Screw compressors for continuous operation
300 machinesA screw compressor compresses air steadily, with no valves and no breaks — which is why it takes continuous running and uses at least 30% less energy per cubic metre than a piston machine. We carry 300 screw compressors from three brands, from 2.2 to 280 kW, oil-lubricated and oil-free. This page will help you choose: four questions, then a comparison of the brands and the list of machines itself.
Four questions that decide
The answers narrow three hundred machines down to a few. The order is not random — each question narrows down what the previous one left.
How much air do you use?
This is the first and the most important figure — and a compressor is chosen by litres per minute, not by kilowatts. Add up the consumption of the tools and machines that can run at the same time and put a reserve on top for leaks in the pipework. Our range covers 200 to 60,000 l/min, so the first answer rules most of the machines out.
Does the demand fluctuate through the shift?
When the consumption changes — everything runs for a while, then nothing — a variable-speed drive pays off: the machine holds the pressure with its speed instead of cycling empty. On its own the VSD saves up to 35% of the energy. With an even demand at full output, fixed speed is cheaper to buy and uses just as much.
May the air meet oil?
Food production, beverages, pharmaceuticals, medicine, electronics and paint shops need air that oil has no way of getting into. Only oil-free machines can do that. On oil-lubricated ones the residual oil is below 5 ppm, which is roughly six times cleaner air than from a piston compressor — enough for most plants, not enough for the rest.
Where will the machine stand?
In a compressor room of its own, neither the noise nor the floor area matters. In the workshop both do — the quietest machines run at 55 dB(A), the loudest at 94. A screw compressor is roughly 20 dB(A) quieter than a piston one, so it can stand in the workplace itself. Some machines are supplied with an air receiver and a dryer in one frame.
Three brands and what sets them apart
Each of them covers a different band and a different need. With each one it says when to take it; from the card you get to its own guide with the individual series.
SCR
166 machines · 2.2 – 280 kW — The widest reach and the only oil-free machines. From a scroll unit for a doctor’s surgery to two-stage cabinets for continuous duty. The only one of our brands that also makes oil-free air, and the only one that reaches 280 kW. Eight series ordered by motor rating — when you do not know where to start, start here.
ATMOS
104 machines · 4 – 110 kW — Czech manufacture and seven years of warranty. Made in the Czech Republic, so service and parts are close at hand. The only brand with 7 years of warranty as standard, at no extra charge. Three series form a clean ladder: Albert for the workshop, SEC for mid-sized production, SMARTRONIC for a large plant. The only one that reaches 13 bar.
ABAC
30 machines · 2.2 – 22 kW — Compact machines for the workshop. Small, quiet machines up to 22 kW, often as an assembly with an air receiver, a dryer and filtration in one frame. They suit places where a piston compressor is being replaced and a large cabinet would be a waste. One model will even run off an ordinary 230 V socket.
| A comparison of the three brands | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Machines | Rating (kW) | Output (l/min) | Pressure (bar) | Noise dB(A) | Lubrication | Warranty |
| SCR | 166 | 2.2 – 280 | 200 – 60,000 | 7 – 12.5 | 55 – 86 | oil-lubricated and oil-free | 5 years |
| ATMOS | 104 | 4 – 110 | 400 – 19,100 | 9 – 13 | 63 – 94 | oil-lubricated | 7 years |
| ABAC | 30 | 2.2 – 22 | 272 – 3,090 | 10 | 59 – 71 | oil-lubricated | 5 years |
The output is the rated volume flow to ISO 1217; on machines with a variable-speed drive it is the upper limit of the control range. The ranges hold for the whole brand and individual models differ — the exact figures are given with the product.
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All seventeen series in one place
This is the whole programme of the three brands, ordered inside each of them by motor rating. When you know how much air you need, you will find the series that covers it here and can click straight through to it.
| All seventeen series in one place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | Machines | Rating | Output | Lubrication |
| SCR — 8 series | ||||
| SCR-XA | 21 | 2.2 – 29.6 kW | 200 – 3,520 l/min | oil-free |
| SCR-APM Mini | 9 | 3.7 – 5.5 kW | 320 – 696 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SCR-APM Maxi | 13 | 7.5 – 15 kW | 950 – 2,000 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SCR-PM2 run-out | 6 | 7.5 – 15 kW | 950 – 2,000 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SCR-EPM | 21 | 15 – 45 kW | 2,300 – 9,500 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SCR-G / GV | 32 | 37 – 280 kW | 5,700 – 47,000 l/min | oil-free |
| SCR-EPM2 | 24 | 55 – 160 kW | 10,000 – 33,500 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SCR-H / HPM | 14 | 132 – 280 kW | 28,500 – 60,000 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| ATMOS — 3 series | ||||
| Albert | 59 | 4 – 22 kW | 400 – 3,600 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SEC | 10 | 15 – 37 kW | 2,200 – 6,300 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SMARTRONIC | 35 | 30 – 110 kW | 6,100 – 19,100 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| ABAC — 6 series | ||||
| SPINN.D | 2 | 2.2 kW | 272 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SPINN Mini | 4 | 2.2 – 5.5 kW | 294 – 780 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SPINN SPV | 4 | 2.2 – 5.5 kW | 293 – 757 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| CROSS | 7 | 4 – 7.5 kW | 495 – 848 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SPINN Maxi | 7 | 5.5 – 15 kW | 696 – 1,680 l/min | oil-lubricated |
| SPINN Large | 6 | 15 – 22 kW | 2,215 – 3,090 l/min | oil-lubricated |
Why a screw compressor and not a piston one
Four differences that decide whether the change pays off. The fifth is the purchase price — that one is higher on a screw machine, and that is exactly why the other four are worth working out.
