APV Homogenizer

Some of the most interesting requests we get every day at Holland are about the piece of equipment we sell that tends to have the longest life span- an APV High Pressure Homogenizer. The APV Gaulin and Rannie type machines are the well-built work horses of many food, pharmaceutical, and personal care products where a stable emulsion or mixture needs to be created. Because they are so critical to the process (as well as the large upfront cost), it is not uncommon for homogenizers to be in service for 20, 30, sometimes even 40 years. There is also a sizeable aftermarket for high pressure homogenizers, so we frequently have customers who are not the original owners of their machine. Fortunately, the good folks at APV and SPX have made it easy for us to identify a machine and spare parts based on its unique serial number. This post will discuss the APV homogenizer serial number system and where to look on your machine to figure out which machine you have.

To begin, let’s talk about where you look on your machine to find the serial number. Generally speaking, on cast iron or painted frame machines (those old blue beasts), the serial number will be found stamped on the top frame edge, on the right hand side facing the cylinder block. The machine identification tag is located on the rear wall of the plunger well. Machines with a stainless steel or mild steel skin (newer machines), will have the serial number stamped on the left side of the base casting, just above the motor compartment. Many newer machines will also have a tag calling out the serial number.

So now that we know where to find the serial number, let’s talk about what those numbers mean. Since 1939, APV has been using a four digit serial number on all production scale Gaulin homogenizers. There are about 68 machines that are an exception to that rule from 1959 and all machines made at 1986 have had 5 digit serial numbers. That means the last 3, 4, or 5 digits are the unit serial number. The numbers preceding the serial number indicate the date of manufacture. For example, let’s say you pull the number 10757-927 off of your machine. That would mean that this machine was built on January 7^th, 1957 and the serial number is 927. The month, day, and year were used until 1960, after that, only the month and year were used (for instance, 157-927).

So hopefully this helps you better identify your APV homogenizer or at least gives you an idea where to look. When order spare parts or making changes to your machine, the model and serial number are the two most important pieces of information you can provide a customer service person at Holland. If you have any additional questions or needs for your sanitary high pressure homogenizer, contact a Holland Sales Engineer today.