Patent ID: 7497910

Claim:
An apparatus for coating substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule with a powder comprising: an array of a plurality of magnetic brushes disposed on a common axis and each having a rotational magnetic core and a stationary outer shell; a magnetic powder supply for supplying a magnetic developer powder to the magnetic brushes a print head on the outer shell, the print head defining an array of microchannels for forming a plurality of parallel lines of magnetic developer powder in the microchannels, a transfer station spaced from the array of microchannels for transferring simultaneously powder from the print head to a plurality of the substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule; control circuitry for operating the print head to transfer simultaneously magnetic development powder to a plurality of the substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule; a fuser for fixing the transferred magnetic development powder to a plurality of the substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule; and a conveyor carrying simultaneously past the print head and past the transfer station a plurality of substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule where the substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule simultaneously receive deposits of magnetic developer powder and carrying a plurality of the substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule with deposited magnetic developer powder past the fuser where the magnetic develop powder is simultaneously fixed to a plurality of the substrates for a pill, tablet or capsule.