One takes off across the skies, flying from continent to continent at 900 km/h at an altitude of approx. 10,000 m. The other stays on the ground and does the washing up in top hotels, commercial kitchens and canteens all over the world – at up to 210 racks per hour. We're talking about a passenger plane and the UPster K rack type dishwashing machine by MEIKO. You might not see it at first glance, but these two items have something in common. Other than the fact that both are the result of precision engineering and high-quality craftsmanship, of course. The answer to our riddle is well hidden: an unassuming self-adhesive silicone foam – the sealing tape. It can withstand temperature changes and the weather, it is multi-purpose and it returns to its original shape. That means that even if it is pulled or squashed out of shape, it will return almost perfectly to its previous form. That seals the deal in using it to seal aeroplanes! At cruising altitude, the temperature outside the cabin can easily be around -50 degrees,
so if it works on aeroplanes, it will work on the MEIKO UPster K! Our engineers were hunting for the right sealant while developing this rack type dishwashing machine, you see, one of the UPster K's advantages is its modular construction, which provides greater scope and flexibility in its manufacture. Whether you need a simple dishwashing machine with straight roller conveyor tables using curves with motorised rollers or a carefully and cleverly designed dishwashing hub, there is scope to design your machine to fit your space. Modules are simply connected to other modules.
But that posed a question for our product developers: how do you best seal the sections of metal sheeting on adjacent modules? Particularly when not all surfaces are even and the surface to be sealed is not 100 % smooth? The sealant would have to be multi-purpose, easy to fit, durable and, of course, an effective sealant. Not to mention that water temperatures in commercial dishwashers can vary between 60 and 85 degrees, so the mystery sealant would also need to be able to withstand changes in temperature. And it would need to quickly spring back into its original form if it got misshapen. These demands are very similar to the demands of sealant in aeroplanes! So our engineers chose a silicone foam with acrylic adhesive on one side, introducing a material used in aerospace engineering into the world of warewashing technology.
This sealant is still used in UPster K modules today, three years after it was launched. After all, part of the MEIKO quality promise is that we use the best possible materials, whether that is stainless steel for the ascending and dosing pipes or aeronautical sealant! MEIKO goes above and beyond!
‘Made by MEIKO’ is about more than just using the best materials. It represents value and reliability. It is a commitment to the best technology and materials, in harmony with the environment. It is our promise to our customers that we will listen, think critically and test the effectiveness and efficiency of our products time and again. This is the only way we can fulfil the challenges and requests set for us, or even exceed them! And that is what makes a modern quality supplier. The MEIKO quality promise is not only intended to have global reach, but also holistic reach: it applies to product, process and service quality worldwide. Clean solutions all round, then!