Coating apparatus for applying a coating composition to substantially flat baked pieces, particularly cookies or the like

An apparatus for applying a coating composition to substantially flat baked pieces at a predetermined coating location, which comprises the combination of

• (a) a supply container holding the coating composition,
• (b) a screw conveyor arranged to convey the coating composition from an input end at the supply container to an output end, the screw conveyor comprising
• (1) an adjustable conveyor drive, and
• (c) a coating head arranged at the predetermined coating location to receive the coating composition from the output end of the screw conveyor and to discharge metered portions of the coating composition onto respective ones of the baked pieces conveyed in succession under the coating head, the coating head comprising
• (1) a cylindrical coating drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and having a shell whose interior surface defines an interior chamber receiving the coating composition from the screw conveyor output end, the interior shell surface defining metering pockets uniformly distributed about the periphery of the interior shell surface and the drum having coating composition discharge nozzles communicating with the metering pockets for applying the coating composition from the metering pockets to the respective baked pieces,
• (2) a scraping blade arranged in the interior chamber at the nadir of the coating drum and spring-biased against the interior shell surface into respective ones of the metering pockets as the rotating coating drum moves successive metering pockets past the scraping blade whereby the scraping blade applies the metered coating composition portions through the discharge nozzles to the baked pieces,
• (3) adjustable stop means for engaging the spring-biased scraping blade to determine the depth of penetration of the scraping blade into the metering pockets,
• (4) a stationary part adjacent the coating drum, and
• (5) a sensor mounted on the stationary part and sensing the pressure of the coating composition in the interior chamber, the adjustable conveyor drive being controlled in response to the sensed pressure.