Piston compressors ABAC Pro Line — oil-lubricated twin cylinders from 1.5 to 7.5 kW

How much air a minute?

The pump is the heart of the machine and its displacement is the first figure to look at. In the basic ranges the A29B gives 255 or 320 l/min, the A39B 393 or 486 and the two-stage A49B 444 to 595; geared down, the same pumps give less. The cast-iron B59B, B60 and B70 pumps run from 653 to 1,210 l/min, and two pump units on one tank give up to 2,420. Every tool has its consumption in the manual; add up the ones that will run at the same time and allow a reserve for the cycles.

One stage, or two?

A single-stage pump compresses the air in one go and stops at 10 bar; there are 36 of those in the range. A two-stage pump takes it through two cylinders one after the other with an intercooler and gives 11 or 15 bar — there are 58 of those. The difference is not only in the pressure: with the same 2.2 kW the single-stage A39B draws in 393 l/min, the two-stage A49B 444. For the same input power you therefore get more air and a higher pressure as well.

An ordinary socket, or a three-phase supply?

An ordinary 230 V socket is enough for 22 machines in the range — the A29B, A39, A39B and A49B pumps, all with a 1.5 or 2.2 kW motor. The other 72 are three-phase on 400 V, the whole B range without exception. Voltage is therefore the second question straight after the pump, because it decides what you can bring into the workshop at all.

Where will the machine stand?

On castors with a handle, 63 machines in the range travel round the workshop and out to site; the other 31 stand on feet or on legs and are connected permanently into the pipework. A vertical tank saves floor space, two pump units on one tank cover the peaks, and a dryer on the tank takes the water out of the air before it leaves for the pipes.

Pro Line A29B

When one person works at the machine and the tool blows only for a moment. The smallest single-stage pump in the range: 255 l/min with a 1.5 kW motor, or 320 l/min with 2.2 kW, 10 bar, a horizontal 50 to 200 l tank on castors. Eleven machines; the Extensive spec is the base, the Expert adds a closed handle and an outlet filter.

11 machines · 1.5 and 2.2 kW · 255 and 320 l/min · 50–200 l

Pro Line A39B

When an impact wrench and a spray gun join the stapler. The stronger single-stage pump: 393 l/min with a 2.2 kW motor, or 486 l/min with 3 kW, 10 bar, a 50 to 270 l tank. Fourteen machines in the Extensive and Expert spec levels, on 230 and 400 V — five tank sizes, more than any other basic range.

14 machines · 2.2 and 3 kW · 393 and 486 l/min · 50–270 l

Pro Line A49B

When the tank has to hold 11 bar and the job runs longer. The first two-stage pump in the range: the air goes through two cylinders one after the other with an intercooler between them, and the result is 11 bar and 444 to 595 l/min according to the 2.2, 3 or 4 kW motor. Fourteen machines: a tank from 90 to 270 l, for an ordinary socket or for a three-phase supply.

14 machines · 2.2–4 kW · 444–595 l/min · 90–270 l

Pro Line B59B, B60 and B70

When several people are on the tools at once. Cast-iron two-stage B59B, B60 and B70 pumps with 4, 5.5 and 7.5 kW motors on 400 V: 653, 827 or 1,210 l/min, 11 bar, a 200 to 500 l tank; the fourteenth machine in the range is a ninety on castors at 15 bar. The CT version has castors, a handle and a regulator and follows the work about, the FT version comes without a chassis and stays in one place, connected into the pipework.

14 machines · 4–7.5 kW · 653–1,210 l/min · 90–500 l

Low-speed B60, B70 and B79

When the machine cuts in over and over and has to last. The same pumps, turned more slowly by the pulley: the B60 and B70 run at 1,100 rpm, the biggest B79 at 900. Fewer revolutions mean fewer piston strokes a minute and a cooler pump; a displacement of 660, 1,023 or 1,130 l/min, a tank of 270 or 500 l.

