CN1226847A

CN1226847A - Apparatus for coating foods or pharmaceuticals

Info

Publication number: CN1226847A
Application number: CN 97196943
Authority: CN
Inventors: 理查德·胡安
Original assignee: OGAN
Current assignee: OGAN
Priority date: 1996-08-01
Filing date: 1997-07-10
Publication date: 1999-08-25
Also published as: WO1998005434A1; FR2751849B1; EP0914214A1; FR2751849A1; JP2000516523A; AU3626297A

Abstract

An apparatus including a vessel (2) with an axial inlet (3), means for rotating the vessel (2) relative to a frame (8), spray means (53) for spray-coating the material in the lower portion of the vessel (2), a hot air circuit through the material mass, and a control box. The vessel (2) has a generally double frusto-conical shape with inverted cones (4, 5), includes a smooth inner wall and is in sealing contact via its rear edge with a stationary central disc (14) having a through-hole (50) in the upper portion thereof for connection to one of the sections (B) of the hot air circuit, and at least one further through-hole in the lower portion through which a rotary mixing member (15) is inserted. Said member is arranged in the portion of the vessel (2) where the mass of material to be processed is thickest, and is connected to drive means in a sealed housing (25) secured to the back of the central disc (14) and connected to the other section (A) of the hot air circuit.

Description

Be used for equipment to food or medicinal product dressing

The present invention relates to liquid or Powdered dressing material equipment food such as almond, pill, tablet or medicinal product dressing.

Conventionally, dressing is following carrying out, promptly a collection of product, tablet for example, drop into one by being equipped with inner vanes in fact radially, have in the machine that the container of horizontal axis forms and make this container with about 3 to the 10 rotating speeds rotations of changeing per minutes, meanwhile a pillar that has plurality of nozzles sprays the dressing material product that is in liquid state, and this wall of a container is passed in hot blast loop so that form a fluid bed that passes product or tablet group heap, these products or tablet scatter and they are heated to promote them by dressing and dry temperature.

In order to make hot air circulation, common way is that wall of a container is bored a hole.This perforation have cleaning-this cleaning that makes container two or three batch of product is by dressing after or after at every turn changing product type, carrying out usually-complicated, and limited can only be to carrying out the shortcoming of dressing with this container greater than the product of boring a hole on the size.In other words, these perforation stop any on the diameter less than the dressing of the particle of 4mm, and hinder any dressing with powder.

Another shortcoming of this prior art is, the inhomogeneities of product stream during dressing.What happens is, along with the rotation of container, treats the product of dressing, and tablet for example rolls voluntarily and forms the sealing track, product the closer to the surface of colony or wall of a container then this track is long more.So, be in the middle tablet of colony and form short track and be difficult to change fully track.They seldom come the colony surface that is under the dressing material spray post as a result, and by the dressing material is peeled off around they layer tablet and by dressing partly.The existence of blade or flute profile blade makes tablet in the transfer between homogeneous turbulence or the track not improvement be arranged slightly.Therefore, this batch group piles middle tablet or the dressing of product is used up than being in the longer time of outer field tablet to being in.This processing time and reduced the total output of equipment of having extended as a result.Must add that in addition this inhomogeneities of product stream also causes the difference of outward appearance and quality, need people's intervention to adjust the processing time so that adapt to the quality of wanting.

The objective of the invention is to, by providing a kind of multifunctional equipment to overcome these shortcomings, though this equipment can with the liquid of graininess dressing material give various product coating and its size how, meanwhile boost productivity and quality, and this equipment can be continuously and operation automatically, thereby need not people's control.

For this reason, in the device in accordance with the invention, the container that is two truncated cone overall shapes of the band inversion conical surface has smooth inwall, and contact with the center disk sealing of fixing via its trailing edge, pass this disk, at an upper portion thereof, opening is connected in a section of hot blast loop, and in its underpart, at least one opening mixes and stirs (mixing) member at least one rotation and passes, and this member is arranged in such part of container, is promptly comprising in the part of pending product of maximum ga(u)ge, this member is connected to and is arranged in a mechanism in the seal casinghousing, and the fixing sealing housing in the back side that nestles up center disk is connected in another section in hot blast loop.

So having broken away from, this container promotes to treat the stirring of coated product but any blade and other mechanisms of hindering cleaning, because this stirring realizes by one or more members that mix and stir, these mix and stir member and are arranged in the pending product group heap and by rotation and produce motion stream, and the tablet that is in the middle of group's heap is shifted onto the periphery that this a group is piled.In addition, two sections of hot blast loop, no matter this is inducer or outlet section, passes fixing center disk, this center disk make container break away from this loop intrinsic whole constraints.This section of housing place termination with mix and stir member and be connected, thereby this mixes and stirs member and forms a kind of airhood with air blowing mode or air-breathing mode work, working method is decided on the requirement of processing or the proterties of pending product.

