CIP Cleaning System

CIP Cleaning Systems — Clean-in-Place Skids for Food and Beverage Plants

We build single-tank, multi-tank and portable CIP cleaning systems — skids that clean food processing equipment in place, without disassembly. Each skid is sized around your circuit list — how many loops, how long, how dirty — instead of around a catalogue model. Send the circuits and a process engineer comes back with a scope, a cycle and a price.

Send Your Circuit List for a Quote

We treat the process data you send as confidential.

Clean-in-Place Skids for Food and Beverage Plants

Quote in one business day

30–45 day build

One set minimum

EXW, FOB or CIF

Quote turnaround Written scope and price within one business day
Build time 30–45 days from approved drawing
Minimum order One set
Warranty One-year warranty from handover
Payment 30% deposit, balance settled before shipment
Trade terms EXW, FOB or CIF
Before packing Every skid is water-tested, witnessed on site or by live video
With the shipment Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and the operation and maintenance manuals

CIP System Configurations and Circuit Capability

Sizing a CIP system starts with circuits, not with floor area. One circuit is a single closed loop — supply line, the equipment being cleaned, return line — that the skid can fill, heat, recirculate and drain as a unit. Count the loops first, and tank count, pump duty and pipe sizes follow.

Single-Tank CIP Skid

Circuits per cycle One at a time, in sequence

Chemistry Single-use. Cleaning solution is made up fresh each cycle and sent to drain

Where it fits One filling line, one product family, cleaned once or twice a day

Two-Tank CIP Skid

Circuits per cycle One at a time, with the caustic charge recovered

Chemistry Recovery. Caustic in one tank, rinse water in the other, so detergent is reused across cycles

Where it fits Dairy, juice and sauce lines cleaned every day

Three-Tank and Larger CIP Skid

Circuits per cycle Two or more in parallel, each on its own supply pump

Chemistry Caustic and acid both recovered, with fresh water held separately so the final rinse is never reused

Where it fits Multi-line plants with frequent changeover and an automated CIP schedule

Portable CIP Cart

Circuits per cycle One, connected by hose at the machine

Chemistry Single-use, drained after every cleaning cycle

Where it fits Occasional cleaning of one tank, or a plant not ready to plumb a fixed loop

Parts of the Plant a CIP Skid Cleans

Storage and buffer tank circuits, through spray balls or rotary jet heads sized to the vessel
Plate and tubular heat exchanger circuits, where cleaning solution must hold velocity through narrow channels
Filler circuits including product bowls, filler valves and the pipe runs that supply them
Transfer pump and pipework circuits, which set the return flow rate for the whole cycle
Homogeniser and batching tank circuits, cleaned after every product change
Filtration and membrane circuits, cleaned to the membrane supplier chemical limits

CIP System Skid Configuration and Engineering Layout

Wetted Materials And Hygienic Construction

Hygiene is decided at the joint, not at the tank wall. Grades below are selected against EN 10088-1, which lists stainless steels by name and number; the American designations come first because that is how most buyers write a specification.

304 (1.4301) Stainless Steel

Grades304 (1.4301), selected against EN 10088-1
Why engineers pick itStandard wetted grade for water, caustic and most food soils
Finishes availablePolished, pickled and passivated
Relative price / Lead-time$ | None. Standard stock

316L (1.4404) Stainless Steel

Grades316L (1.4404), selected against EN 10088-1
Why engineers pick itChosen where acid, chloride or brine touches the surface — pickle lines, cheese brine, tomato, citrus
Finishes availablePolished, pickled and passivated
Relative price / Lead-time$$ | A few days more when the full circuit comes from mill stock

EPDM Seals and Gaskets

GradesFood-grade EPDM, in kits matched to the fitting standard
Why engineers pick itThe default CIP elastomer, comfortable with hot caustic and steam
Finishes availableMoulded profiles per connection type
Relative price / Lead-time$ | None. Wear parts and key spares are quoted and shipped on request after handover

FKM Seals and Gaskets

GradesFood-grade FKM, specified per position rather than across the skid
Why engineers pick itUsed where fats, oils or aggressive acid swell EPDM. It is the wrong answer on a pure hot-caustic position, so seal materials are mixed by duty
Finishes availableMoulded profiles per connection type
Relative price / Lead-time$$ | A few days more if a full set is ordered in

Sanitary Fittings and Valves

GradesClamp connections by default; DIN 11851 screw connections where your plant already runs them — expanding in DN 10 to DN 100, butt weld in DN 10 to DN 150
Why engineers pick itClamps come apart for inspection and reseal without a thread. In its standard form the DIN 11851 threaded connection does not meet the 3-A or EHEDG design criteria, so we offer the clamp route on every circuit
Finishes availableButterfly, seat and mix-proof valve bodies
Relative price / Lead-time$$ to $$$ | Mix-proof bodies are the long pole; availability is confirmed before the quote goes out

