The traditional method of milking cows was by hand. The cow's teats were gently squeezed and the milk released was caught in a bucket beneath the cow. This method is not practical for modern dairy farming, a more efficient technique of automatically milking a herd of cows simultaneously was required.
Milking machines have been utilised on dairy farms for many years. From the beginning of this century, most have been of the suction/pulsation type. Placed around the cows teats are cups which apply a rhythmic squeezing action. This is done by means of air pressure.
The vacuum which controls and works both the milk removal and the pulsator action is provided by a vacuum pump. The alternating vacuum applied to the teat cup is provided by the pulsator. There are various types of pulsator being used worldwide. In general, between 45 and 70 pulsations per minute are generated. The pulsator ought to be preset individually for every installation so that the cows are milked at a consistent rate each day.
