Project Overview

This case is a fully automatic tray cleaning production line implemented at a Japanese food company, specifically designed for deep cleaning, drying, automatic palletizing, and line feeding of food returnable trays. The system integrates high-pressure water washing, high-temperature hot-air circulation drying, and robotic palletizing to achieve full-process automation from material feeding to line integration—fully meeting the stringent hygiene standards of the food industry as well as Japanese companies' high requirements for low noise and high reliability.

Challenges Faced by the Customer

Before project initiation, the customer faced the following core issues in their food tray cleaning process:

• Incomplete manual cleaning with hygiene blind spots: Food trays accumulate grease, residues, and foreign matter after use. Manual cleaning fails to thoroughly remove stubborn dirt, with residues left in gaps and corners, posing hygiene risks.

• Moisture residue leading to bacterial growth: Surface moisture cannot be completely removed after manual cleaning, and humid conditions promote bacterial growth, failing to meet food industry hygiene standards.

• Low efficiency and high labor costs: Manual cleaning is inefficient. As production capacity increases, substantial labor is required for tray cleaning, resulting in high costs and difficult personnel management.

• Noise issues: Traditional cleaning equipment generates excessive noise, failing to meet Japanese companies' strict requirements for the working environment.

Solution and Full-Automatic Cleaning Process

We custom-developed a fully automatic tray cleaning production line for the customer, covering the complete process from feeding to line integration:

Feeding → Pre-wash → Deep cleaning → Spray rinsing → Drying → Inspection (optional) → Automatic palletizing → Automatic conveying → Line feeding

Equipment Features

• Deep cleaning: High-pressure water combined with a dedicated spray system thoroughly removes grease, residues, foreign matter, and attached substances.

• Efficient drying: A high-temperature hot-air circulation system quickly removes moisture, preventing bacterial growth and ensuring trays are clean and dry.

• Automatic palletizing: After cleaning and drying, trays are automatically stacked neatly, saving labor and improving efficiency.

• Replaces manual cleaning: High automation with stable and reliable cleaning results, fully meeting food industry hygiene standards.

Implementation Advantages

• Labor cost savings: Automated operation significantly reduces labor input and management costs.

• Enhanced hygiene quality: Thorough cleaning combined with efficient drying meets food industry standards.

• Stable and reliable: The equipment operates stably with simple maintenance, significantly increasing production capacity.

• Meets Japanese requirements: Low-noise design, verified by third-party testing, ensures reliable quality.

*The above data was measured on-site by a third-party testing agency; the test results are authentic and valid.

Project Results

After the tray cleaning production line was delivered, the customer achieved the following improvements:

• Full-process automation for tray cleaning, reducing labor input by over 70%, significantly lowering labor and management costs;

• High-pressure deep cleaning combined with hot-air circulation drying far surpasses manual methods, thoroughly eliminating hygiene blind spots and moisture residue;

• Meets strict food industry hygiene standards, effectively reducing food safety risks caused by inadequate tray cleaning;

• Low-noise design meets Japanese company requirements, with on-site third-party verification significantly improving the working environment;

• Consistent and reliable cleaning quality eliminates the impact of personnel variability, helping the customer enhance overall production quality control.