DITAI
Custom growing trays.
Built around your
growing system.
Thermoformed trays, growing panels and covers for hydroponics, vertical farms and agricultural equipment. Developed to fit the rack, manage water and withstand the work between crops.
The tray is part of the system.
Not an isolated plastic part.
A tray that looks right on a drawing can behave differently when it is full, warm and resting on a real frame. The crop layout matters, but so do the support rails, irrigation fittings and the way the tray is lifted out for cleaning.
Vertical farms & commercial growing racks
Tray footprint, support spacing and usable growing area need to be reviewed together. A return outlet that fits an empty rack may be difficult to reach once the pipework and the level above are installed.
Our planting projects include a 3 × 1 m planting tray. That size describes the example, not a load rating: each new layout needs its own support and drainage review.
Home hydroponic equipment
Removable growing panels, reservoir covers and outer housings have different jobs. Consider how the user tops up water, removes roots and reaches the pump without wetting the controls.
The lighting and water-circulation system belong to the complete appliance. We develop the formed components around those interfaces, including access to the lighting mounts, controls and water connections.
Automated planting systems
Repeated pockets and openings must relate to the equipment’s locating features. Define where a conveyor, gripper or sensor finds the tray, and whether that position changes under load.
Large-format planting applications can involve trays around 4 × 2 m. Geometry, material and tooling feasibility are reviewed for each new part.
Water finds the low point.
Including one you did not design.
Drainage channels only work as intended if the installed tray holds its shape. Assess the tray, frame and outlet together, under the operating load—not just as an empty shell on a flat table.
Flood-and-drain is not the same as a sloping channel
An ebb-and-flow bench needs a controlled flood level across its surface and a route back to the outlet. Other systems may require a defined slope. Tell us which hydraulic arrangement the tray belongs to before specifying ribs or changing the bottom profile.
Include the water in the load case
Water adds approximately 1 kg per litre, before plants, saturated growing media and fittings are counted. Specify the operating depth, maximum credible fill level and where the frame supports the tray. A thicker starting sheet alone does not establish an acceptable span.
Check what remains after drain-down
Review residual puddles, channel junctions and the area around the outlet on a representative installed sample. Root growth and loose media can obstruct a route that drains freely when new. Leave access to inspect and clear the fitting.
Give the fitting a supported sealing surface
A bulkhead connection needs room for the gasket and tightening tool. Keep the sealing area clear of ribs and abrupt curvature. Do not use the pipework to pull the tray into alignment; review the connection and the support as an assembly.
Hole positions must work
for the crop and the machine.
Plant spacing is only one part of the drawing. The insert, net pot, lifting arrangement and automation interfaces determine which dimensions need control.
Fit the actual insert
Provide the pot or plug holder, including its flange and underside. Agree whether it rests on the panel, clips in or lifts out freely. Check removal after roots develop, not only the fit of a clean, empty insert.
Locate from a useful datum
Reference the hole pattern to the features that locate the tray in the machine. A good pitch measurement does not resolve an incorrectly positioned whole pattern. Agree whether inspection is carried out free-standing or on a support fixture.
Allow for temperature and handling
Long plastic parts can change dimension with temperature. Review clearance to the rack, fitting restraint and lifting points over the intended conditions. Avoid forcing every edge into a rigid frame without considering that movement.
Install the sample on the intended support, fit the connections and load it as it will be used. Check filling, drain-down, insertion, removal and handling. Record the conditions and acceptance criteria so the next sample is compared on the same basis.
Specify what touches the tray.
And what cleans it.
“Durable plastic” is not a purchasing specification. Nutrient solution, disinfectant, temperature, light exposure and load duration all influence material selection.
Nutrient solution & cleaning chemicals
Name the chemicals, concentration, temperature and contact time. The cleaning regime may be more demanding than the nutrient solution. Review the exact sheet grade and, where applicable, joints, gaskets and bonded fittings. Do not infer resistance to every cleaning product from a polymer-family name.
Sunlight, lamps & storage
Distinguish outdoor weathering from indoor grow-light exposure. State whether trays are stored outdoors between crops and whether disinfection equipment exposes the plastic to UV. A UV-stabilized grade still needs an agreed exposure and service-life requirement.
Food-contact requirements
If the intended use requires food-contact compliance, specify the market and contact conditions. Request documentation for the actual grade, colour and construction. “Food-grade ABS” is not a universal guarantee of crop safety or suitability for every temperature, cleaning cycle and application.
Repeated use & end of life
Agree what makes a tray unserviceable: cracking, leakage, distortion or a surface that can no longer be cleaned adequately. Recycled content, long service life and local recyclability are separate questions. Review them separately rather than labelling every plastic tray environmentally friendly.
Cleaning access belongs
in the geometry.
Roots, growing media and deposits collect in the places that are hardest to reach. A clean-looking upper surface does not tell you what remains around a drain, beneath an insert or inside a joint.
Accessible channels and corners
Review the brush, spray or other cleaning method the operator will use. Avoid narrow dead ends and inaccessible overlaps where practical. Cleaning removes debris before the subsequent sanitizing or disinfection stage; follow the selected product’s instructions.
Removable parts that remain removable
A cover should come off without damaging its edges or requiring the entire system to be dismantled. Consider the weight of a wet component and the space available in a stacked rack, not simply its empty weight on a bench.
Storage between crop cycles
Nesting can reduce return volume, but trays must separate without excessive force. Discuss stack stops, protection of sealing faces and drying before storage. Include transport and storage loads in the review instead of treating packaging as an afterthought.
Formed as a shell.
Finished as a working component.
DITAI supports sheet selection, tooling, vacuum forming, CNC trimming and secondary work. The quotation should identify what is included in the delivered part.
DITAI production video: forming a custom hydroponic tray.
Finished wall, not nominal sheet alone
The sheet stretches during forming. Deep pockets, corners and closely spaced features can thin differently. Identify critical locations for the finished wall and review the support beneath them; uniform CAD thickness is not a manufacturing result.
Trimmed features & secondary work
Drain openings, mounting holes and perimeter edges need an agreed reference and edge condition. If the design includes bonded sections or fittings, define the joining method and how the completed assembly will be checked for its intended service.
Repeat orders
Keep the approved drawing, material grade, trim programme and sample reference aligned. Agree how material substitutions and tool repairs are reviewed. For long parts, record the support and temperature used during dimensional inspection.
Watch the vacuum-forming process overview
Where thermoforming fits.
And what still needs a trial.
Large, open trays and covers are natural candidates for a sheet-forming review. The commercial decision depends on the finished part, not just the cost of the mould.
Compare the complete supply
Include sheet usage, trimming, fittings, joining, inspection, packaging and freight when comparing processes. Tooling can be simpler than an injection mould for a comparable large shell, but that does not make every geometry or production volume a better fit.
Separate a feasible part from a proven system
A formed sample can confirm geometry and help evaluate interfaces. Water management, cleaning effectiveness, crop performance and automation reliability need trials within the actual system. Agree who owns each assessment before moving from samples to repeat supply.
Send the tray drawing.
Include the rack underneath it.
A useful enquiry includes the footprint and depth, crop or insert layout, support spacing, irrigation connections and expected quantities.
Add the loaded condition, operating temperature, cleaning products and any required material documentation. If you are replacing an existing tray, show us where it fails and how it is handled.
Technical references
The design discussion draws on these resources. They do not certify the products shown or establish a project-specific performance result.