8 machines · 4–7.5 kW · 660–1,130 l/min · 270–500 l

With a dryer on the tank

When no condensate may reach the pipework. The refrigerant dryer sits on the tank from the factory and holds a pressure dew point of +3 °C, so downstream of the machine there is nothing left to condense. Five machines with B59B, B60 and B70 pumps, a tank of 270 or 500 l, a direct-on-line start or a start through a star-delta starter panel.

5 machines · 4–7.5 kW · 653–1,210 l/min · 270–500 l

With a vertical tank

When floor space in the workshop is short. The tank stands on end with the pump on a plate above it: the smallest upright machine takes up 832 × 472 mm of floor. Neither the air nor the litres suffer for it, only the footprint changes. Seven machines with A39B, A49B, B59B and B60 pumps, a tank of 150 to 270 l.

7 machines · 2.2–5.5 kW · 393–827 l/min · 150–270 l

Tandems — two pump units

When the whole workshop must not stop because of one pump unit. Two identical pump units, each with its own motor, on one horizontal tank of 500 or 900 l. One of them handles the everyday demand, the second joins in after a moment for the peak; when you take one out for service, the workshop keeps its air. The two displacements add up to 1,306 to 2,420 l/min, at a pressure of 11 bar.

6 machines · 2 × 4 to 2 × 7.5 kW · 1,306–2,420 l/min · 500 and 900 l

At 15 bar

When ten bar at the nozzle is not enough. The B60 and B70 pumps geared down to 1,000 rpm, a 500 l tank rated for the higher pressure and a star-delta starter panel: 570 or 930 l/min at 15 bar. The only machine on wheels at this pressure is the ninety, the B59B-4-90CTH — for the tyre shop that travels to the customer; in the table below it belongs to the B59B, B60 and B70 range.

2 machines · 5.5 and 7.5 kW · 570 and 930 l/min · 500 l

Pro Line Export

When a smaller displacement will do and the machine has to run from an ordinary socket. Four machines with A29B and A39B pumps for a 230 V socket, with the same moulded belt guard, aftercooler and regulator as the basic A ranges. The pulley turns them more slowly — 178 and 355 l/min at 750 and 950 rpm — and the tank is 50 or 90 l.

4 machines · 1.5 and 2.2 kW · 178 and 355 l/min · 50 and 90 l

Pro Line A-X — clearance

When an older generation at a lower price is no problem. Nine machines of the previous generation with A29B, A39, A39B and A49B pumps: 320 to 595 l/min, 10 or 11 bar, a tank of 50 to 270 l, 230 and 400 V. You know them by the wire belt guard in place of the moulded one.

9 machines · 2.2–4 kW · 320–595 l/min · 50–270 l

V-belt drive

The motor does not turn the pump directly, but through a pulley and V-belts. The reduction lets the pump turn more slowly than the motor — from 750 to 1,400 rpm according to the range — and the belt damps the shocks at the same time. A guard covers the pulley and the belts.

Oil-lubricated pump

All 94 machines have an oil-lubricated pump with a sight glass that shows the level. Maintenance comes down to watching that level and draining the condensate through the valve under the tank; every machine has its intervals in the manual. An aftercooler on the pump outlet is fitted to 88 of the 94 — it is missing only on part of the A-X clearance.

Extensive and Expert on the A ranges

Two spec levels, and they apply to only three of the eleven ranges — A29B, A39B and A49B. They differ in the chassis, the handle and what sits on the air outlet: against the Extensive, the Expert has one castor more, a handle closed all the way round and a filter after the regulator. Exactly what each level carries is set out on the pages of those three ranges; on the other eight it is the version or the pump that decides, not the spec.

Supply and motor starting

Machines with a 1.5 or 2.2 kW motor run from an ordinary 230 V socket; from 3 kW upwards the motor is always three-phase on 400 V and the supply is wired in by a qualified electrician. Some of the machines with the strongest motors take an X at the end of the code — a starter panel with a star-delta start, with which the motor runs up at a lower current.

Service and warranty

We give two years' warranty on the machines, extendable to three for a surcharge, and ten years on the tank against rusting through. The AirTube QR code on the machine itself opens the manuals and the service videos. We service the ABAC brand in our own workshop — in and out of warranty, with original parts and service kits for the pumps.