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, each mixes and stirs member and is connected in and can makes its translational motion and two-way mobile mechanism between retracted position and operating position, it is in enclosure interior at retracted position, it leaves housing and puts in container in the operating position, stretches into the zone for the treatment of that coated product is heaped.

This configuration makes and can simplify the cleaning of container by any part of the track that it broken away from may hinder automatic cleaning mechanism.

From the description below with reference to accompanying schematic figure, other feature and advantage will reveal, and these accompanying drawing use-case illustrate an embodiment of this equipment.

Fig. 1 is the vertical profile side view of this embodiment,

Fig. 2 is along the cutaway view that the II among Fig. 1-the II line is intercepted,

Fig. 3 is the rearview along the arrow III direction among Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a partial view of taking from the vertical profile side view, represents to make the device that mixes and stirs member translation and rotation with the ratio of amplifying.

In this accompanying drawing, total label 2 is represented the container of this equipment, as shown in fig. 1, this container has two truncated cone that band is inverted the conical surface, that is to say that from front to back, this container is by a cylindrical import tube 3, the truncated cone shape antetheca 4 that its bus is restrained forward, and back frusto-conical wall 5 compositions that its bus is restrained backwards.Between 120 ° and 160 °, be about 140 ° by the formed drift angle of the bus of antetheca 4 here, and by the formed drift angle of the bus of rear wall 5 between 10 ° and 20 °, be about 15 ° here.The inwall of container 2 is smooth, without any protrusion.Constitute for treating inlet openings that coated product is used and be fixed in a ring body 6 that this ring body rotation is put in the rolling bearing 7 of frame 8 freely as the cylindrical drum 3 of peep-hole.The free trailing edge of the rear wall 5 of container is fixed in a radial flange 9, and this radial flange is by roller 10 rotary steerings, and the roller 10 forward frames 8 of stating support.This flange 9 is via a suitable seal part 12 shown in Fig. 4, contact with frusta-conical surface 13 sealings that periphery in center disk 14 forms, and this center disk 14 leans on frame 8 to support [sic].The inner face of this disk is smooth, does not have rough and uneven in surface.

Container 2 is connected in motor mechanism by a unillustrated power train (mechanism), and this motor mechanism can make this container with about 3 to 10 rev/mins speed variable rotation under the control that has the unillustrated switch board that has a controller.Container 2 and three mix and stir member 15 and interrelate, these mix and stir member from rear wall 14 stretch out forward and, as shown in Figure 2, be disposed in such zone of container 2, promptly when container rotates, comprising in the zone for the treatment of coated product of maximum ga(u)ge.Fig. 2 draws with chain-dotted line N and treat the last material level of coated product when container rotates.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, each mixes and stirs member 15 longitudinal extensions must be as far as the diametral plane D that comprises the container maximum gauge, and still obviously it can further extend forward and approaching preceding truncated cone wall 4.

Each mixes and stirs member 15 and has a periphery wall 11 (Fig. 4), and this periphery wall is a porous for air.

According to the proterties for the treatment of coated product and coating conditions, this wall is made up of the mesh grid that perforated metal or inner skeleton support.Fig. 2 illustrates, and in cross section, each mixes and stirs member 15 and comprises and form the criss-cross distinguish blade of four arms, but what should emphasize is that the degree of depth in space depends on treatment conditions and can change and do not depart from the scope of the present invention between criss-cross arm number and arm.

Each mixes and stirs member 15, passes center disk 14 via an opening 19, is fixed in joint 17, and this mixes and stirs member and detachably is installed on the leading section 18 of a cage 20 through a joint thus.Among the illustrated embodiment, joint 17 has a dovetail tenon in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, and this dovetail tenon is engaged in the guide rail (slide rail) with complementary cross section that forms on part 18, but obviously can adopt any other equivalent bindiny mechanism.Cage 20 is installed in the shared chassis 23 of each member 15 freely via the rotation of bearing shell 22 or rolling bearing.This chassis translation is installed on the longitudinal rail 24 that supports by housing 25 freely.This housing protrudes and is fixed on the rear portion of center disk 14, and moves the mechanism of mixing and stirring member 15 with surrounding translation as shown in Figure 3, this means that this housing can contain it when mixing and stirring the member withdrawal.

Chassis 23 is fixed at least one nut 26, one rhizoid thick stick 27 and is passed this nut, and leading screw 27 rotations are installed on freely but are stopped over securely in the bearing 28 of frame 8 when rotated.Vertically pass this leading screw that housing extends, by its output shaft that extends through the end of bearing 28 and be connected in the motor 32 that supports by frame 8 by toothed wheel 29 and cog belt 30 power trains.