Spray Balls and Rotary Jet Heads

Grades304 (1.4301) or 316L (1.4404) bodies, drilled to the vessel rather than to a catalogue pattern
Why engineers pick itStatic spray devices wet by flooding and suit soluble soil; rotary jet heads put mechanical energy on the wall, which is what dried or baked soil needs
Finishes availableDrilling pattern set from vessel diameter and internals
Relative price / Lead-time$ to $$$ | None for static devices; rotary heads follow supplier stock

Surface Treatment
and Weld Finishing

Surface work is where a hygienic skid is either made or quietly lost, because every crevice left behind becomes soil the next cleaning cycle cannot reach. Six processes carry the wetted surface from cut tube to a circuit that will clean itself, and the quotation names where each one is carried out.

01

Mechanical polishing of wetted surfaces

Standard ASTM A380/A380M-25

Result
Uniform directional finish, no visible scoring or embedded abrasive
02

Degreasing and descaling before assembly

Standard ASTM A380/A380M-25

Result
Free of oil, drawing compound and weld scale before the circuit is closed
03

Pickling and passivation of wetted components

Standard ASTM A967/A967M-25, citric acid route

Result
No visible corrosion pits, pitting or frosting on the treated surface
04

System-level cleaning of the assembled skid

Standard ASTM A380/A380M-25 (covers installed systems & parts)

Result
Circuit flushed and drained clean before the water run
05

Butt welding of wetted tube and pipe

Standard AWS D18.1/D18.1M & EHEDG Guideline 35

Result
Fully penetrated joint, bore left free of crevices
06

Structural welding of frame, legs and jacket outer seams

Standard ISO 5817:20238

Result
Load-bearing joints graded for imperfections; never touch cleaning solution

Around 80% of our main equipment categories are produced in our own manufacturing bases; the rest comes from long-term partner factories named in the quotation.

Two documents do two different jobs here, and mixing them up is the usual way a specification goes wrong. ASTM A380/A380M-25 is a practice — how to clean, descale, pickle and passivate parts, assemblies and installed systems. ASTM A967/A967M-25 is a specification for the passivation treatment itself, held against wetted components before they enter the skid.

Where Weld Grading Stops

Weld standards grade the joint geometry, not the surface condition of the bore, so a butt weld can grade well and still leave a bore that fails to clean. Bore condition is therefore written into our acceptance rules as its own line rather than folded into the weld grade.

Nothing is polished, pickled or passivated unless it is quoted and confirmed in writing. Skids ship with the surface condition named in the contract drawing, and that same drawing is what the water run is checked against.

View Quotation Process

CIP Process Parameters and Standard Lead Time

Most supplier pages describe cleaning processes without ever printing a number. Here’s the working envelope our skids are built to, with public sources against the rows that carry one so you can check them before you call us. Your own numbers move inside those bands once we see the soil and the circuit.

Process parameter

What we build to

01

Caustic strength

0.5 to 2.0% in the cleaning solution, set by soil type rather than by habit
02

Acid strength

0.5 to 1.5%, run at ambient or warm temperature according to the soil being removed
03

Caustic temperature

71–82 °C (160–180 °F) on hot caustic circuits, inside the wider 57–82 °C envelope published for clean-in-place work²
04

Return line velocity

At least 1.5 m/s (5 ft/s) in the return line, which is the condition that keeps pipeline flow turbulent¹²
05

Contact time

20 to 45 minutes of recirculation, sized to the circuit. Detergent or sanitiser is never left standing on a stainless steel surface for more than 20 minutes before rinsing¹
06

Final rinse and coverage proof

Rinse until return conductivity comes back to the incoming water reading. Coverage is proven with riboflavin and an ultraviolet lamp; one static spray device covers roughly 2.4 m (8 ft) of effective diameter at 20 to 30 gal/min and 20 to 30 psi¹
07

Standard build time

30–45 days from approved drawing

Rows carrying a reference number are drawn from published university extension and instrument-maker guidance; the unreferenced rows and the build time are our own design bands and our own commitment.

Why Four Variables Trade Against Each Other

Temperature, time, concentration and mechanical action are interchangeable, and that is the trade-off nobody prints on a datasheet. Drop the caustic temperature to save energy and you pay it back in minutes or in strength. Pump pressure is not the fourth lever either; what does the work is return velocity and the contact clock, which starts when the return line reaches temperature rather than when the supply line does.

CIP Circuit Data Sheet

Seven inputs, filled in by you, produce a circuit list you can paste straight into an enquiry. Cycle time is optimised against your changeover matrix once those seven numbers exist.

