A sugar coating pan is a solid-wall, inclined pan designed for the multi-stage sugar coating process: sealing, sub-coating, smoothing, colouring, and polishing. Its deep, rounded profile gives the gentle rolling needed to build layer upon layer with 30–100% weight gain. Capacities of 2–250 kg serve pharmaceutical dragees and confectionery sugar-shell products.
Cores are first sealed with a polymer coat, then syrup is ladled or sprayed in small charges. Each charge is spread by pan rotation (4–29 RPM) and dried by warm air (35–50°C) before the next. Sub-coating powder is dusted on to build volume. Dozens of cycles follow, with speed and air adjusted for each stage. Colouring syrups and a final wax polish complete the product.
Challenges
Long Cycle Times
50–100 layering cycles extend processing to several hours or days.
Layer Non-Uniformity
Uneven syrup spreading causes rough surfaces and colour mottling.
Core Moisture Ingress
Aqueous syrup penetrates unsealed cores and degrades the API.
Twinning and Logo Filling
Excess syrup bonds tablets and fills embossing.
Operator Skill Dependence
Manual sugar coating relies heavily on operator experience.
Solutions
- Dehumidified Warm Air: Controlled dew point shortens drying per layer by 20–40%.
- Automated Syrup Dosing: Programmed charges through peristaltic pump and atomizing nozzles.
- Sealing Coat Stage: Polymer seal protects cores before aqueous syrup application.
- Variable Speed with Jog: Low-speed rolling during wet stages prevents twinning.
- Recipe-Driven PLC Sequencing: Stores stage-wise speed, air, and dosing for repeatable batches.
Applications
- Pharmaceutical: Sugar coated dragees and vitamin tablets.
- Confectionery: Sugar shelled chocolates, candy dragees, and jelly beans.
- Mouth Fresheners: Sugar coated fennel (saunf), coriander seeds, and mukhwas.
- Food: Sugar coated nuts and dried fruit.
- Ayurvedic & Herbal: Sugar coated pills and traditional formulations.
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] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCP-002 | Lab | 310 | 1.5–2 | 4 | 10–29 | 0.37 | 55 | 1 | 900×600×1150 | 110 |
| SCP-005 | Lab | 420 | 3–5 | 9.5 | 8–25 | 0.37 | 110 | 1.5 | 1050×700×1250 | 140 |
| SCP-010 | Pilot | 520 | 6.5–10 | 19 | 7–22 | 0.55 | 180 | 2 | 1200×800×1350 | 180 |
| SCP-015 | Pilot | 600 | 9.5–15 | 30 | 7–21 | 0.75 | 230 | 3 | 1300×900×1450 | 220 |
| SCP-020 | Pilot | 660 | 13–20 | 40 | 7–20 | 1.1 | 280 | 3.5 | 1350×950×1550 | 260 |
| SCP-030 | Production | 750 | 19–30 | 60 | 6–18 | 1.5 | 380 | 4.5 | 1500×1050×1650 | 310 |
| SCP-040 | Production | 830 | 25–40 | 75 | 6–18 | 2.2 | 460 | 5.5 | 1600×1150×1700 | 370 |
| SCP-050 | Production | 890 | 30–50 | 95 | 6–17 | 2.2 | 540 | 6.5 | 1650×1200×1800 | 410 |
| SCP-075 | Production | 1,020 | 45–75 | 140 | 5–16 | 3 | 720 | 8.5 | 1850×1300×1900 | 520 |
| SCP-100 | Production | 1,120 | 65–100 | 190 | 5–15 | 3.7 | 880 | 11 | 1950×1400×2050 | 620 |
| SCP-125 | Production | 1,210 | 80–125 | 240 | 5–15 | 5.5 | 1,050 | 13 | 2050×1500×2150 | 710 |
| SCP-150 | Production | 1,280 | 95–150 | 290 | 5–14 | 5.5 | 1,150 | 14 | 2150×1600×2200 | 790 |
| SCP-200 | Large Prod | 1,410 | 130–200 | 380 | 4–13 | 7.5 | 1,450 | 17 | 2350×1700×2350 | 940 |
| SCP-250 | Large Prod | 1,520 | 160–250 | 480 | 4–13 | 7.5 | 1,650 | 20 | 2500×1800×2450 | 1,100 |