Bottom part configured for a device for coating or mixing granular products, more in particular peanuts, with a substance

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for coating and mixing granular products, in particular food products, more in particular peanuts, the device comprising a compartment defined by a rotary bottom part and a stationary circumferential side wall, the device further comprising: a product supply for supplying the products into the compartment, a substance supply for supplying a substance into the compartment, a drive for rotating the rotary bottom part about its substantially vertical axis, wherein the rotary bottom part and the stationary circumferential side wall comprise non-stick parts which define a substantial part of an inner surface of the compartment and which are manufactured from a non-stick material, wherein said non-stick parts are mechanically connected to the device via detachable connectors, allowing fast replacement of worn-out non-stick parts by new, same non-stick parts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A bottom part, comprising a central bottom part and a circumferential bottom part which is annular and configured to extend around the circumference of the central bottom part, the central bottom part and the circumferential bottom part being partially or completely manufactured from or coated with a non-stick material,
 wherein the circumferential bottom part is configured to be detachably connected to the central bottom part and is configured to be replaced separately from the central bottom part, and   wherein the bottom part is configured to be mechanically connected to a device for coating or mixing granular products with a substance via detachable connectors.   
     
     
         2 . The bottom part according to  claim 1 , wherein the bottom part comprises a conical surface which extends outwardly, the conical surface being oriented at an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees relative to the horizontal, wherein a transition between the central bottom part and the circumferential bottom part is located along the conical surface. 
     
     
         3 . The bottom part according to  claim 1 , further comprising a rotary dome shaped part which is partially or completely manufactured from or coated with a non-stick material, wherein the rotary dome shaped part is configured to be exchangeable and
 centrally positioned on the central bottom part, and wherein the rotary dome shaped part is constructed to rotate at a higher and opposite speed than the rest of the bottom part.   
     
     
         4 . The bottom part according to  claim 3 , wherein the rotary dome shaped part has a diameter at the base of less than half of a diameter of a compartment of the device for coating or mixing granular products with a substance and more than one sixth of a diameter of the compartment of the device. 
     
     
         5 . The bottom part according to  claim 3 , wherein the rotary dome shaped part is configured to be coupled with a spinning atomizer disk so that the rotary dome shaped part and the spinning atomizer disk rotate at the same speed, the spinning atomizer disk being positioned above the rotary dome shaped part. 
     
     
         6 . The bottom part according to  claim 1 , wherein at a transition between the central bottom part and the circumferential bottom part, an outer, upper ridge of the central bottom part protrudes above an adjoining ridge of the circumferential bottom part. 
     
     
         7 . The bottom part according to  claim 6 , wherein at the transition, the outer, upper ridge of the central bottom part protrudes over a distance of at least 0.5 millimetre above the adjoining ridge of the circumferential bottom part. 
     
     
         8 . The bottom part according to  claim 6 , wherein at the transition, the outer, upper ridge of the central bottom part protrudes over a distance of between 1 and 1.5 millimetre above the adjoining ridge of the circumferential bottom part. 
     
     
         9 . The bottom part according to  claim 1 , wherein the bottom part is partially or completely manufactured from or coated with high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         10 . The bottom part according to  claim 1 , wherein the central bottom part is coated with a non-stick coating, which is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a Si—O-based ceramic coating, a nickel based alloy coating, or Diamond Like Carbon.