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New fluidized bed coater module for all continuous coating and layering processes in the fluidized bed

GFC 16 closes the gap for fully continuous coating on pilot scale

Current market trends show an increasing focus on functional coatings that require small amounts of coating material and very uniform layer coatings. Glatt has responded to these requirements and expanded its portfolio technologically.

The GFC 16 process module, which we will show at ACHEMA 2024 in Frankfurt, expands the performance spectrum of pilot systems at the Glatt Technology Centre in Weimar. It has been specially designed for demanding continuous coating applications in the non-pharmaceutical sector. The developers paid particular attention to the fluid mechanical behaviour of the system along with the gentle infeed and discharge of raw materials, and coated products. Thanks to its design, the module offers all the usual injection options and is suitable for use across a wide range of particle sizes.

The new fluidised bed coater module carries out continuous coating and layering processes in the fluidised bed. Thanks to the optimised design, it achieves a particularly homogeneous distribution of the coating material, resulting in denser, more uniform coatings than with comparable systems. Furthermore, sensory properties can be positively influenced, and higher-quality particles produced, all of which are better protected against environmental factors.

One application example is the coating of fertilizers with biopolymers to specifically control the release of ingredients. The new, continuously operating fluidised bed systems is therefore a possible process variant for specific customer projects.

The new overall concept includes measures for optimum product handling, uniform liquid distribution and gentle raw material infeed and product discharge. The control system and instrumentation allow meaningful process monitoring.

The pilot-scale module implements many years of experience in industrial plant engineering for continuous fluidized bed coating systems. Here, technical solutions from large-scale industrial plants that have already been supplied several times have been transferred to pilot scale and made available for the range of services in the Weimar Technology Center.

The new GFC 16 process module is connected to the existing pilot plant and uses its media supply, control system, peripheral assemblies such as dosing and material handling as well as safety technology.

The existing ProCell/GF 25 pilot plant was designed and successfully commissioned in 2010 as a universally applicable test plant to carry out drying, agglomeration, spray granulation and simple coating processes in continuous operation. The focus was on the widest possible range of applications, maximum flexibility and scalability, and since then a large number of applications have been developed and successfully transferred to industrial practice. The focus has been on spray granulation and agglomeration projects.

In addition, processes for continuous coating from aqueous systems, organic solvents or melts were successfully implemented. The pilot tests required for this could only be completed at great expense, as the dynamic behavior of the pilot plant is not suitable for perfect coating due to its geometric design.

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