CIP Cleaning System Equipment and Hardware

Send Your Circuit List for a Quote

CIP System Pricing and Lead Times

Price depends on five things: how many circuits the skid handles, how many tanks it carries, how it heats, how far the automation goes and what wetted material you specify. There is no list price for a CIP skid because no two circuit lists are the same.

Driver

Effect on cost

How to reduce it

Number of circuits

Each circuit adds valving, instrumentation and a recipe to hold

Group lines sharing soil and bore instead of giving every machine its own

Number of tanks

The second tank buys you caustic recovery; the third buys acid recovery and a protected rinse water supply

Start single-use if you clean once a day, and leave layout space for a second tank

Heating method

Steam injection, a plate heat exchanger and electric elements sit at different capital and running costs

Use the utility already on that side of the plant

Automation level

Manual valves, semi-automatic recipes and full parameter logging are three different builds

Specify logging where an auditor will ask for it, manual valves where nobody will

Wetted material

A full 316L circuit costs more than 304 with 316L only where acid or chloride touches it

Let us map grade by position from your product list

Order stage

Lead time

What it covers

Quotation

One business day

Circuit grouping, cycle proposal, scope and price

Drawing approval

Set by your review

General arrangement, circuit schematic and instrument list

Production

30–45 days

Fabrication, surface treatment, assembly, wiring and the water run

How Your Quote Is Produced

Send a circuit list, a plant layout or a photograph of the pipework, and a process engineer replies within one business day with a written scope and price. That reply names the circuits we grouped, the cycle we assumed and the parameters we set, so you can argue with the engineering rather than with a number.

Build time starts when the drawing is approved and excludes sea freight and customs clearance at your end.

Orders are confirmed with a 30% deposit, and the 70% balance is settled before shipment. We quote EXW, FOB or CIF, and the trade term you choose is fixed in the contract rather than revisited at packing.

Send Your Circuit List for a Quote

CIP Cleaning System Equipment Engineering

Quality Assurance, Testing and Shipping Documents

Buyers of Chinese hygienic equipment ask the same three questions: is the steel what the drawing says, are the electrical parts authentic and who welded this.

We answer those three questions with a sequence you can watch, not a badge you have to trust. Our own acceptance rules are what the water run is checked against, and you are invited to that run.

How Every Skid Is Checked

01

Scope check

Before anything is cut, the circuit grouping, cycle and parameter set go back to you in writing, inside one business day of receiving the circuit list.
02

Build check

Fabrication, surface treatment and wiring are signed off against the approved drawing within the 30–45 days quoted, and any change you request is repriced before it is made.
03

Water-run check

Every skid is water-tested before it is packed, with pumps, valves, heating and the control sequence run as a cycle. You can witness that run at the factory or by live video.
04

Document check

The export document set is assembled and inspected against your destination requirements before the crate is closed.

Third-Party Audit of the Supplier

SGS-CSTC audited our operation under report QIP-ASI255791, dated 2025-05-16. That report examines the supplier, not any individual skid, and we quote it as exactly that — evidence about how we work, not a product approval for a CIP system.

The export document set travels with the shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin, together with the operation and maintenance manuals. A mis-declared grade is the one risk that surfaces years later as pitting, so the wetted grades are named in the contract drawing rather than left to the shipping paperwork. Measurements and test results are checked against the agreed scope under the same written acceptance rules used at the water run, before the skid is packed.

CIP Cleaning System - Quality Assurance and Testing

How We Work: From Circuit Survey To Commissioning

Lines, tanks, equipment and the soil on each. Pictures of the pipework and a plant layout are sufficient to get started.

We group the loops, size the return line and identify the equipment that cannot share a cycle.

Circuits, cycle, parameters, materials and build time, back inside one business day.

General arrangement, circuit schematic and instrument list, all before fabrication begins.

If the skid will not run its cycle on our floor, it is not packed.

Crate, documents, and remote guidance while your team runs the first cycle.

Number of circuits

Tank count, pump count and how many recipes the control holds

Largest tank diameter

Whether a static spray device covers the wall or a rotary jet head is required

Longest line length and bore

Return pump duty, because return velocity is the parameter we have to hit

Soil type on each circuit

Step count, chemistry, and whether caustic alone will do the job

Available utilities

Heating method: steam, hot water or electricity

Drain capacity

Whether single-use chemistry is realistic or recovery tanks are the only route

Target cycle time

How much of the temperature, time and concentration trade-off you will spend

Steps	Soil type	Industry examples	Tanks needed
1	Light soluble residue between batches of one product	Water and clear beverage lines	None, hot water rinse only
3	Ordinary food soil one chemistry will lift	Bakery slurry, sauce transfer, small breweries	One tank, single-use
5	Protein and mineral soil together, caustic then acid	Dairy, juice, plant-based drinks, cheese	Two or three, with recovery
7	Soil plus a documented sanitising step and verified final rinse	Dairy and pharmaceutical work where the record is part of the product	Three or more

Caustic runs before acid because alkali lifts protein and fat first; the intermediate rinse between them is not optional, since mixing the two neutralises both.

