A baffled pan coater is an upgraded solid pan with internal baffles, an automatic spray system, and integrated inlet and exhaust air handling. The baffles convert the simple rolling motion of a conventional pan into active mixing, improving coating uniformity and drying rate. It bridges manual pans and perforated coaters for 5–250 kg batches of film and sugar coats at lower capital cost.
The inclined pan rotates at 4–23 RPM while welded or bolted baffles lift tablets and fold the bed, exchanging surface tablets continuously. One to four spray guns on an adjustable arm apply coating. Hot air (40–70°C) enters through an immersion air sword or mouth nozzle and exhaust is drawn through a hood to a dust collector. A PLC controls spray rate, air temperature, and pan speed.
Challenges
Baffle-Induced Attrition
Aggressive baffles chip the edges of soft tablets.
Surface-Only Airflow
Air over the bed surface still limits drying rate.
Coating Build-Up on Baffles
Deposits flake off and contaminate the batch.
Spray Overlap
Poor gun spacing over-wets zones of the bed.
Scale-Up Limitations
Mixing behaviour changes as pan diameter increases.
Solutions
- Profiled Low-Impact Baffles: Rounded baffle geometry mixes without edge damage.
- Immersion Air Sword: Delivers process air directly into the bed for through-bed drying.
- Quick-Release Baffle Sets: Baffles removed and cleaned separately; polished to minimize build-up.
- Adjustable Multi-Gun Arm: Gun spacing and fan angle set to avoid spray overlap.
- Froude Number Scale-Up: Constant Fr (= N²R/g) keeps equivalent tumbling dynamics across sizes.
Applications
- Pharmaceutical: Small and medium batch film and sugar coating.
- Nutraceuticals: Vitamin and herbal tablet coating with colour films.
- Confectionery: Panned sweets and coloured sugar shells.
- Food: Coated nuts, seeds, and cereal pieces.
- Veterinary: Bolus and feed tablet coating.
Models & Capacities: Laboratory to Large Production
| Model | Scale | Pan Ø [mm] | Batch Size [kg] | Brim Vol. [L] | Pan Speed [RPM] | Motor [kW] | Hot Air [CMH] | Heater [kW] | Overall L×W×H [mm] | Weight [kg] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPC-005 | Lab | 440 | 3–5 | 9.5 | 8–23 | 0.37 | 120 | 2 | 1350×750×1300 | 160 |
| BPC-010 | Pilot | 560 | 6.5–10 | 19 | 7–20 | 0.55 | 200 | 3 | 1550×850×1400 | 210 |
| BPC-015 | Pilot | 640 | 9.5–15 | 30 | 6–19 | 0.75 | 270 | 4 | 1650×950×1500 | 260 |
| BPC-025 | Production | 750 | 16–25 | 50 | 6–17 | 1.5 | 380 | 5.5 | 1800×1050×1650 | 330 |
| BPC-040 | Production | 880 | 25–40 | 75 | 5–16 | 2.2 | 530 | 8 | 1950×1200×1750 | 430 |
| BPC-050 | Production | 950 | 30–50 | 95 | 5–15 | 2.2 | 620 | 9.5 | 2050×1250×1850 | 480 |
| BPC-075 | Production | 1,080 | 45–75 | 140 | 5–14 | 3 | 820 | 12 | 2200×1400×2000 | 610 |
| BPC-100 | Production | 1,190 | 65–100 | 190 | 5–14 | 5.5 | 1,000 | 15 | 2350×1500×2100 | 720 |
| BPC-125 | Production | 1,280 | 80–125 | 240 | 4–13 | 5.5 | 1,150 | 17 | 2450×1600×2200 | 820 |
| BPC-150 | Production | 1,360 | 95–150 | 290 | 4–13 | 5.5 | 1,350 | 20 | 2550×1650×2300 | 920 |
| BPC-200 | Large Prod | 1,490 | 130–200 | 380 | 4–12 | 7.5 | 1,650 | 25 | 2750×1800×2450 | 1,100 |
| BPC-250 | Large Prod | 1,610 | 160–250 | 480 | 4–12 | 9.3 | 1,900 | 30 | 2900×1900×2550 | 1,250 |