There are some important factors you should know in order to choose the right industrial air compressor such as the right kind for specific applications, the pressure and capacity needed and other extras and options included. The two basic types of air compressors are reciprocating piston and rotary screw. The first two and most important factors that should be considered are air pressure and capacity of the air compressor.
Pressure is always quantified by PSI or bar while capacity is measured in CFM, cubic meters/hour and liters/second. It should be noted that between the small and large air compressors, the only difference is their capacity. The required capacity of the industrial air compressor which you are going to purchase will depend mostly on the air that will be consumed by the tools used when they are all used in one application.
- Pressure. The standard equipment will have a pressure around 90 to 100 psi or 6 to 7 bar. Majority of the consumers will purchase the ones with maximum pressure at 7 bar. For more specific applications where higher pressure is needed, there are machines rated at 15 or 30 bar and even the largest could reach 300 bar and higher. You will know the amount of pressure that you will need based on the tools that you will be connecting to the machine. If you are just looking for a new compressor because your old one broke down then you should buy a new one with the same pressure rating.
- Capacity. This specification is measured by the amount of compressed air that the machine can pump out. The standard unit used is CFM or cubic feet/minute. Remember that the tank size is not the determinant of the capacity of an air compressor. The capacity of your machine should be dependent on the total amount of air flow required by all the machines and tools when used together.
- Reciprocating. This type utilizes a number of pistons in order to compress air. The pistons movement vertically is responsible for the compression of air. Available with low and very high pressure while capacity is low. Suitable to be used intermittently.
- Rotary screw. This type used two screws in order to compress air by moving in opposite direction inside the equipment housing. Suitable for applications that needs high capacity yet low pressure. Ideal for continuous usage.