THE AIR COMPRESSOR
Air compressors are electric devices that convert their power source into potential energy in the form of pressurized air, which can then be used for a variety of tasks ranging from large to small. Because our worldwide society has become so dependent upon air compression technology in the impact tool category and beyond, we took the time to present you a classification, portability, and application summary of the highly practical and necessary air compressor.
OVERVIEW
Their wide range of uses include highly commercial applications such as the supply of clean, high-pressure air to help fill gas cylinders at gas stations, or more commonly the compressed air is used to air up a car, truck, and airplane tires; it can even be utilized to power tire removal tools. The size of these machines is not limited either, which enables them to be used for personal, micro applications as well as large-scale, commercial ones.
These convenient devices make themselves at home as small table or workbench electric air compressors with an airbrush just as easily as they do on the back of a large trailer as gas powered air compressors at construction sites, supplying the needed torque for a myriad of tools, such as jackhammers, impact wrenches, and stone or concrete breakers. You may not be aware of it, but air compressors are also safely tucked away and used in our HVAC systems and refrigerators.
As you can see, air compressors have so many other uses for upkeep, repair, and leisure at home, in the shop, or at work, they enable us to get tasks done quickly and with less headaches.
CLASSIFICATIONS
Air compression devices are, by necessity and law, listed and classified according to the pressure they are capable of containing and administering, as well as grade for intended usages.
Basically, there are three main types of compressor: Low-Pressure Air Compressors known as LPACs, Medium-Pressure Air Compressors known as MPACs, and High-Pressure Air Compressors known as HPACs. Intended usage grade varies a bit, from the average Joe, Consumer-Grade class, to the Contractor oriented Professional-Grade, and of course the heavy-hitting Industrial-Grade.
PORTABILITY
An air compressor often allows for maintenance work to be easily done at home, on-site, or on the go. Most air compressors with household use in mind are small enough to be picked up and carried along or simply rolled around to wherever it is needed at the time. These compressors are quite useful and, in some cases, irreplaceable in a shop or business environment, not matter if you are working with wood materials, outdoor power equipment, painting vehicles, inflatable toys or rafts, directed and specific cleaning applications, or air impact wrenches—and that is just getting started.
APPLICATIONS
Pneumatic tools (those which utilize air pressure in order to apply torque to an application) are used in quite a number of varied business environments. Compressed air is highly useful if your business has to do with the auto service industry, such as engine work, tires and wheels, etc., but even enjoys steady use in your local dentist’s office and on the backs of adventurers for recreational purposes. Again, the amount of applications is virtually unlimited, and they are highly efficient at providing and maintaining the exact amount of air at the correct pressure and for the lowest amount of money, causing the owner to reap a nice return on investment.
The agricultural and farming industry utilizes air compressors on a grand scale, for both productive and profitable farming output. They are used daily for powering the crop sprayers, bringing life to the dairy’s milking machines, transporting goods back and forth from silos via custom conveyors, setups that ventilate greenhouses, and even being the beef behind pneumatic equipment needed for material handling.
Their utilization does not stop there.
Air compressors reach deep into the manufacturing arena, from complicated and sophisticated refineries, to plastics, assembly plants and, of course, metal fabrication shops. As they are in many industries, air compression systems are the driving force that keep a manufacturing business—IN business.
Production Propped-Up by Air Compression:
-Cutting and welding equipment
-Ejecting pieces from production molds
-Monitoring production
-Adjusting roller and feed machinery
-Sandblasting and finishing metal
-Operating automated machinery
-Operating air tools across many areas, such as production lines
Sharp-dressed businessmen across the city benefit from the air compressor, as it is also used in the dry-cleaning industry, serving up low-cost, efficient, and dependable methods for launderers, as compressed air is used to operate laundry presses, steam cleaners, and to send various chemicals through the cleaning guns.
The pharmaceutical industry is also highly dependent upon compressed air technology, as it is used in bottling and packaging the products, spraying coatings on drugs, medicines, and supplements, or the more industry-common uses of moving products on conveyor setups and maintaining pressures in the mixing and holding tanks.
We may not think of air compression as being particularly adventurous, but it is most certainly utilized in a related manner for energy exploration. Used for powering air-related tools and both heavy and light equipment for on and offshore operations, it is called on to provide the following, necessary uses:
-Inserting and withdrawing rector rods
-Powering the ventilation systems for boiler houses
-Compensating for the unsteady motion that is naturally reoccurring at sea
On a less adventurous or dangerous scale, air compressor usage cannot be overlooked within the hospitality industry. From production to the end user, all types of food and drink manufacturing companies use air compressors for a wide array of production tasks, including:
-Packing and pelleting products
-Closing, securing, and checking components
– Filling equipment for drinks
– Cooling and freezing products
On the road, big trucks such as buses, 18-wheelers, sanitation vehicles, and more all depend on air for their braking systems, which is a very safe option for such transporting. If something goes wrong with the system, the air will be unable to keep the brakes open, causing the vehicle to stop—which is far better, of course, than causing the vehicle to be unable to do so.
