Capacity
24 kg/batch
Overview
About the LIO 280
A compact, European-built tray freeze dryer (lyophilizer) for laboratories, product development and small-to-mid scale food production. Entry configuration, standard 7-tray shelf set — the lowest entry point to the LIO 280 platform.
LIO 280 (Base) — entry configuration, standard shelf set. Lowest entry point to the platform.
LIO 280 L — additional shelves → more usable area and capacity per cycle; best cost-per-kg in the family.
LIO 280 Pro — L hardware plus advanced process control (pressure control, pressure-building control, fast defrost, automatic drain control).
Key features & benefits
Hygienic & Durable Construction
- AISI 304 stainless-steel chamber and trays — corrosion-resistant and easy to clean.
- Compact footprint that fits labs and small production spaces.
Control & Operation
- PLC touchscreen control with adjustable recipe parameters.
- USB CSV data export and recipe storage.
- Stable, quiet freeze-drying performance suitable for indoor/shared spaces.
Specifications
Engineering data, in plain text.
Batch capacity (fresh load)
24 kg/batch
Ice condenser capacity
48 kg (total ice)
Total shelf area
2.48 m²
Number of shelves / trays
7 count
Tray size
39 × 91 cm
Shelf temperature range
-35 to +60 °C (recipe)
Min. condenser temperature
-43 °C
Vacuum pump
Oil-sealed (oil-free scroll option)
Refrigeration
Air-cooled
Chamber / shelf material
AISI 304 stainless steel
Control system
PLC touchscreen
Data logging & recipes
USB CSV export + recipes
Remote monitoring
No
External dimensions (W×D×H)
850 × 1050 × 1275 mm
Net weight
340 kg
Power supply
400 V / 3~ / 50 Hz
Connected load
4.24 kW
Defrosting
Manual (heated)
Warranty
1 year + 8-year spares
Energy consumption (avg)
3.59 kWh/h
Defrost time
3 h
Run the numbers
Produce from €57.83/kg on the LIO 280.
Indicative cost to produce one kilo of finished freeze-dried product. Adjust the inputs to your operation — every number recomputes live.
Cost to produce
€57.83/kg
indicative · value-tier · incl. raw material, excl. labour
€18.94/kg machine cost · excludes raw material & labour
Payback
4 mo
on capex, gross margin
Revenue / yr
€62,208
~415 kg dried/yr
Full cycle
36h
drying + in-chamber freeze
Excludes labour — cycles run largely unattended; hands-on handling is typically a few minutes per batch with trolleys/mechanisation. Add your own loaded rate if it’s material to your setup.
Yield and cycle-time figures are conservative engineering estimates based on typical product composition and verified machine specifications. Actual results depend on the specific material, recipe, preparation, load and ambient conditions, and may differ. These figures are for planning purposes only; Freeze-drying.tech accepts no responsibility for decisions made on their basis. Freeze-drying.tech can run a validation cycle of your product on the target machine to provide confirmed, measured yield and cycle-time figures.
Service & warranty
Backed after the sale.
Warranty
12 months
Support
Email and remote diagnostic support during business hours, with access to the spare-parts catalogue and the full documentation library. Extended and on-site service plans are available on request.
Installation & commissioning
Delivered ready to commission on a three-phase supply. Remote onboarding and recipe-setup guidance are included; on-site commissioning is available on request.
Accessories
Compatible accessories.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask.
The LIO 280 takes up to 24 kg of fresh product per cycle across 7 stainless-steel trays (2.48 m² of shelf area). As a rule of thumb, high-moisture foods such as fruit, vegetables and ready meals lose 80–90% of their weight in drying, so a full load leaves roughly 10–20% of that as finished product. A typical cycle runs 24–48 h depending on the product, its thickness and water content.
The base LIO 280 is the lowest-cost way onto the LIO 280 platform — ideal to validate the process and produce at lower volume (24 kg, 7 trays). The L adds shelves for the best cost-per-kg at the same footprint; the Pro adds active pressure control and fast defrost for sensitive products and repeatable, higher-throughput runs. You can start on the base and scale your workflow, but the hardware itself isn't field-upgradeable between tiers, so size for where you'll be in 12–24 months.
It requires a three-phase 400 V / 50 Hz supply, so plan for a three-phase connection in your facility (this is normal for its capacity class). It is air-cooled, so it needs no water or external chiller — just clearance for airflow and a normal ambient room. Average running consumption is modest for a machine of this class, which keeps cost-per-batch down.
The LIO 280 ships with a robust oil-sealed rotary-vane pump as standard (best value, slightly more maintenance — periodic oil changes). The oil-free scroll option (+€5 490 on this model) removes oil handling entirely, cuts maintenance and avoids any oil back-migration risk — worth it for clean-label food, frequent daily use, or where the machine sits in a production room. Both reach the same process vacuum; the choice is about maintenance and cleanliness, not drying performance.
Yes for logging, no for remote. The PLC touchscreen stores recipes and exports full cycle data to USB as CSV, so you can document every batch for QC or traceability. There is no built-in cloud/remote monitoring on the LIO range — if app-based remote oversight is essential to you, flag it and we'll point you to the right alternative in the catalogue.
It carries a 1-year warranty backed by 8-year spare-parts availability, and is CE-certified and built in Europe. These are made-to-order, so expect a production lead time after order (confirmed per quote). For food, nutraceutical and R&D buyers that European build plus long spares window is the core reason to choose LIO over grey-import machines.
Next step
Talk to an engineer, not a salesperson.
Tell us your product and your volumes. We'll size the machine, sanity-check the numbers against yours, and send a written quote — usually within one business day.