump which further compresses the mixed edible material for delivery to an extruder die and cutting assembly.

A dry stirrer configured to stir powder in a dry state, and a wet stirrer provided downward of the dry stirrer in the vertical direction and configured to stir the powder are used. In the wet stirrer, the powder is stirred together with a fluid component, so that granules are formed. The wet stirrer includes a stirring chamber having a cylindrical shape and having a central axis placed in the lateral direction, a cut blade configured to rotate around the central axis of the cylindrical shape in the stirring chamber, and an agitating blade configured to rotate along an inner wall that is a cylindrical side face inside the stirring chamber. When the agitating blade passes above the central axis of the stirring chamber in the vertical direction, the agitating blade is rocked.

A food mixer comprises a container, a rotational shaft, an agitation member, a main packing, a collar, and a sub packing. The rotational shaft penetrates a wall of the container and is rotatably supported by the container. The agitation member is configured to agitate a work product in the container by rotating together with the rotational shaft. The main packing is disposed between the container and the rotational shaft. The collar is held at an outer periphery of the rotational shaft by a fixing member so that a space is formed between the main packing and the collar. The collar allows the space to be opened toward the container when the collar moves away from the fixed position after the fixing state is removed. The sub packing is provided between an outer periphery of the collar and a boss portion.

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.

A reactor for coating particles includes a stationary vacuum chamber to hold a bed of particles to be coated, a vacuum port in an upper portion of the chamber, a chemical delivery system configured to inject a reactant or precursor gas into a lower portion of the chamber, a paddle assembly, and a motor to rotate a drive shaft of the paddle assembly. The lower portion of the chamber forms a half-cylinder. The paddle assembly includes a rotatable drive shaft extending through the chamber along the axial axis of the half cylinder, and a plurality of paddles extending radially from the drive shaft such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motor orbits the plurality of paddles about the drive shaft.

A reactor comprising a first portion having a generally cylindrical housing, an inlet at one end of said first portion housing, the opposed end of said first portion housing being the outlet of said first portion, where said first portion includes a rotatable shaft positioned axially within said housing and including at least two shearing paddles extending radially from said rotatable shaft and a second portion having a generally frustoconical housing having a first end larger than a second end, said first end constituting an inlet to said second portion and coextensive with said opposed end of said first portion housing, and an outlet at said second end, where said second portion includes a rotatable shaft positioned axially within said housing and including at least one generally helical flight extending radially from said rotatable shaft.

An apparatus and method for processing a foodstuff comprises a closed conveyor path, a conveyor device, and a treatment chamber. The conveyor path includes an inlet and an outlet. The conveyor device is positioned within the closed conveyor path and configured to receive the foodstuff from the inlet. The conveyor device is further configured to convey the foodstuff along the closed conveyor path toward the outlet. The treatment chamber is positioned within the closed conveyor path downstream of the conveyor device for receiving the foodstuff from the conveyor device. The treatment chamber includes a rotatably driven first kneading shaft configured to collide the foodstuff within the treatment chamber.

A powdery material mixing degree measurement device includes a discharger configured to discharge mixed powdery materials to a filler configured to fill, with the powdery materials, a vertically penetrating die bore of a compression-molding machine including a table including the die bore, a slidable lower punch including an upper end inserted to the die bore, and a slidable upper punch including a lower end inserted to the die bore, a plurality of movable portions configured to move the mixed powdery materials to the discharger, and a sensor configured to measure a mixing degree of the mixed powdery materials in the movable portions.

A continuous mixing apparatus for a powder/granular material and a viscous liquid, with a mixing cylinder, a shaft member which is on a central axis of the mixing cylinder and rotates inside the mixing cylinder, and a plurality of mixing paddles disposed on a surface of the shaft member, wherein the mixing cylinder is with a powder/granular material feed port on one end portion, a mixed material discharge port on the other end portion, and a viscous liquid injection unit between the powder/granular material feed port and the mixed material discharge port, and the plurality of mixing paddles are disposed on the shaft member so as to form a spiral around the central axis, the plurality of mixing paddles being, in at least a portion between the viscous liquid injection unit and the mixed material discharge port, attached to provide first rows having an attachment angle of 5 to 60.

A mixing machine (1) for the mixing of a homogeneous mixture with one or more components to obtain a viscous mixture, comprising a mixing chamber (2) which is divided in a push (A), a mixing (B) and a discharge zone (C), and wherein the mixing chamber (2) comprises the following parts: multiple walls, consisting of one or more top plates (22) with multiple inflow channels (10, 11, 12), one or more bottom plates (24) and multiple side walls (6); an outlet mouth (18); an outlet valve (13); several rotors (5); in and out sliding push and/or mixing blades (3, 4); and a self-cleaning system (16, 17); characterised in that the rotors (5) are integrated in the side walls (6) of the mixing chamber (2); the rotors are equipped with transit channels (30) for the in and out sliding push or mixing blades (3, 4); and the self-cleaning system comprises a cleaning plate (16) and a driving mechanism (17) wherein the cleaning plate (16) can move longitudinally through the mixing chamber (2).