Industries — Dairy
Dairy is where sanitary pumping was basically invented, and the standards show it. From raw milk to cream, cultured product to whey, with CIP in between, every transfer has to be gentle and spotless. IPE fits the equipment to each step, with Ampco as a natural home base.
The Dairy Standard
Dairy set the standard the rest of food processing follows — and it's as demanding as it is exacting. Four pressures shape pump selection.
The 3-A sanitary standards originated in dairy. Hygiene and cleanability aren't optional here — they're the baseline every pump must meet.
Cream, yogurt, and cultured products are easily damaged. Over-shear breaks emulsions, thins body, and churns cream before its time.
Thin milk and whey run alongside thick cream, yogurt, and concentrate — a wide viscosity range under one roof.
Dairy runs the most intensive clean-in-place of any food sector, multiple times a day, every day.
Product Matching
We carry several lines, so we can match milk, cream, cultured product, and CIP each to the pump that suits it. Here's how a dairy tends to break down.
Raw milk reception and fluid milk transfer — thin, high-flow duty moved efficiently at volume through separation, pasteurization, and standardization.
How centrifugal pumps work →
Cream and high-fat product moved gently, at low speed and low shear, so it doesn't churn or destabilize before it's meant to.
How PD pumps work →
Yogurt, sour cream, cultured products, and ice cream mix — viscous and shear-sensitive, moved with gentle positive displacement that keeps body and texture.
How PD pumps work →
Gentle handling of cheese curd to keep it intact, and efficient high-flow transfer of thin whey — two duties, matched to two pump types.
How PD pumps work →
Whole fruit, fruit-on-the-bottom, and inclusions added to cultured and frozen products — moved gently so the pieces stay whole.
How peristaltic pumps work →
Unloading and transferring stabilizers, flavors, and additives from drums and totes — air-operated pumps that self-prime and run dry safely.
How AODD pumps work →
Dairy runs the most intensive clean-in-place of any food sector, multiple times a day — the pumps have to keep up and clean up to spec.
How centrifugal pumps work →
Go deeper: compare pump types → | see all manufacturer lines →
Working With Us
A single-brand rep won't tell you when another pump fits better. We will, and dairy's exacting standards leave no room for the wrong one.
Ampco built its name in dairy, and we pair it with Enviroflex and more so each transfer gets the right pump, not a compromise.
Every line we carry is 3-A minded, crevice-free, and fully clean-in-place, which dairy demands without exception.
Raw milk, cream, cultured product, whey, dosing, CIP, and the drives to run them, matched by one company.
Sizing and application help across North America, from people who know dairy's standards inside out.
The Lines
The lines that do the most work in a dairy plant. Tap any card for the full manufacturer profile.
The dairy centerpiece: centrifugal for milk and whey, rotary lobe for cream, cultured product, and cheese, and the SP liquid-ring for CIP. 3-A and EHEDG, in dairy's founding market.
View the Ampco line →
Seal-less hose pumps for whole fruit and inclusions, and AODD pumps for ingredient and additive transfer — the gentle and flexible end of the line.
View the Enviroflex line →
Twin-piston systems that move fruit-on-the-bottom, cottage cheese curd, and particulate additions while holding the pieces intact.
View the Marlen line →
Hygienic stainless gearmotors and MOVI-C automation to run and control the pumps — IP69K and NSF-H1 for wash-down dairy environments.
View the SEW-Eurodrive line →
Dairy Questions
Straight answers to what dairy processors ask most about moving milk, cream, and cultured product.
What pump moves raw and fluid milk?
Sanitary centrifugal pumps, such as Ampco's, are the efficient choice for thin, high-flow duty like raw milk reception, fluid milk transfer, and whey, in corrosion-resistant stainless that meets 3-A.
How do you pump cream and cultured products without damaging them?
Gently, with positive displacement. Rotary lobe pumps, such as Ampco's, run at low speed and low shear, which protects cream from premature churning and preserves the body and texture of yogurt, sour cream, and other cultured products.
What handles cheese curd and whey?
Two different duties: gentle positive displacement lobe pumps move cheese curd while keeping it intact, and high-flow centrifugal pumps handle thin whey efficiently.
Are the pumps 3-A and EHEDG certified for dairy?
Yes. Dairy is where the 3-A standards originated, and Ampco's positive displacement pumps conform to 3-A and are EHEDG certified, with its centrifugal pumps meeting 3-A. IPE confirms the exact certifications your plant requires.
How do you add fruit or inclusions to yogurt and ice cream?
Seal-less peristaltic pumps move whole fruit and inclusions gently, and Marlen twin-piston systems carry fruit-on-the-bottom and particulate additions while holding the pieces intact.
How do I size a pump for my dairy line?
Describe the product and step, including viscosity, shear sensitivity, and flow, and IPE will recommend and size the right line. Call 206-790-0775, email [email protected], or use the quote form.
Tell us the product and the step — milk, cream, yogurt, cheese, or fruit prep — and IPE will spec the pump to match.
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