Manufacturing Footprint and Factory Gallery

Shengtu builds food machinery in four owned or self-built manufacturing bases, and around 80% of our main equipment categories are produced inside them. The remainder comes from selected long-term partner factories, named in the quotation rather than hidden behind our own label.

More than 20,000 m² of office and display space across four cities includes a food machinery showroom of roughly 5,000 m².

Three-tank CIP skid: tanks, supply header, pump and panel carried on a single frame.

Panel from a three-tank build — one temperature controller per tank, supply and return pumps switched separately.

Supply and return pumps on the base frame, clamped pipework and a drain point at the low corner.

Equipment exported to 52 countries.

More than 2,000 machines in service worldwide.

Remote factory verification and a live equipment presentation can be arranged from the showroom before you commit to an order.

When Clean-in-Place Is Not the Right Answer

Clean-in-place is one cleaning method among several, and forcing it onto the wrong equipment is the wrong answer even when the skid is perfect. Plants use CIP where the loop closes, and reach for other cleaning methods where it does not. Below are the three cases where we will tell you to spend the money on a different method of cleaning — a point one member of the 3-A workgroup that drafted the CIP hygienic standard makes plainly:

Why it works against you

Filler nozzle exteriors, silo sample valves and door seals sit outside any closed loop. No amount of circulating cleaning solution reaches a surface the loop does not include, and pretending otherwise hides a contamination risk instead of removing it.

What to do instead

Clean those items out of place in a wash cabinet or a soak tank, and keep the CIP skid for the circuits it can actually close

Why it works against you

The fixed skid costs you pipework, valves and floor space that a once-a-week cleaning cycle will never repay

What to do instead

Use a portable cart or a documented manual routine, and revisit the fixed skid when a second line arrives

Why it works against you

Baked-on soil and hard scale have already passed the point where chemistry and velocity work; running longer cycles at higher strength just burns chemical cost and can create new soil

What to do instead

Break the deposit mechanically or with a dedicated pre-treatment first, then let the CIP system hold the clean surface

Clean-in-Place (CIP) Cleaning System machinery

CIP SYSTEM ENGINEERING TOOLS

FAQ: CIP Systems, Cycles and Quotations

Request Quotation

Pre-rinse, caustic wash, intermediate rinse, acid or sanitiser, and final rinse. The intermediate rinse is not padding: without it, caustic and acid meet and neutralise each other.

Clean-in-place circulates the cleaning solution through equipment that stays assembled, so nothing is disassembled to reach the soil. Clean-out-of-place takes the parts off and cleans them in a cabinet or a soak tank. Most food plants run both, because filler nozzles, valve seats and gaskets sit outside every closed loop no matter how the pipework is drawn.

One tank for single-use chemistry, two once you want to recover caustic, and three or more when acid recovery and a protected rinse water supply both matter. The single-tank skid has to be single-use, since one vessel cannot hold and separate two chemistries.

Three-step and five-step cleaning cycles usually land between 30 minutes and two hours; the seven-step cycle with a sanitising stage and a verified final rinse runs nearer 60 to 90 minutes. Contact time is 20 to 45 minutes of that, and the rest is fill, heat, drain and changeover.

Caustic soda at 0.5 to 2.0% lifts protein and fat, and nitric, phosphoric or organic acid at 0.5 to 1.5% removes mineral scale. Sanitiser follows as its own step where the process demands one.

Clean-in-place removes soil so a surface is clean; steam-in-place raises that surface to a sterilising condition and holds it there. Your CIP skid can leave a circuit spotless and still leave microorganisms alive, which is fine for most food and beverage work and not fine for aseptic filling. Plants that need both specify both, and we say so at the survey rather than after the order.

Cleaning sits in most food safety plans as a prerequisite programme rather than a critical control point, but the verification evidence still has to exist. Auditors ask for cycle parameters, not for the words cycle complete, so build the record around temperature, time, concentration and conductivity.

Seven things: number of circuits, largest tank diameter, longest line length and bore, soil type on each circuit, available utilities, drain capacity and target cycle time. Most of them come straight off a plant layout or a photograph of the pipework. Anything missing, we assume conservatively and mark the assumption in the quotation so you can correct it.

Build time is 30–45 days from approved drawing. Orders start with a 30% deposit and the balance is settled before shipment, on EXW, FOB or CIF terms.

Yes. Every skid is water-tested before packing, and you can attend that run on site or join it by live video. Remote factory verification of the workshop itself can be arranged in the same session, which is how most overseas buyers use it.

CIP Cleaning System