An intelligent dispensing system includes a well and an electronically controlled valve having a valve input and a first valve output. A network interface is configured to obtain an encrypted recipe. The electronically controlled valve is configured to control a flow of an ingredient from the well to the first valve output based on the encrypted recipe.

Provided is a mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus comprises a housing defining a primary chamber, an inlet for receiving material into the mixing apparatus, as well as an outlet for discharging material from the mixing apparatus. The housing provides within the primary chamber a plurality of rotating shafts, each rotating shaft having a plurality of flailing fixtures associated therewith.

A method for mixing liquids using an automated liquid handling system includes: aspirating liquid volumes of a first liquid and a second liquid from alternating ones of a first liquid supply and a second liquid supply into a mixing volume such that the aspirated liquid volumes form a liquid stack including a series of alternating, interfacing layers of the first and second liquids in the mixing volume; permitting the interfacing layers of the first and second liquids to mix with one another by diffusion in the mixing volume to form a mixture liquid; and dispensing the mixture liquid from the mixing volume.

A method for converting material within a vacuum tank that contains a mixture of liquid and solid material into a solidified batch of material. The method utilizes various devices to measure different features and properties of the tank and its contents to determine an amount of drying agent to be added to the tank. The method further utilizes various devices and methods for adding the drying agent to the tank and mixing the drying agent with the material within the tank. The method described herein may be completed automatically in response to human input on a handheld display device.

A microingredient feed additive dispensing apparatus and method for adding microingredients to animal feed are described. The apparatus includes a frame, a microingredient receptacle with a front portion and a rear portion, a receptacle mount that mounts the receptacle to the frame, a plurality of microingredient bins oriented above the receptacle, one or more empty-receptacle-detecting sensors arranged along the front portion of the receptacle, and a driver coupled to the receptacle to feed the microingredients toward and over an exit boundary of the receptacle. Microingredients are concurrently dispensed from bins into the receptacle. The amount of the microingredients dispensed from each microingredient bin is calculated and controlled. One or more empty-collection-feeder sensors determine whether and when the collection feeder is empty, without weighing the whole collection bin. The apparatus and method provide a more efficient and accurate way to add microingredients to animal feed.

The invention relates to a carbonation apparatus (10), in particular for the introduction of carbon dioxide to liquid, having a gas outlet which is configured to be introduced into a container (7) which can be filled with liquid, a gas connector which is fluidically connected to the gas outlet via a controllable valve (4), a control device (5) which is configured to control the valve (4), comprising, furthermore: a fixture (1) with a weight determining device for determining a weight of a gas cylinder (3) which is received in the fixture (1) and is connected to the gas connector.