A technical high school had to replace its 12-year-old lubricated screw air compressor after 100,000 hours of operation. The unit had simply worn out after many hours of operation. The school maintenance staff was unaware that some screw compressors, if installed with very little storage, will run unloaded continuously, consuming significant power but producing no […]
Air Preparation
What is a dewpoint spike?
A metal processor has a six-day per week production cycle with Sunday off. To save energy, the staff turns the compressed air equipment off during the down time. Recently, a compressed air auditor installed a dew point probe on the system — and found that on start-up there was a dew point spike to as […]
Excelon modular air preparation products for industrial applications
Now machine designers and plant engineers have more options than ever for using new Excelon Plus filters, regulators and lubricators in their compressed air systems available in 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 in. port sizes. The compact and lightweight designs are robust and suitable for all industrial applications. Excelon Plus has been designed with safety […]
Bimba launches AIROS family of air preparation products
Bimba’s new AIROS family of air preparation products expands their air preparation catalog by adding a new Premium series (PG) to the existing MG series of filters, regulators, lubricators, and accessories. The PG series of compressed air filters, regulators, lubricators, and accessories offers: • New micro-fog lubricator options – Micro-fog lubricators create a very fine mist of oil, which […]
Compressed air efficiency: 6 key principles
By Ron Marshall If you want to keep your compressed air costs down, there are a half-dozen important key principles that you should adopt for your system. Following them will keep your system costs down for the long term and save you a bundle. They are: 1. Install efficient equipment — The most important decision affecting […]
NITRA pneumatic coalescing air filters for mist and vapor filtration
The NITRA pneumatic AC series of coalescing air filters from AutomationDirect allows finer removal of moisture, vapor and oil mist from compressed air applications to provide optimal performance for pneumatic systems and components. NITRA coalescing filters are available in a range of port sizes from 1/8 to 1/2 in. FNPT; replaceable 0.3-micron filter elements are […]
Compressed air: A blowing comparison
Blowing with compressed air is a common efficiency problem in industrial plants. In dusty environments, things like conveyor belts, motors and pulleys need to be kept clear of dust and debris or problems will shut down production. So it is not uncommon to see plant personnel using air wands, or worse, installing continuous blowing to […]
Compressed air fail: Incorrect base unit
A lumber mill manager proudly showed off his plant’s new variable speed drive controlled compressor. The unit had been purchased to increase system efficiency and to give the mill more capacity. A compressed air auditor, who had been sent by the power utility to verify the savings, checked the new compressor control history. He was […]
Air pressure: How low can you go?
Compressed air assessment professionals and service providers know there is no standard pressure for the industrial market. One plant needs 90 psi, the next can’t do without 100 psi, the next needs 110, and some run with levels upwards to 140 to 150 psi. In the early days, typical industrial air compressors were never rated […]
How can you learn about compressed air?
Are you a compressed air system know-it-all? Or do you want to become one? Now is your chance to build your body of knowledge about compressed air systems and have a way to prove you have the “right stuff.” Recently, the Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI) announced recognition programs for Certified Compressed Air System […]