Many people new to air compression or pneumatic tools will find themselves asking, What size air compressor do I need? when shopping for their first one. And it's a great question to ask because you want to make sure you do your homework and purchase the right machine for the job or tasks at hand. In order to answer this question, you need to ask yourself three more.
What Are My Tool Requirements?
To answer this question you need to look at the tools you currently use, or plan to use, and find their cfm (cubic feet per minute) requirement. This can either be found on the tools themselves or in the user's manual. Some tools consume more air than others, such as grinders and sprayers, and some consume less, such as nail guns and staplers.
If you will be the only person using the air compressor, then find the tool with the highest cfm and use this number to help determine the size of machine you need. If, however, more than one tool will be used at any given time, such as in a mechanic's shop, then add up the total cfm for all the tools that will likely be used in tandem. This figure will give you the air compressor's required - or delivered - cfm.
Take this figure and multiply it by 20 percent to give you an accurate delivered cfm rating for the compressor you are interested in purchasing.
Stop-Start or Constant Run?
Do you require air compression at all times or only at certain times? If you will be using the unit for household tasks such as inflating tires or sports equipment, or doing some finishing work, then you most likely will require a smaller, portable machine and these are generally stop-start varieties.
If, however, you plan on using this air compressor at your place of business, such as a factory or auto body shop where it will be used constantly by many people, then it makes sense you would need the type of motor that will run continuously, providing pressure the second it's needed, every single time.
Still not sure? A good rule of thumb is to figure how many times per hour you will use the machine. If it will be stopped and started 20 times or more per hour, then you will need a constant-run setup.
What Size Tank Do You Need
It's not the size of the tank that matters but how often you will use the unit. Obviously the bigger the tank, the longer usage time you will have as the pressure is depleted more slowly. The negative aspect to a large tank is that they take quite a bit longer to refill with pressurized air. A larger tank makes sense if you are concerned about the motor constantly starting and stopping to refill, or if again, you will be using it in a work setting and need a constant flow of pressurized air.
If you take the time to answer these three questions first, you will finally be able to answer the question, What size air compressor do I need? and purchase the one that's right for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment