Can I use a pan or planetary mixer for dry powder products instead of a ribbon blender?

Not effectively. Pan and planetary mixers are designed and optimised for wet material mixing, and their mixing mechanics do not achieve the uniform distribution of minor dry ingredients, such as pigments or additives, that a ribbon blender's radial and axial material movement is specifically built to provide. Attempting to stretch existing wet-mix equipment across a dry-mix product line typically produces inconsistent blending and disappointing product quality. Producers moving into dry-mix manufacturing should plan for a genuinely separate ribbon blender installation. Sparkline Group's consultation process specifically flags this need when a producer describes plans to add dry-mix products to their range.