Amid the roar of the dairy packaging machine, a robotic arm is sending the last batch of fresh milk house packaging boxes into the sterilization channel. In the adjacent clean area, the three-dimensional spray head of the CIP (cleaning in place) system is quietly started-this is the core link to ensure the aseptic operation of the dairy packaging machine, and it is also a key technological breakthrough for dairy companies to achieve "zero pollution" production.
The pipeline cleaning of traditional dairy packaging machines relies on a fixed spray angle, and it is difficult to completely remove the fat residue in hidden areas such as elbows and welds. The CIP cleaning system developed by ply-pack innovatively adopts a bionic octopus tentacle structure, and the spray head has 12 sets of stainless steel nozzles that can rotate 360°. When the system is started, the three-dimensional spray head rotates autonomously along the axial direction of the pipe, forming a spiral cleaning trajectory.
"We optimized the spray angle combination through fluid simulation software." Technical Director Zhou Ming pointed to the dairy packaging machine being tested in the workshop and explained, "At a high temperature of 80°C, the food-grade cleaning agent impacts the pipe wall at a flow rate of 3.2m/s, and with a rotation frequency of 0.5 seconds/time, the impact coverage rate per unit area of the inner wall of the pipe can be increased to 98%."
On the control panel of the dairy packaging machine, the intelligent monitoring interface of the CIP cleaning system jumps two sets of key data in real time: the conductivity sensor detects that the concentration fluctuation of the cleaning agent does not exceed ±5%, and the near-infrared spectrometer continuously scans the protein residue on the inner wall of the pipe. When the system recognizes that the reflected light intensity of a certain section of the U-bend pipe is abnormal, the directional rewashing program is immediately started, and the cleaning time of the area is extended by an additional 20%.
A yogurt production company in Zhejiang Province has been plagued by cross-contamination between blueberry flavor and original flavor products. After the introduction of this CIP cleaning system, the pipeline switching cleaning time of its dairy packaging machine was shortened from 45 minutes to 28 minutes, and the residual detection value was stably controlled at <0.1μg/cm², reaching the pharmaceutical-grade cleanliness standard.
Approaching the dairy packaging machine that is self-cleaning, you can observe the transparent detection cabin at the drain outlet - this is the last line of defense of the CIP system. The residual water in the pipeline that has been cleaned will undergo three tests here: pH test paper to detect the completeness of the neutralization reaction, laser particle counter to screen suspended matter, and microbial culture dish sampling test. Only when all three indicators meet the standards will the control terminal light up the green operation indicator light.
"In the past, workers needed to disassemble the flange for manual inspection, but now they can get the overall picture through the IoT dashboard." Workshop director Li Tao slid the 3D pipeline model on the tablet computer, and a certain elbow marked in red was flashing an alarm. "The system automatically generates a cleaning quality report and can also trace historical data from the past 30 days, which is crucial for passing FDA audits."
As the "immune system" of dairy packaging machines, ply-pack's CIP cleaning system reduces the risk of microbial contamination in the dairy packaging process to the limit through three-dimensional dynamic cleaning, intelligent closed-loop control and full data traceability. With the strengthening of the trend of short shelf life and functionalization of dairy products, this technology that combines mechanical engineering and biosafety needs is redefining the reliability boundaries of aseptic packaging.