On a more serious but common and highly important note, hospitals also use different types of air compressors to supply needed oxygen to patients. If we were to lose this technology, what would happen in our hospitals across the earth? This use alone shows the degree to which we depend on the power of compressed air.
CONCLUSION
Being able to realize how dependent we have become on air compressors is akin to realizing just how much money there is floating around. Just because we are unable to see it does not mean it is not there. On a personal, everyday level, we have come to depend heavily on this tech—but this is something we can use to our benefit.
On WrenchGuru.com, we have written a complimentary second article as a follow-up to this one, as it relates to the air impact wrench. While our focus remains on cordless impact wrenches, we are now in the process of expanding a bit to offer you more exhaustive information about various types of wrenches, such as torque, pipe, electrical, air, and more.
You can read up about the air impact wrench on this page, and you are welcome of course to check out more information about the cordless impact wrench on this page.
THE AIR IMPACT WRENCH
If you bother to look, you can always find an air impact wrench in the the tool box of any mechanic—even a famous, custom designer mechanic like Jesse James. The obvious reason for this is that they are extremely effective for loosening bolts, nuts, and lug nuts from either small cars and big trucks, but they are also utilized in any situation where high torque is needed (read up here to learn more about what a torque wrench is for).
WHAT IS AN AIR IMPACT WRENCH?
In a layman’s terms, an air impact wrench is a high-powered socket wrench which applies adjustable levels of power to tighten or loosen bolts and nuts, using high levels of air pressure. The typical impact wrench of your local mechanic can accommodate ½ inch sockets of varying sizes, which includes those that fit special wheels. At their core, they are pneumatic-powered tools, that is, air-powered, therefore a loud, distinct, and widely recognized sound is emitted whenever they are used. Even today, they are still the most commonly used tool in professional garages, though the cordless impact wrench has gained tremendous ground and continues to do so.
By design of their power source and application, air impacts are quite loud, therefore care should be taken whenever they are used so that one’s hearing is not damaged.
APPLICATIONS
An air impact wrench not only gives its user power, but also speed, convenience, and even precision. As such, its uses are only as limited as the creations to which they are applied.
Impact wrenches are staple tools across a wide spectrum within many industries. Besides the already mentioned automotive repair industry, air impacts are also used daily for the maintenance of heavy commercial equipment, assembly for an uncountable number of products internationally, construction projects of major and minor magnitude, and virtually unlimited other instances where high torque tools are needed.
For around one hundred years now, the most common power source for air impact wrenches has been compressed air, which enables the design of the tools themselves to cost less. These tools are no less than required in an automotive shop where mechanical work is done or tires and rims need to be removed and changed.
DESIGN
Even a new air impact wrench can and often does look a heck of a lot like an old-fashioned wrench, typically made with a silver and/or black body. It has an easy and quick trigger release switch which enables users to exert just the right amount of air pressure and torque directly to the bolt or nut.
Air impact wrenches are always connected torubber hoses of various lengths, depending on need, which are in turn connected to the local air compression unit. Without this connection, the air impact is nothing more than a large, expensive paperweight.
The pressure from the compressor remains steady within a certain range in order for the air gun or tool to operate correctly, and then becomes released as the user presses the trigger to send the impact into immediate action.
THE AIR COMPRESSOR AND AIR WRENCH DUO
If you are the kind of person who considers him/herself technical, mechanically handy, and also knows the way around a shop, then it is highly probable that you already have a pneumatic setup of your own and/or have used one countless times.
The perfect team-up of the air compressor and air impact wrench is both designed and excellent for bringing professional quality to the home just as easily as it does the professional shop; for a very affordable cost, they deliver rock-solid performance and pack one heck of a punch, no matter what the application. Whether you are looking to rebuild a small block V-8, change tires, replace parts, tune-up somelawn equipment, or take charge of your own painting, an air compressor will help you get more done, and this is only amplified and augmented when you begin to add more pneumatic tools to the mix.
From busting loose those stubborn lug nuts to tightening up those bolts to just the right torque setting, the air compressor and air impact wrench combo have just the right combination of power, precision, and practicality to make any person’s job easier.
These tools are both a solid addition to any garage or shop, business or home, and give you both the power and finesse to get the job done right—and fast.
Check Out These Links Below if You are Interested in Picking up a Quality Air Compressor, Air Impact Wrench, or Cordless Impact Wrench: