Historic decanters and separators

Alfa Laval - 22

Brand and Model

  • Brand: Alfa Laval (Società Alfa Laval - Italian Branch)

  • Model: Alfa Laval 22

  • Italian production/distribution site: Via Farneti 5, Milan (as clearly stated on the brass nameplate).

  • Period: Datable roughly between the 1920s and the 1940s.

Technical Characteristics

Thanks to the well-preserved original nameplate, we have the exact technical data provided by the manufacturer:

  • Hourly milk flow rate: 150 litres/hour (the maximum amount of whole milk the machine can process in an hour).

  • Hourly whey flow rate: 180 litres/hour.

  • Operating speed: 55 crank turns per minute.

    Note: The machine is equipped with an internal gear speed multiplier. Turning the crank at 55 turns per minute, the central drum (the "Alfa drum") inside the machine body rotated at several thousand RPM, using centrifugal force to separate the cream (lighter) from the skimmed milk (heavier).

  • Materials: Base and body in sturdy painted (or blued) cast iron, upper bowl (milk container) and outlet spouts in rust-resistant metal alloy or thick aluminium, brass nameplate and details, wooden handle.

Historical and Market Value

Historical Value

The invention of the centrifugal cream separator by the Swede Gustaf de Laval in 1878 revolutionised the dairy industry worldwide. Before this machine, obtaining cream meant letting milk rest for hours in large tubs, hoping it would not turn sour. This "22" model represents the maturity of this technology: a compact, efficient machine, designed for medium-sized farms or small dairies in rural Italy in the first half of the 20th century.

Market Value (Collecting / Vintage)

The machine is in excellent aesthetic condition, appears complete (it has the original upper bowl, the discharge spouts and the crank with intact wood) and the brass nameplate is perfectly legible, which greatly increases its value.

  • Current condition: Excellent state of preservation (display quality).

  • Estimate: On the market for antiques, agricultural tool collecting or vintage items (widely used as a decorative piece for farm-stay accommodations, restaurants or rustic kitchens). The price can vary depending on whether the internal mechanisms are still free-moving and not seized up by rust.

Fun Facts

  1. The "Alfa Drum": The real revolution of these models was the introduction of conical discs inside the drum (a system patented by Alfa Laval). These discs divided the milk into extremely thin layers, making cream separation incredibly faster and more precise compared to the first hollow-drum centrifuges.

  2. A giant born from this: Alfa Laval is today a world-leading multinational in separation systems, heat exchangers and fluid handling. Their entire industrial empire was born exactly from agricultural machines identical to this one.

  3. The "sound" of skimming: These machines often had a small bell or an acoustic "clicking" system inside the crank or gears. It helped the farmer understand whether he was turning at the correct speed: if the rhythm of the sound was steady, it meant he was maintaining the crucial 55 turns per minute!