Air compressors have a broad range of applications and consequently come with a variety of usage. Gas stations offer compressed air for purposes of car tire inflation, and your tire dealer uses compressed air alongside an air tool to take off your tires. Perhaps you’ve also seen desktop air compressors employed with a trailer-like gas-powered compressor or airbrush at a construction lot powering concrete compactors and jackhammers.
Indeed you’ve possibly been around numerous types of air compressors and failed to notice. You perhaps fail to see them as they are in your refrigerator or HVAC system.
Air compressors come in a horde of uses for maintenance and leisure at work or home to get tasks done safely and efficiently. The pressure from the compressor has numerous uses that we may not be able to exhaust. However, our specialists at Compressed Air Hire will try our best to broaden your knowledge on the various projects compressors are used.
1. Classification
Compressors are grouped into three groups: industrial grade, professional grade, and consumer grade.
- Industrial grade compressors are the workhorses of manufacturing plants or the dependable power source oil rigs. They are made to provide a continuous flow of compressed air for extended periods and are capable of taking varying surges in use every day in plants. The compressors come with high-quality parts that enable customization to a particular environment to enhance reliability, energy efficiency and performance.
- Professional grade compressors provide comparably more power and increased the pressurized air to the consumer grade capable of running multiple tools at a go.
- Consumer grade compressors are classified as a single-stage or pancake model. They are used for domestic chores such as inflating tires and low-load tools like brad guns and staplers.
2. Projects that require the use of an air compressor
Household Projects
Applications of air compressors take many forms. For-profit or fun, having one eases tasks and allows for creative expression with professional artistry and hobbies. Uses at home are covered with the choice of power and sizes.
Here are a couple of uses for air compressors at home:
- Maintaining your vehicle’s tire pressure
- Tire rotation
- Spray painting
- Sandblasting
- Cleaning (e.g., automotive air filters and furnace filters)
Running a Business
Small businesses provide quicker and high-quality services by making use of air compressors from mundane tasks such as inflating a tire to those in the manufacturing operations. Some companies make use of compressed air as a source of energy to power equipment and tools for increased efficiency and reliability.
The following are some of the applications of air compressors for small to medium-sized businesses:
- Sanding in a woodwork workshop or an automobile body shop
- Provision of medical services like in dentistry
- Employed in an air blow gun to cleanse machinery
3. Manufacturing Projects
Compressed air is the sole alternative for some industries in need of a non-heating emitting power source and a steady flow of power. The first compressor made at the start of the 19th century and the demand has burgeoned to other industries besides the initial metal fabrication and mining industries. In many quarters its importance is only superseded by only electricity, gas, and water.
The following are some of the uses of air compressors in manufacturing projects:
- Cutting and welding
- Sandblasting
- Running automated machinery
- Dry cleaning
- Turning nuts and driving screws