Redefining Automation - Clean Logix’s Intelligent Cleaning Machine Interface

Our goal was to design and build a robust, user-friendly software interface for an automated cleaning machine, allowing operators and technicians to control and monitor the cleaning process in food-processing plants. The solution needed to:

• Operate efficiently in rugged factory conditions.
• Provide real-time communication with the cleaning machine.
• Enable rapid scalability for cloud integration and future updates.

The machine was to debut at an upcoming trade show, making efficiency and precision critical to the project’s success.

Clean Logix faced several challenges in creating an effective interface for their automated cleaning solution:

• Touch-Enabled Usability: Ensuring operators could use the interface in messy environments while wearing protective gloves.
• Real-Time Communication: Facilitating instantaneous feedback and emergency stop commands between the cleaning machine and interface.
• Tight Deadlines: Delivering a functional prototype in time for the trade show.
• Multilingual Support: Addressing the needs of a diverse labor force.
• SDK Limitation: Developing a communication protocol without a direct Software Development Kit for the hardware.
• Scalable Architecture: Building a system primed for future cloud deployment and multi-site use.
• Streamlined DevOps: Rapidly integrating multi-container applications into an efficient deployment pipeline.

Paper Plane Consulting conducted a comprehensive discovery phase to understand Clean Logix’s unique needs and constraints. This included analyzing hardware communication protocols and user interaction requirements. As a next step, we scoped a solution that overcame key customer experience challenges, one built on the right foundations to enable future scalability.

• Glove-Friendly Interface: Large, accessible buttons ensure usability in factory conditions.
• Simplified Navigation: Streamlined task execution screens minimize errors and distractions.
• Multilingual Access: Integrated a language selector to accommodate a global workforce.
• Admin Controls: Restricted settings for technicians to ensure operational safety.

• MQTT and Sockets: Enabled lightweight, bidirectional communication for real-time updates.
• Svelte Framework: Provided a reactive, performant frontend for a streamlined user experience.
• Contextual Architecture: Decoupled the interface from hardware and server components, ensuring modularity and scalability.

• Automated DevOps: Containerized applications that enable seamless multi-environment deployment.
• Scalable Systems: Flexible data models and topic naming conventions prepared the system for cloud distribution.

In 6 weeks, Paper Plane was able to produce a field-test ready solution and in under 3 months deliver a polished, successful solution with additional features. Paper Plane Consulting engaged with multiple hardware vendor teams, delivering a solution well in time for the field test. The solution was delivered on-time with enhanced usability and real-time feedback, built in a way to support the future aspirations that Clean Logix has.