Fig. 4 illustrates, the opening 19 of member 15 usefulness is mixed and stirred in formed each confession in center disk 14, when this member is in retracted position in the housing 25, can be by formed at the free end of each member 15 and be sealed shut with the edge seal 35 contacted conical surfaces 34 in corresponding opening 19.

Each cage 20 by the wheel hub 36 that is connected in this cage for example roller spoke 36a rotate.This wheel hub is slidably mounted on the axle 37, and cross section is that polygonal this axle cooperates with the endoporus with complementary cross section of this wheel hub, guarantees that it is firmly held in case spline is moving.Axle 37 rotates in the bearing 38 that is installed in frame 8 freely and is connected in the output shaft of motor 42 by toothed wheel 39 and cog belt 40 power trains; This brushless electric motivation is three, and to mix and stir member shared, thereby it can be with variable rotating speed, even change direction ground off and on or rapidly and drive, and vibrates so that produce under the control of switch board (box).

With this configuration, before treating that coated product is introduced into the material level R of container 2 up to Fig. 1, mix and stir member 15 by means of the mobile handle of leading screw 27 by chassis 20 and push container.Be noted that they can be easy to change from inlet openings 3 if these members 15 do not have suitable profile or structure.

Treating that coated product has been introduced into after container 2 and container 2 dropped into rotation, each member 15 rotates by share motor 42 and by means of power train 39,40, this power train, as shown in Figure 3, reversing wheel 39a in the middle of comprising, give each member 15 and be adjacent the opposite direction of rotation of member, as shown in arrow 41.

Because they are arranged at centre and rotating speed and the direction rotation changing for the treatment of coated product group heap in the dressing process, so mixing and stirring member 15 tends to being positioned at the lower wall that the central product of group's heap is shifted higher material level onto or pushed container 2 to, that is to say, tend to stir in this wise product, be the central authorities that the neither one product is stuck in group's heap, this just can make the circular flow homogenising of these products in group's heap, accelerates dressing, shorten Production Time, improve the quality of this dressing simultaneously.In addition, 15 areas with the heat exchange of hot blast stream of member strengthen 2～3 times, promote the maintenance of temperature and promote dressing.In addition, by adopting the container of hydraulically smooth surface, make dressing easier and can obtain better gloss.

In order to change the position of member 15 in treating coated product group heap, disk 14 is connected in frame 8 by the mechanism of the position, angle that allows change Qi Jiao position and chassis 25.

In case container 2 is emptied, and for for the purpose of the cleaning, oppositely move on chassis 23, so that make member 15 withdrawals and make it return retracted position in housing 25.

Fig. 3 illustrates, and housing 25 is connected in one section A in hot blast loop, and its another section B is via formed opening 50 leads to into container 2 on the top of center disk 14.This configuration makes container can break away from any constraint or constraint that a hot blast loop therewith interrelates, and allows as required A section or B section as inlet openings, and any needs that this equipment do not carried out change machinery or structure.

Be noted that in both cases, mix and stir member 15 form one via cage 20 and housing 25 internal communication in the air blowing mode or with the airhood of air-breathing mode work.

Fig. 1 illustrates, and disk 14 also has the opening 55 that telescopic element 56 that an axially open 52 that passes for the expansion link 53 of the mechanism 54 of spraying dressing materials flow body and confession be used for clearing up automatically the mechanism 57 of this container passes.

The frame of the frame of mechanism 54 and mechanism 57 is fixed in the rear portion of center disk 14, and the free end of

telescoping mechanism

53 or 56 has sealing mechanism, for example can with the contacted frusto-conical surface 53a of complementary surface, the 56a around the edge of corresponding opening 52 or 55.The mechanism of spraying dressing materials flow body is known to the professional and technical personnel, does not need here to describe.Cleaning mechanism 57 can be got various forms, or rather, can be similar to person described in the applicant's the french patent application № 9608909.

Coated product can be in a conventional way discharged via inlet openings 3, but they are preferably formed and discharged by the opening 60 of valve 62 sealings of a unillustrated automatic control on the truncated cone antetheca of container 2 via one.

In this embodiment of container 2, the controller of switch board is included in the mechanism that container is stopped when opening 60 and valve 62 are in minimum point.

So, when dressing finishes, just open valve 62 is needed, allow coated product pour out to conveyer belt 63 or to any other mechanism that these products is transported to a container.This one pour out during, mix and stir member 15 and rotate, so that promote leaving of coated product.Certainly, in case container is turned, valve 62 can carry out dressing operation next time with regard to closing once more.

A kind of like this equipment just can come dressing successfully for the product from the 10mm tablet to the short grained different size of 1mm without any change, and can carry out dressing with liquid or graininess dressing material.