How much air you get out of one kilowatt
The difference does not grow evenly — the bigger the machine, the further ahead screw technology is. On small machines around 2.2 kW the difference is slight; from roughly 5.5 kW up it opens out, and at 15 kW it is already a multiple. The running makes up as much as 70% of what the machine costs over its whole life, so this is not counted in years but in months.
Where the saving is made
Six technologies and how much each of them saves. The higher up the range, the more of them the machine carries — which is why a dearer machine pays off in a multi-shift plant.
| Where the saving is made | ||
|---|---|---|
| Technology | Saving | How it works |
| Variable-speed drive | up to 35% | The speed follows the demand, so the expensive idle running is eliminated. |
| Direct drive | 1 – 10% | The block sits on the motor with no belts and no gearbox, so nothing is lost in the transmission. |
| Precise pressure | 3 – 15% | Every extra bar costs 7% of the energy. The pressure is held to within 0.01 bar. |
| Shift scheduling | 1 – 5% | A weekly plan shuts the machine down when nothing is running, so you are not heating the leaks. |
| IE4 and IE5 motors | 2 – 5% | Top efficiency at part load as well, which is exactly where an ordinary motor drops off. |
| Controlled ventilation | 1 – 2% | The fan runs only when there is something to cool. |
A 5-year warranty and service across the Czech Republic
On every screw compressor from our shop we give an extended 5-year warranty free of charge. On the ATMOS brand it is 7 years outright, as standard and at no extra charge — which is not usual on this market. The condition is regular servicing and original parts; we provide service across the Czech Republic.
The machine watched from a distance as well
Independent monitoring over a SIM card sends data on running hours, servicing and warnings straight to you or to the service engineer. A fault is then dealt with before it turns into a shutdown. It can be added to a machine you already have.
There is more to it than the compressor
The machine on its own makes air, but it is the rest of the compressor room that makes it usable. An air receiver evens out the peaks, so that the compressor does not switch on at every draw. Drying removes the water that would otherwise condense in the pipework and in the tools. And the pipework decides how much pressure you lose on the way.
Ventilek advises
Do not buy a compressor by the kilowatts on the plate. What decides is how many litres a minute the machine gives at your pressure and how much it takes to do it — and on two machines with the same motor that can easily differ by a quarter. Moving from a piston to a screw machine is like swapping an old tractor for a modern one: quieter, eating a fraction of the energy and not worn out after an hour’s work. Send us your demand and your running hours and we will work out what each machine will cost you over a year.
Common questions about choosing
- How does a screw compressor actually work?
- Two intermeshing rotors turn against each other and the space between their teeth shrinks steadily on the way from the intake to the outlet. That is what compresses the air — with no valves, no pulsation and no breaks, which is why the machine takes continuous running. It is also called a rotary screw compressor, which is the same thing. This is covered in more detail in the advice section.
- Is a variable-speed drive worth it, or is fixed speed enough?
- It comes down to whether the demand fluctuates. A fixed-speed machine can only run and unload — and an unloaded machine still takes roughly a third of its power. When a plant has peaks and lulls, a variable-speed drive takes that idle running away and saves up to 35% of the energy. When a line runs evenly at full output, the VSD has nothing to save and all that is left of it is the higher purchase price.
- Which is cheaper — a piston or a screw compressor?
- A piston one to buy, a screw one to run. And the running makes up as much as 70% of what the machine costs over its whole life, so in a multi-shift plant the difference in price comes back in months, not years. On one shift with a small demand it is not so clear-cut — send us your demand and your running hours and we will work it out.
- How many bar should I choose?
- Most air tools and machines manage on 7 or 8 bar. Every extra bar costs roughly 7% of the power input, so buying pressure “just in case” does not pay. Ten bar makes sense on long pipe runs; only part of the range reaches 13 bar.
- Do I need anything else besides the compressor?
- Almost always an air receiver, so that the machine does not switch on at every draw, and drying, so that water does not condense in the pipework. On the smaller machines both can be bought in one frame with the compressor; on the large ones the compressor room is put together to measure.
- What is the warranty and what about service?
- On screw compressors from our shop we give 5 years of warranty free of charge, and on the ATMOS brand 7 years as standard and at no extra charge. The condition is regular servicing and original parts. We provide service across the Czech Republic and the machine can be watched remotely as well.
The figures given apply to the whole offer; individual models differ. The output figures come from the manufacturers’ data and the flow measurement follows ISO 1217. On the large machines the price depends on the particular assembly, which is why it is given on request.
Product sorting
List of products
E.100-VARIO in Standard version, without air receiver (on feet) · 11 kW · pressure 10 bar · capacity 0.67 – 1.85 m³/min. Vario version 11 kW with continuous...
E.100V-VARIO in Standard version, with 270 l air receiver (horizontal) · 11 kW · pressure 10 bar · capacity 0.67 – 1.85 m³/min. Vario version 11 kW with...
E.100VS-VARIO in Standard version, with a 270 l air receiver and integrated dryer · 11 kW · pressure 10 bar · capacity 0,67 – 1,85 m³/min. Vario version 11...