Continuous feed tablet coating system

Abstract

A system for coating tablets and other small articles is provided, comprising a housing, a drum or other pan within said housing for retaining a bed of coatable articles, and a coating dispenser for dispensing coating from a source onto the bed. The dispenser includes an extendible support member and opposing spray assemblies in end to end linear relation overhead of the pan. The spray assemblies include an elongate nozzle support, an array of spray nozzles mounted to the nozzle support for connection to a source of pressurized coating fluid and optionally to a source of compressed air, and an arm at an end of the nozzle support connecting the nozzle support to the extendible support member. The support member is extendible in length to permit retraction of at least one of the assemblies independently of the other assembly.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 11 / 911,498, filed on Oct. 12, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 911,498 is the National Stage entry of PCT / CA2006 / 000552, filed internationally on Apr. 12, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. PCT International Application No. PCT / CA2006 / 000552 claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 670,271, filed of Apr. 12, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates to processes and equipment for applying a coating in a bulk process onto articles such as pharmaceutical tablets or other dosage forms, food articles, seeds and other relatively small robust articles that can be processed in bulk. More specifically, the invention relates to systems which apply a spray-on ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The system ensures consistent coating thickness and weight, minimizes waste, and facilitates efficient cleaning, allowing for precise control over the coating process and easy maintenance, enhancing operational efficiency and cleanliness.

Problems solved by technology

Certain prior art systems provide for batch processing of tablets, which is relatively inefficient in comparison with a continuous coating process.

Continuous processing, while more efficient, has in the past encountered difficulties in terms of consistency of the coating process.

Cleaning of the spray assembly in a drum-type continuous coater can be particularly difficult in that the spray assembly is housed within the drum interior, where access is difficult.

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