Except with regard to quality with boost productivity and be convenient to clear up the advantage that provides of opinion, this equipment can be realized full-automation, no matter is the filling of container, the dressing of product, the management of dressing material and hot blast stream, turned letter, still certain cycle-index cleaning afterwards.This automation makes the man-hour that can not only reduce each circulation, and with existing equipment mutually specific energy the productivity ratio of such equipment is improved 3 or 5 times, and, the most important thing is, by introduce the automatic cleaning when changing dressing material product type at every turn, can eliminate any danger of cross pollution.

Claims

1. be used for equipment to food or medicinal product dressing, this equipment comprises: a container (2) that has the inlet openings of using for product (3), be used for making the mechanism of this container (2) with respect to a frame (8) rotation, product group heap in being arranged in this container (2) bottom is gone up the mechanism (53) of spraying the dressing material, a hot blast loop of passing the product group heap, and switch board, it is characterized in that, have band and be inverted the conical surface (4,5) this container (2) of two truncated cone overall shapes has smooth inwall and contacts with a fixing center disk (14) sealing via its trailing edge, pass this disk, at an upper portion thereof, an opening (50) is connected in a section (B) in this hot blast loop, and in its underpart, at least one opening mixes and stirs member (15) at least one rotation and passes, this mixes and stirs member and is arranged in such part of this container (2), promptly comprising in the part of pending product of maximum ga(u)ge, and be connected in the driving mechanism (36 that is arranged in the seal casinghousing (25), 37), the fixing sealing housing in the back side that nestles up this center disk 14 is connected in another section (A) in this hot blast loop.

2. according to the equipment of claim 1, it is characterized in that, each mixes and stirs member (15) and is connected in and can makes its translational motion and two-way mobile mechanism (20,26,27) between retracted position and operating position, it is in this housing (25) inside at retracted position, it leaves this housing and puts in this container (2) in the operating position, stretches into the zone for the treatment of that coated product is heaped.

3. according to any one the equipment in claim 1 or the claim 2, it is characterized in that, there are three to mix and stir member (15), each detachably is installed in the leading section of a rotation cage (20), the rotation of this rotation cage own is installed in the chassis (23) freely, this shared chassis leans on the guide rail (24) of this common housing (25) to lead in longitudinal translation for these three members (15), and being fixed at least one nut (26), this nut matches with the vertical leading screw (27) that drives that is connected in the motor mechanism (32) that can make it to rotate.

4. according to the equipment of claim 3, it is characterized in that, each cage (20) that mixes and stirs member (15) is fixed in a wheel hub (36), this wheel hub is as a whole along with an axle (37) rotation, this wheel hub is slidably mounted on this axle, described axle (37) rotation is installed in the bearing (38) of frame (8) freely, and be connected in a motor (42) shared concerning all members (15) by toothed wheel (39) and cog belt (40) power train, this power train alternately changes the direction of rotation of these members.

5. according to the equipment of claim 1, it is characterized in that, each mixes and stirs the form that member (15) is got tubular sleeve, have outside cannelure and rib alternately in its surface, and have a periphery wall (11), this periphery wall is transparent to the air from the hot blast loop, and has the cross section of various geometries.

6. according to the equipment of claim 1, it is characterized in that, each mixes and stirs member (15) and has a sealing surfaces (34) at its free end, when being in retracted position, the sealing surface can contact with the edge sealing of opening (19), this opening is gone up at this fixed center disk (14) and is formed, and passes for this member.

7. according to the equipment of claim 1 any one to the claim 6, it is characterized in that, passing this center disk (14) has a confession to pass and [sic] sprays the opening (52) of expansion link (53) of the mechanism (54) of dressing material, automatically clear up the opening (55) that the telescopic element (56) of the mechanism (57) of this container passes with a confession, in these mechanisms each all is equipped with sealing mechanism (53a at its free end, 56a), when described mechanism was in this retracted position that leaves this container, these sealing mechanisms can contact with the edge sealing of corresponding opening on this center disk (14).

8. according to the equipment of claim 1, it is characterized in that, this container (2) comprises that from front to back a rotation is installed in the cylindrical inlet openings (3) in the bearing (6) of this frame (8) freely, the truncated cone antetheca (7) of the drift angle between 120 ° and 160 ° is restrained and formed to its bus forward, and the truncated cone rear wall (5) of the drift angle between 10 ° and 20 ° is restrained and formed to its bus backwards.

9. according to the equipment of claim 1, it is characterized in that, this truncated cone antetheca (4) of this container (2) has one and is used for discharging the opening of coated product (60), this opening is sealed by a valve of opening automatically (62) usually, and this switch board has the mechanism that this container (2) is stopped when this opening (60) and this valve (62) are in the minimum point of this container.

10. according to the equipment of claim 1, it is characterized in that this disk (14) is by making the Qi Jiao position, thereby the mechanism that all positions, angle of mixing and stirring member (15) are changed is connected in this frame (8).