Compressed Air Equipment Buying Guide
Choosing the right compressed air equipment is critical to the efficiency, reliability, and cost of your operation. This guide covers the key factors to consider when sizing and selecting compressors, dryers, and supporting equipment.
Step 1: Determine Your Air Demand (CFM)
List every air-powered tool, machine, and process in your facility along with its CFM requirement. Add them up, then add a 20-30% safety margin for future growth and peak demand. This is your total CFM requirement.
Step 2: Determine Your Pressure Requirement (PSI)
Most industrial applications require 90-125 PSI. Check the requirements of your most pressure-demanding equipment and size your compressor accordingly. Remember to account for pressure drop across dryers, filters, and piping.
Step 3: Choose Your Compressor Type
- Fixed Speed Rotary Screw: Best for consistent, steady demand. Runs at full capacity whenever powered on. Most cost-effective when your facility runs at or near full capacity most of the time.
- Variable Speed (VFD): Best for fluctuating demand. Adjusts motor speed to match actual air usage, saving up to 35% on energy costs. Higher upfront cost, but pays for itself in energy savings.
- Oil-Free: Required for food & beverage, pharmaceutical, electronics, medical, and other applications where air purity is critical.
Step 4: Size Your Air Dryer
Every compressed air system needs a dryer. Moisture in compressed air causes corrosion, damages equipment, and ruins products.
- Refrigerated Dryers: Achieve pressure dewpoints of 35-39°F. Suitable for most general industrial applications.
- Desiccant Dryers: Achieve pressure dewpoints of -40°F to -100°F. Required for outdoor piping in cold climates, spray painting, and sensitive processes.
Step 5: Plan Your Distribution System
Proper piping, filtration, and storage (air receivers) are essential. Undersized piping causes pressure drop. Insufficient storage causes compressor short-cycling. We can help you plan a complete system — contact us for assistance.
Need Help?
Our compressed air specialists can help you size and configure a complete system for your facility. Call us at (888) 555-0199 or send us a message.