General Construction and Specifications

Note: The rolling cart in some of the pictures is not included.

Butter Churns are manufactured in the USA by Sunrise Metal, Topeka Indiana. The Amish owned and operated factory established in 1971 specializes in the manufacturing of food-grade equipment for processing maple syrup and dairy operations.

While 3-A Sanitary Standards Committees in conjunction with the U.S.D.A does not have published specific requirements for small batch butter churns. They do, however, provide guidelines to the construction and the type of materials that churn should be made of. The Sunrise butter churns follow these guidelines.

For more information see General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading Service Effective June 29, 2012.

 § 58.128 Equipment and utensils. § 58.316 Conventional churns. § 58.317 Bulk butter trucks, boats, texturizers, and packers. 

Main Body Construction: Made of 304 #4 brushed food grade 12-14-ga stainless steel. Stainless-steel joints are welded and then ground and polished smooth for food contact and sanitizing using standard milk house procedures.

Lid Construction: The lid is constructed of 16ga 304 Stainless-Steel. The lid is made to slope a 2° to reduce droplets. It is equipped with outside and inner lip to reduce splash out. A tri-clamp connector is welded on the top of the lid equipped with a seal and glass cap for a visual inspection of the cream making process to reduce the need to open and close the lid.

Shaft, Paddles, and Bearings: The mixing paddles are made from 12ga 304 Stainless-Steel welded to a 304 Stainless Rod that is then capped at each end to make a seamless smooth polished one-piece unit from end to end.

The paddle unit is completely removable from the churn for cleaning and sanitizing. A food grade UHMW bearing slides out the front through a food-grade sanitary tri-clamp removable connector welded on the front of the main body. The rear of the paddle unit has a Stainless-Steel plate welded to the end of the rod. It mates to a two-prong Stainless-Steel plate welded on the end of the motor shaft. When the paddles are removed the plates are fully assessable for cleaning and sanitizing.

The motor shaft is made of Stainless-Steel and penetrates the rear of the churn body through another pressed and seated UHMW food-grade bearing. A double-acting food-grade O-ring is also used to prevent the cream from running back into the shaft housing.

The shaft attaches to the motor in a totally separate compartment. The motor shaft may be visually inspected for any leakage by removing the motor cover. It also can be removed for further inspection by loosening the Lovejoy thumb set screws. This design has been proven over a 10-year period with dozens of these churns in use from the East to the West Coast of the US and even as far as Australia. Only a couple of customers have needed replacement parts for their churn including the motor shaft bearing and seal which are readily available if needed.

Drainage/Washout: A secondary tri-clamp connector is welded to the front of the churn. This connector is equipped with a sanitary food grade 1-1/2” butterfly valve and elbow for easier washout. The valve and elbow parts disassemble for cleaning and sanitizing. The lid is not equipped with an interlock switch to turn the machine off when the lid is open, therefore, allowing it to be removed during the operation for washout procedures while the churn is being run at a slow speed. Operator caution and safety will need to be exercised to keep sleeves and hands clear and to only operate the machine at slow speeds during washout while the lid is removed.

Motor/Controller: The electric motor has a variable speed controller that will begin to make butter in approximately 8-10 minutes. The overall process should take 20-30 minutes for a complete batch based on a 30% butterfat cream. Individual experiences may vary based on the type of cream being used. Speed range from 0 up for slow processing and wash out.

 8 Gallon Churn 1HP Motor

10 Gallon Churn 1HP Motor

15 Gallon Churn 1-1/2HP Motor

The 8-10-gallon churns are wired for US 110-115 Volt 60 Cycles. 7.5 Amps

The 15-gallon churn uses a 1-1/2 HP motor wired for US 220 volts 60 cycles for either single-3-phase rated at 10.5 Amps. A 220 volt 50 HZ motor and controller are available for International use. The churn will come without a plug for direct wire or add a plug on location. 

Measurement and Weights: These are full capacity churns based on the rated gallon size. Smaller batches can also be churned per the following:

 8-Gallon Churn= 3-8-gallon capacity

10-Gallon Churn= 4-10-gallon capacity

15-Gallon Churn= 5-15-gallon capacity

8-Gallon churn overall measures 46” Long x 18” Wide x 22” Tall. The inside tub measures 12” Wide x 19” x 18” Deep and weighs 125 lbs.

10-Gallon churn overall measures 50-1/2” long x 18” Wide x 22” Tall. The inside tub measures 22-1/2” Long x 12” Wide x 19” Deep and weighs 135 lbs.

15-Gallon churn overall measures 59” long x 18” Wide x 25” Tall. The inside tub measures 26” Long x 16” Wide x 22” Deep and weighs 155 lbs.

Shipping: The Butter Churn will need to be sent truck freight. Select the F.O.B. shipping quote or shipping deposit using the drop-down box.