Disclosed are methods and systems for continuously coating food pieces. The methods include a steps of directing and uncoated food stream through an enrober to apply a first coating to at least a portion of a surface of each food piece to form a coated stream and continuously redirecting a portion of the coated stream back through the enrober along with the stream of uncoated food pieces to apply at least one additional coating to the portion of the coated stream.

A drum coater device (10) for coating tablets, comprising a mixing drum (18) which can be rotated about an axis of rotation (20) and which has an interior (24) for arranging a tablet batch to be coated, further comprising a spraying device for introducing a coating material into the interior, wherein the mixing drum has a hollow-cylindrical, perforated wall which delimits at least part of the interior of the mixing drum, wherein mixing elements for mixing the tablets of a tablet batch are arranged on the inner side, which faces the interior, of the wall, wherein pairs (36) of mixing elements (34a, 34b) form legs which are oriented with respect to one another in a V shape, wherein the distance between the legs of a pair widens from a central annular region, as seen along the axis of rotation, of the wall in the direction of lateral annular regions adjacent to the central annular region.

A drum coater device (10) for coating tablets, comprising a mixing drum (18) which can be rotated about an axis of rotation (20) and which has an interior (24) for arranging a tablet batch to be coated, further comprising a spraying device for introducing a coating material into the interior, wherein the mixing drum has a hollow-cylindrical, perforated wall which delimits at least part of the interior of the mixing drum, wherein mixing elements for mixing the tablets of a tablet batch are arranged on the inner side, which faces the interior, of the wall, wherein pairs (36) of mixing elements (34a, 34b) form legs which are oriented with respect to one another in a V shape, wherein the distance between the legs of a pair widens from a central annular region, as seen along the axis of rotation, of the wall in the direction of lateral annular regions adjacent to the central annular region.

A coating system includes a plurality of liquid immersion workstations positioned along an arcuate path, the plurality of liquid immersion workstations defining a single complete coating process for a sequence of objects. A plurality of curing workstations are configured to independently receive objects of the sequence of objects exiting the plurality of liquid immersion workstations. An articulated robotic arm has a base positioned inside the arcuate path in top plan view such that the robotic arm is operable to carry each object of the sequence of objects through each of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations and to exactly one of the plurality of curing workstations. An articulated robotic hand is provided at a distal end of the robotic arm and configured to grasp and hold each of the objects and to oscillate the object while submerged in each of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations.

A coating system includes a plurality of liquid immersion workstations positioned along an arcuate path, the plurality of liquid immersion workstations defining a single complete coating process for a sequence of objects. A plurality of curing workstations are configured to independently receive objects of the sequence of objects exiting the plurality of liquid immersion workstations. An articulated robotic arm has a base positioned inside the arcuate path in top plan view such that the robotic arm is operable to carry each object of the sequence of objects through each of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations and to exactly one of the plurality of curing workstations. An articulated robotic hand is provided at a distal end of the robotic arm and configured to grasp and hold each of the objects and to oscillate the object while submerged in each of the plurality of liquid immersion workstations.

A coating apparatus and a method are disclosed for coating tablets in a rotating drilled container at the outlet of which a rotating annular element operates that is coaxial with the container, in which in an initial transition phase the annular element rotates in a direction that is opposite the rotation direction of the container to retain the tablets inside the container, forming a bed of tablets until a desired level is reached, and in a stationary phase the annular element rotates in a direction that is the same as the rotation of the container to permit the exit of the tablets, until the quantity of tablets entering the container is the same that the quantity exiting.

A coating apparatus and a method are disclosed for coating tablets in a rotating drilled container at the outlet of which a rotating annular element operates that is coaxial with the container, in which in an initial transition phase the annular element rotates in a direction that is opposite the rotation direction of the container to retain the tablets inside the container, forming a bed of tablets until a desired level is reached, and in a stationary phase the annular element rotates in a direction that is the same as the rotation of the container to permit the exit of the tablets, until the quantity of tablets entering the container is the same that the quantity exiting.

A granular coating conveyor system for coating granular particles carried in compartments along a tubular conveyor member. Coating fluid is fed over the granular particles through radial nozzles located inside a co-axial rotating blender with tubular member upstream discharge port and tubular member downstream return ingress port for the granular particles. The blender is a drum having a helicoidal spiral screw integrally mounted to an interior peripheral wall face of the drum and extending therealong radially outwardly of the tubular member mixing in the drum in tumbling fashion the granular particles with coating fluid and guiding same therealong, so as to dynamically form a kidney shape mass of granular particles.

A coating method for coating parts in a dip-spin process is provided. The parts to be coated are dipped into a coating liquid and then centrifuged in at least one planetary basket arrangement in a planetary centrifuge. The planetary centrifuge includes a main rotor rotating about a main rotor axis of rotation and at least one planetary basket arrangement rotates about its planetary axis of rotation. Also, the planetary axis of rotation is arranged eccentrically on the main rotor. The at least one planetary basket arrangement can include a plurality of planetary baskets rotatably arranged about the planetary rotation axis of the at least one planetary basket arrangement and the planetary basket arrangement is rotated during a centrifuging operation.

A coating method for coating parts in a dip-spin process is provided. The parts to be coated are dipped into a coating liquid and then centrifuged in at least one planetary basket arrangement in a planetary centrifuge. The planetary centrifuge includes a main rotor rotating about a main rotor axis of rotation and at least one planetary basket arrangement rotates about its planetary axis of rotation. Also, the planetary axis of rotation is arranged eccentrically on the main rotor. The at least one planetary basket arrangement can include a plurality of planetary baskets rotatably arranged about the planetary rotation axis of the at least one planetary basket arrangement and the planetary basket arrangement is rotated during a centrifuging operation.