Freeze-drying apparatus with a loading and unloading device

A freeze-drying apparatus (1), comprising:

• a drying chamber (2) accommodated inside a housing (3);
• an arrangement of product platforms (19) disposed so as to be displaceable vertically in a frame (20) and designed to support drying receptacles (42) containing a substance to be dried, located inside the drying chamber (2), wherein the housing (3) has at least one opening (13) that is closable by a door (12);
• a loading and unloading device (45) for the drying receptacles (42) outside of the drying chamber (2), which has a carriage (15) that is supported by guides (16,18,21, 22), and is configured to push the drying receptacles (42) into the drying chamber (2) by means of a back side (24), wherein said back side (24) forms a first movable leading edge,
• wherein at least one horizontal shift level (46) is defined by a height position of the opening (13), wherein the guides extend into said opening (13) and assume a fixed height position,
• wherein the arrangement of product platforms (19) is displaceable vertically inside the drying chamber (2), such that the carriage (15) advances in the shift level by travelling under loaded product platforms (19), thus avoiding travelling directly or indirectly over loaded product platforms (19), as far as a rear limit position in the drying chamber (2),
• wherein after a respective next higher loaded product platform (19) is lowered into the shift level, the drying receptacles (42) are moveable out of the drying chamber (2) through the opening (13) using a front side (23) of the carriage (15), wherein said front side (23) forms a second movable leading edge;
• and
• an arrangement of supports defined by bolts (41) for a product platform in the shift level, wherein the arrangement of supports allows vertical displacement of platforms (19) independently of the frame (6), wherein the arrangement of supports is movable between a first position that reaches under the product platform (19) to support the product platform using the bolts (41) and a second position that does not reach under the product platform.