Air compressors ABAC kompresory

Compressors

A compressor is chosen by two things: how much air your connected tools use and how long it will run in one go. A small machine is enough for inflating tyres; a grinder or a paint shop needs several times more. The table below runs from the smallest machines to those that keep a whole production line going.

Which series suits you

The series are listed from the smallest machines to the largest. Each shows the intake and air delivery range in litres per minute, the maximum pressure and the power supply.

Intake is the air the machine draws in; air delivery is what actually reaches your tools. On our piston machines, delivery is roughly a quarter lower than intake. Screw compressors are rated by the manufacturer for delivery only, engine-driven ones for intake only.

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Choose by specification

For every feature there is a separate page with all the machines that have it. The counts in the tables are from our range.

By tank size

The tank (air receiver) evens out the demand — the tools take air from it and the compressor tops it up. The air also cools down in it and water condenses out, which is removed by a condensate drain.

The tanks on our machines range from 2.5 to 900 litres. Up to 50 litres the machines mostly run from a 230 V socket; from 200 litres upwards three-phase machines prevail and screw compressors become more common. A larger tank pays off with sudden heavy demand — blowing, spraying, sandblasting. Machines without a tank get a separate receiver from the category Pressure vessels and air tanks.

By design and equipment

By power supply, pressure and use

What to look at when choosing

What decides on the right machine — from the air your tools use to noise. If you are new to compressors, the basics are in the article What is a compressor.

How much air tools use

The figures come from the tools we sell ourselves. For each type there is a range from the most economical to the most demanding model, plus a typical value. An impact wrench for wheels or an angle grinder takes more than most people expect.

How to compare: choose a machine whose air delivery is higher than the tool's consumption, and leave a margin — a compressor should not run flat out without a break. When several tools run at once, their consumption adds up.

The chart shows the same for compressors: the light bar is intake, the dark one air delivery. The axis grows in orders of magnitude, so that a small inflating machine and a screw compressor for a whole plant both fit on it.

For painting, plenty of air is not enough — it has to be clean, dry and at a steady pressure. What that takes is described in the article Painting with a compressor: what is needed for it.

Piston or screw

What decides is running time, not the size of the workshop. A piston compressor is built for intermittent duty — it fills the tank and switches off. If it had to run all the time, it would overheat and shorten its life.

A screw compressor, on the other hand, is built to run without a break. It pays off where air is drawn continuously — in a paint shop, at production machines, in shift work. How to run it economically is covered in the article Efficient operation of screw compressors.

How the types differ in figures is shown by a comparison of our whole range. A dash means the feature is not stated for that type.

How much air one kilowatt gives

Screw compressors have a reputation for being more economical. Our data confirm it, but with a size caveat: up to 4 kW, piston and screw machines give almost the same air per kilowatt — 117 and 122 l/min. From 8 kW upwards, a screw compressor delivers roughly a quarter more, 148 against 116 l/min.

We compared only machines of the same power input; otherwise the result would be skewed by screw compressors being much larger on average. How to cut the electricity they use is covered in the article Compressor energy consumption.

Direct drive or V-belt

With piston compressors it also matters how the motor drives the pump. With direct drive the pump sits right on the motor shaft and spins fast — typically 1,500 rpm. A V-belt gears the speed down, typically to 1,100 rpm, and a slower pump runs cooler.

At the same power input of 1.5 to 2.2 kW, our direct-drive machines typically weigh 45 kg and deliver 174 l/min. Belt-driven ones are heavier, around 80 kg, but deliver around 255 l/min. Our range has 98 direct-drive piston machines and 246 belt-driven ones.

230 V or 400 V

Small and medium machines run from an ordinary 230 V socket — we offer around a hundred of them, and the most powerful has a power input of 3 kW. A single-phase supply cannot carry more: the motor would trip the circuit breaker on start-up.

The limit is not set by a table but by what is wired to your workshop. A three-phase 400 V supply opens up the rest of the range, all the way to industrial screw machines. If your breaker already trips, the causes are covered in the article Compressor trips the circuit breaker.

Oil-lubricated or oil-free

We have over 100 oil-free machines: the entire ABAC Expert Zero, Super Silent and Dental series, oil-free screw compressors and individual models in other series. Air cleaning is covered in the article How to filter compressed air.

