Abstract: A powder processing apparatus of the fluidized bed type wherein air is blown into a cylindrical container through its bottom to perform various treatments while keeping powder in the container in fluidized condition. Air fed in through an opening in the bottom surface of the container is introduced into a rotating hollow frusto-conical body and is allowed to blow out in the centrifugal direction from an air diffusion clearance defined between the skirt end of the frusto-concial body and the bottom surface of the container, thereby forming a fluidized bed of powder. The portion of the bottom surface around the opening rises and/or a member made of air-permeable material is installed in the opening in the bottom surface to prevent passage of powder; this arrangement, coupled with the air current blowing out of the air diffusion clearance, prevents entry and hence flow-out of powder.

Abstract: A powder compacting machine for compressing a mass of powdery material to produce substantially flaky articles of substantially uniform thickness is constituted by a hopper unit having a built-in screw feeder and a pair of opposed compressing rolls. One of the compressing rolls is supported for movement close to and away from the other of the compressing rolls. The hopper unit has a hopper, which may be connected to a source of vacuum, and, on the other hand, one of the compressing rolls has a shape complementary to the other of the compressing rolls so that a substantially uniform thickness of the flaky articles made by compressing a mass of powdery material can be obtained. The machine also has at least one barrier employed to substantially uniformly dispense a mass of powdery material falling towards a clearance between the compressing rolls.

Abstract: A process for coating granular materials particularly applicable in coating granular materials each having a particle size within the range of 100 to 1,000 microns, wherein supply of a coating or binding liquid is effected in response to a specific measured electro-resistance of a fluidized means of the granular materials while supply of a coating powder is continuously effected in a predetermined variable rate. To this end, at least one electrode cooperates with a portion of the wall forming a coating apparatus to detect the specific electro-resistance which is in turn compared with a predetermined value in a comparison circuit.