ABAC Tech ATF compressors: oil-free, no air receiver

ABAC Tech ATF · oil-free · S1 100 %

Oil-free machines usually share one weakness: they run for a while and then have to cool down. The ABAC Tech ATF range is built the other way round — it is an oil-free piston airend with an S1 motor, that is a 100% duty cycle. There is no lubricant in the cylinders, so nothing can reach the air, and the machine may still run a full shift without a break. Single-stage design for 10 bar, two cylinders in a V, slow 1,500 rpm and direct drive without belts. Seven machines from 1.5 to 7.5 kW, all of them without a pressure vessel — the air goes straight into the pipework or into a receiver you place separately.

Three things that decide the choice

All seven machines are oil-free, single-stage for 10 bar, direct driven and run on a three-phase 400 V supply. None of them has its own air receiver. They differ in three things.

How to read the machine code

The code has three parts: ATF is the range (the letter F stands for free of oil), the number is the motor input in kilowatts and the letters at the end say which version arrives.

How air can be compressed without a drop of oil

In an ordinary piston compressor the oil does two jobs at once: it lubricates the rings against the cylinder and carries heat away. Leave it out and the materials themselves have to cope. ATF therefore uses nickel-plated aluminium cylinders and Teflon-coated pistons, a pair that slides without lubricant and takes the heat. The valve plate is stainless steel and the crankshaft bearings are filled with grease at the factory for their whole service life — the lubricant is sealed where the compressed air never passes.

The rest of the design does what oil does elsewhere: V-arranged cylinders with heavy finning and a large fan blowing air straight onto the heads. The machine runs at a low 1,500 rpm and the motor is coupled to the airend directly, without belts. Oil-free running has its price, though: the airend runs hotter and louder than the oil-lubricated ATL range, and on the smaller machines it delivers slightly less air — 132 against 144 l/min at 1.5 kW. From 5.5 kW up the delivery of both ranges is the same.

All seven machines side by side

Delivery is the amount of air the machine actually supplies at a working pressure of 10 bar; intake is the volume the airend draws in. Lwa is the sound power level from the rating plate, Lwp the sound pressure level at a distance of four metres. Dimensions are length × width × height. All values are manufacturer data.

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Noise without window dressing

These machines are loud and there is no point hiding it: the sound power level Lwa is 102 to 106 dB. It is an open industrial machine with no enclosure at all, designed for output and heat removal, not for quiet in the room. An oil-free airend is a few decibels louder than an oil-lubricated one on top of that. It belongs in a plant room, an annex or behind a wall, not next to a workbench.

🔴 Be careful when comparing offers. Catalogues often quote 82 to 86 dB for the same machine — but that is the sound pressure Lwp measured at four metres, roughly 20 dB(A) below the sound power Lwa on the rating plate. Both figures are correct, each simply measures something different. We list both for every machine. When the machine has to stand where people work, the answer is the sound-insulated ATFS range.

The machine up close

The frame-mounted assembly from two sides — all seven machines use the same airend, only its size changes.

What all the machines share

Frequently asked questions

What exactly does S1 mean and why does it matter?

S1 is the standard designation of a motor duty type: the machine may run continuously at full output as long as it is cooled. Small oil-free compressors usually have S3, which means that after a certain running time a cooling break has to follow — usually roughly half and half. Leave an S3 machine running non-stop and it will overheat, cutting its life to a fraction.

Is the air from an ATF really completely oil-free?

From the compressor, yes — there is no lubricant in the compression chamber that could reach the air. That does not mean the air is free of water and dust: the humidity drawn in condenses in the compressed air and whatever floats in the hall comes along too. Sensitive processes therefore need a dryer and filtration downstream.

What is the difference between the T and BT versions?

The machine inside is the same. T is the airend with motor on a common base plate, BT is the same unit mounted on a steel base frame with a control box. The frame adds roughly 25 kg and allows the machine to be anchored to the floor or set on anti-vibration mounts. T is bought where you handle the installation yourself.

Why does the table show delivery instead of intake?

Because delivery is the air that actually reaches the tools at a working pressure of 10 bar. Intake is the volume the airend draws in — on the ATF-1.5 that is 408 l/min against 132 l/min delivered. Delivery decides the choice of machine; we list both so it is clear which is which.

Is it really that loud?

Yes. The sound power Lwa is 102 to 106 dB, which is what an open industrial machine without an enclosure sounds like. The figure of 82 to 86 dB that appears for these machines is the sound pressure at four metres — a different quantity, roughly 20 dB(A) lower. If you need a machine for a room where people work, look for a version in a sound-insulated enclosure.

Do I have to buy a receiver as well?

Either a receiver, or pipework long enough to build the reserve itself. Without one of the two the motor would cut in many times an hour. The volume is chosen according to the peak demand, not according to the compressor output — and the advantage is that you can place it next to the workplace and hide the compressor elsewhere.

Can the machine run on 230 V?

No. Every machine in this category runs on a three-phase 400 V / 50 Hz supply. The three strongest ones also start through a star-delta sequence, so matching protection is required.

Where to go next

This category is the basic version of the oil-free ATF range. The other branches of the industrial ABAC Tech range look like this: You will find an overview of every range in the Compressors category.

• ATF on a receiver — the same oil-free airend already mounted on a pressure vessel, no assembly to put together
• Sound-insulated ATFS range — oil-free air in a sound enclosure, for when the machine has to stand in the workshop
• Oil-lubricated ATL range — the same build and the same S1 duty, but oil lubricated and with a higher delivery
• Every oil-free machine — from small workshop machines to dental and laboratory versions across brands
• High-pressure ATH range — when ten bar is not enough — 15, 20 and 30 bar
• How to choose a compressor — from the consumption of your tools through output to the size of the receiver

Performance data are measured to ISO 1217, Annex C, latest edition; noise to ISO 2151. Under the European machinery directive the sound power level Lwa is stated on the machine rating plate, while the sound pressure level Lwp is measured at a distance of four metres and is roughly 20 dB(A) lower. All values are manufacturer data.