A small but growing number of dairies are using rotary milking parlors to enhance milking speed and efficiency. In this set-up, cows ride on a rotating platform while being milked. This reduces the distance milkers need to cover when prepping cows and attaching the milking units.

A rotary parlor consists of many individual components that come together to make a system. Last year, GEA North America moved its manufacturing of rotary parlor platforms to its site in Galesville, Wis. We visited their facility to learn the steps it takes to build a rotary parlor.

1. All new products or new features to an existing product start out as an idea. A team of engineers comes together to discuss options and identify the products or upgrades that will be most suitable for the market. Potential projects will be further evaluated on the business side and then tested and proven in the laboratory setting. Innovative projects go through the patenting processes.
   
   
2. Next, engineers work closely with the manufacturing team to move the product into full production. In the case of rotary parlors, many pieces are custom-made for the farm upon order, based on the size of the parlor and desired features.
   
   

3. The foundation of the rotary parlor starts with industrial beams. Straight I-beams are bent using a roller system to achieve the proper radius of the parlor, which depends on the size of the rotary. If the radius is off, the parlor won’t fit together when assembled in the field.
   
   
4. Heavy-duty nylon rollers (shown already installed) are what help the rotary turn on the beams. These rollers have a special profile in the frame for minimum wear with safe alignment.
   
   
5. Work continues on the undercarriage of the parlor, which includes spokes for the platform. The strength of the platform relies on good parts, good welding, and good tooling by the builders. Everything must be in the right place and at the right angle. Every bracket and every hole has a specific location.
   
   
6. Pieces for the parlor platform are cut out of sheets of stainless steel with an automated laser machine and holes are cut for wires and other mechanics of the parlor. These sheets go through a bending machine to form the shape of the plates that will be the primary structure of the deck the cows will ride on, which is later covered in concrete on the farm. Stall dividers are also made and assembled in the plant.
   
   
7. The center swivel of the rotary parlor is a critical component. It must go back and forth between the machining and assembling processes to be certain the many individual pieces come together in an extremely precise way.
   
   
8. The pipeline is made from straight pieces of stainless steel that are cut and then sent through a roller, which slowly puts the correct curve into the pipe to match the radius of the parlor. It might take two to three passes through the roller to accomplish this. Holes are drilled where the milking hose for each stall will be connected, and the nipples are welded into place. It can take approximately 20 sections of pipeline to form a complete circle in a 120-stall rotary parlor.
   
   
9. The pipeline surrounding the deck connects to receiver jars. It requires special welding and grinding skills to take three separate pieces of stainless steel and make them into the jar that meets sanitation requirements. The jars are sanded to make them completely smooth, as they are for food-grade use. When the jar is complete, the outlets and nipples are added.
   
   
10. Once all pieces of the parlor are finished, they are boxed and labeled with a color-coded system for ease in assembly. The final product is complete when all the components of the system are installed on the farm to create the rotary