When the University of Wisconsin’s dairy department updated its mixing system, the switch to load cells helped produce a more consistent product.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Babcock Hall Dairy Plant uses a hands-on approach to research and teach cutting-edge dairy science techniques to its food science students. The plant also turns 2 million pounds of locally sourced milk, including some from the university’s own herds, into ice cream, yogurt, fluid milk products, butter, cheese and fermented products.
The plant was built in 1951, making it the oldest university dairy building in the US. Planning is underway to fully renovate the factory by 2018 and outfit it with the latest industrial technologies. Part of this renovation is the updating of the old mix processing vats, switching from side-mounted pressure gauges to load cells for monitoring and controlling manufacturing processes. The production method requires monitoring the level of each ingredient before it is added to a mixing vat and then passed along the production line.