Noise and soundproofing

If the compressor is to stand right next to the workplace rather than in a compressor room, go for a soundproofed machine. The difference is clear: on our piston compressors the sound pressure level at 4 metres is typically 68 dB for soundproofed and 77 dB for the others. The ear perceives 9 decibels as almost half the noise.

The ABAC Silent and Super Silent series are soundproofed throughout, and screw compressors usually come soundproofed from the factory. How to read the noise figures on the rating plate is explained in the article Compressor noise and what to watch for.

What goes with a compressor

A compressor only produces the air. To reach your tools dry, clean and at the right pressure, it needs add-ons.

Air treatment

Compressed air always contains water. The bulk is caught by a cyclone water separator, and the remaining moisture is removed by a compressed air dryer. 113 of our compressors have a dryer built in.

Oil and dirt are caught by filters, and a regulator sets the pressure for your tools — both are in the category Filtration, regulation and air treatment. Why dry air matters is explained in the article Why and how to dry compressed air.

Air lines and connections

Almost all of our smaller machines have a DN 7.2 quick coupling outlet — 197 compressors in total. Matching couplings and plugs are in the category ES DN 7.2 quick couplings.

They go with compressed air hoses and, for blowing, blow guns.

A fixed network for several workplaces is built from compressed air piping systems. How to design one is covered in the article Compressed air distribution.

Maintenance and spare parts

A compressor lasts for years if its oil and intake filter are changed on time and condensate removal is kept in check. The right oil is in the category Compressor oil, and what to change and when is covered in the article How and why to properly maintain compressors.

Parts for the machines are gathered in the category Compressor spare parts and accessories. The compressor is switched on and off by a pressure switch. When the whole pump is worn out, it is replaced on its own — with a compressor pump unit.

Brands

The machines in our range come from five manufacturers.

• ABAC — from the Line series for tradespeople to the industrial Tech machines, including oil-free, soundproofed and engine-driven ones
• ATMOS — Perfect piston compressors with a cast-iron pump
• WALTER — cast-iron piston compressors for workshop and industry
• Black Wind — small compressors for an ordinary socket
• SCR — screw and scroll compressors

Ventilek advises

The most common mistake is a small machine on a big tool.

I will be straight with you — hang a grinder on a compressor that cannot keep up, and it is not the grinder that suffers, it is the compressor. It will run non-stop, overheat and give out before it has paid for itself. Check the consumption table and add a margin.

• How to correctly choose and use a compressor
• Which compressor to choose for the workshop

Frequently asked questions

How do I know a compressor can handle my tools?

Compare the compressor's air delivery with the tool consumption in the table above and leave a margin. Compare it with intake instead, and you will buy a machine one size too small.

What is the difference between intake and air delivery?

Intake is the air a compressor draws in; air delivery is what it actually supplies. On our piston machines, delivery is 15 to 50 % lower, most often by roughly a quarter.

How big a tank do I need?

It depends on the demand. With sudden demand, for example when blowing or spraying, a larger tank helps. With steady demand, what matters most is the machine's air delivery.

What pressure do I need?

Most pneumatic tools work at around 6 bar. A compressor with a maximum of 10 bar — we have 448 of them — therefore has a margin and does not have to cycle too often. Higher pressure is needed only for special uses.

Is a 230 V compressor enough for me?

For small and medium machines, yes — the most powerful plug-in compressors have a power input of 3 kW. More output needs a three-phase 400 V supply.

When does a screw compressor pay off?

When air is drawn continuously, not in bursts. A piston machine in continuous duty overheats; a screw compressor is built for it. From 8 kW upwards it also delivers roughly a quarter more air per kilowatt.

Direct drive or belt?

Direct drive is lighter and smaller; a belt-driven machine runs slower, copes with longer running and delivers more air from the same motor.

Do I need an oil-free compressor?

Only where oil in the air is a problem — in food production, laboratories and surgeries. For a workshop and tools, an oil-lubricated machine is more durable.

Do I need an air receiver as well?

Most piston machines have one built in. A separate air receiver is added to compressors without a tank, where demand fluctuates, or for a supply network serving several workplaces.