Overview
ISO 3918:2007 - Milking machine installations - Vocabulary is an international standard that defines the terminology used for milking machine installations for cows, water buffaloes, sheep, goats and other milk-producing mammals. Prepared by ISO/TC 23 (Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry), this third edition updates the terminology used in research, official regulations, design, manufacture, installation and use of milking machines. The standard provides a common vocabulary to improve clarity across technical documents, test reports and regulatory texts.
Key Topics
ISO 3918:2007 organizes terms and definitions into focused technical areas, including:
- Types of milking machine - classification of bucket, pipeline, automatic and recorder milking machines.
- Vacuum system - definitions such as vacuum, nominal vacuum, average vacuum, working vacuum (measured over 5 s), vacuum drop, transient vacuum drop, vacuum undershoot and overshoot.
- Pulsation system - pulse tubes, long and short pulse tubes, and pulsator air lines.
- Milk system - milklines, milk transfer lines, receiver and related components.
- Milking unit - parts of the milking cluster and tubing (difference between rigid “line” and flexible “tube” is clarified).
- Cleaning and milk-cooling equipment - vocabulary for cleaning cycles and cooling components.
- Tests and measurements - definitions for dry test, wet test (simulated milking), milking‑time test and cleaning‑time test.
- Milk flow terms - average milk flow and peak milk flow (for cows, peak typically considered over a 30 s period).
- Milk types - including abnormal milk and other classifications used in monitoring and quality control.
Practical applications
Using a standardized vocabulary improves:
- Design and specification of dairy equipment and milking installations
- Test procedures, reporting and interpretation of milking performance data
- Regulatory compliance and adoption of consistent terminology in laws and inspection guidelines
- Manufacturer documentation, user manuals and training materials
- Communication between engineers, veterinarians, farm managers, certifying bodies and research teams
Keywords: ISO 3918, milking machine installations, milking vocabulary, vacuum system, pulsation system, milkline, milking unit, dairy equipment standards.
Who should use this standard
- Dairy equipment manufacturers and designers
- Agricultural engineers and test laboratories
- Regulatory authorities and certification bodies
- Farm managers and veterinarians involved in milking system selection, installation and maintenance
- Researchers publishing studies on milking performance or machine design
Related standards
ISO 3918:2007 was prepared by ISO/TC 23 and complements other standards and guidance developed for agricultural machinery and dairy equipment; users should consult ISO/TC 23 publications for related technical standards and test methods.
