Dairy Automation | Modernising Milk Filtration in Automated Milking Systems

Client: Lely Industries N.V
Application: Milk filtration in automated dairy milking systems
Industry: Dairy Automation

Automated dairy systems rely on continuous, hygienic milk filtration to maintain product quality and system reliability. In traditional designs, disposable cloth filter socks were used as the primary filtration element.

These socks require frequent replacement to meet hygiene and environmental regulations. They also encourage bacterial growth and create recurring labour and downtime costs.

In 2014, Lely identified cloth socks as a key system constraint in its automatic milking systems. Filtration had become a consumable bottleneck rather than a stable system component.

ActionLaser was engaged to support the development of a permanent stainless steel filtration solution. The goal was to eliminate consumables while improving hygiene, cleanability, and long-term reliability.

ActionLaser worked with Lely on a solution that;

• Reduced downtime & labour
• CIP design
• Long-life filtration element
• Proven in-field trials
• Considered hygiene, with a low scratch Stainless-Steel surface
• Consistent, precise micron rating due to controlled, low-drilling
• Had stable filtration and flow performance
• Was sustainable

Disposable cloth filter socks must be replaced every eight hours or less. This is driven by hygiene regulations and contamination risk.

The sock material promotes bacterial growth. Frequent replacement requires opening the system, increasing contamination risk and labour demand.

Downtime and manual intervention created significant operational costs. Lely required a filtration solution that removed the need for consumables entirely.

The new filtration surface also had to meet strict dairy hygiene requirements. Surface finish, scratch control, and cleanability were critical constraints.

Lely selected ActionLaser’s laser-drilled stainless steel screen technology as the filtration surface. ActionLaser worked alongside Lely’s R&D and system development partner, Pladot, based in Israel.

Engineers refined hole size, geometry, screen thickness, and open area. The goal was to optimise filtration performance, flow behaviour, and dimensional stability.

A critical requirement was an extremely smooth stainless steel surface. This was necessary to deter bacterial growth and support effective CIP cleaning.

Electropolishing was trialled to remove micro-scratches. However, long-term trials showed it enlarged 80-micron holes to an unacceptable degree.

Instead, ActionLaser implemented significant factory upgrades. These included redesigned handling equipment, improved material transport, enhanced surface protection, and higher-level inspection processes.

These changes enabled consistent production of low-scratch stainless-steel screens that meet dairy hygiene standards.

After extensive prototyping and in-field trials, the filtration unit met all performance objectives. By 2024, it was approved by Lely for commercialisation.

Lely’s fabrication and assembly partner, Gevasol, released the first commercial units in early 2025. Early adopters reported great operational improvements.

Clogging and bacterial contamination were dramatically reduced. Systems no longer need to be opened for routine filtration maintenance.

CIP cleaning proved effective and reliable. Early indications showed exceptional screen life measured in years.

By late 2025, European demand was accelerating.

Laser drilling delivered precise, consistent micron-sized apertures. This ensured stable filtration and predictable flow behaviour.

Low-scratch stainless steel surfaces reduced bacterial adhesion. This supported effective CIP cleaning without degrading filtration performance.

Eliminating disposable socks removed a major hygiene and reliability risk. Filtration became a permanent system component rather than a consumable.

Careful control of geometry and surface condition ensured long-term stability.

For dairy operators, labour and downtime were significantly reduced. There was no longer a need to interrupt the operation for sock replacement.

The filtration system produced no consumable waste. This improved sustainability and reduced operating costs.

Long screen life improved planning and reliability. Filtration became a predictable part of the automated milking system.

Strong in-field adoption confirmed the operational and hygiene benefits.