Why Go Oil-Free?
Oil-free compressors are air compressors that operate without oil in the compression chamber. Oil-free compressors utilize other types of technology like water or Teflon-coated materials to lubricate the compressor chamber. The absence of oil in the compression chamber reduces the chance that your end-product and application will be contaminated by oil. The International Standards Organization (ISO) created ISO 8573-1 to measure quality by the amount of solid particulates, water, and oil in one cubic foot of compressed air. The Class 0 classification is the most stringent air quality standard, where compressed air must contain less than 0.01 milligram per cubic meter (mg/m3) of total oil. While oil-free air is great for many reasons, not everyone needs it and it can be expensive, it is important to stick to a classification most appropriate for your operation.
Providing ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certified oil-free air has several manufacturing benefits:
Lower Maintenance Costs
Oil-free air compressors provide your plant with significantly lower maintenance requirements, some of which include:
- Fewer ancillary air system components to maintain
- Longer timeframes between lubricant changes for bearings
- Elimination of expensive oil filters
- Elimination of oily condensate management
- Longer life of downstream air filters
- Minimized downstream labor and outage-related costs
Lower Energy Costs
Energy efficiency in a compressor can have a more direct impact on decreasing operating expenses. Energy costs take up about 60-75% of the total life-cycle cost of an air compressor. Oil-free compressors are generally 10-15% more efficient than oil-flooded machines, meaning that an oil-free compressor in your plant can save you several thousand dollars in life-cycle savings.
Reduce Environmental Footprint
Oil-free air compressors lower environmental impact in two different ways:
- Minimize Oil Usage: Oil-free compressors do not require oil in their lubricating chamber and therefore only need oil changes every two to three years. On the other hand, oil-flooded compressors need an oil change every six to twelve months. Along with the more frequent oil changes, the oil must be properly disposed of following governing authority guidelines.
- Eliminate Condensate Disposal: Since oil-free compressors generate condensate with no oil contamination, the condensate can be easily discarded or even recycled for other uses within the plant. Oil-flooded compressors, however, do have oil contamination in the condensate. This means disposing of it requires governing authority regulation and the hidden costs of monitoring, testing, and disposing of.
Decrease Chance of Product Contamination
Oil-free compressors avoid contamination risks because there is no potential for trace oil to reach the final product. This decreased risk brings in two benefits:
- Peace-of-Mind: No oil in the airstream means that there is no risk of contamination. Contamination risks from oil-flooded compressors can come from an oil filter breakthrough during post-filtration that can lower product quality, increase risk of product recall, and lead to unnecessary downtime. Producing 100% oil-free compressed air gives manufacturers reassurance that any final product will not be at risk of oil contamination.
- Asset Protection: Oil-flooded compressors will always leave behind trace oil in the air it produces, which can build-up on the pneumatic equipment and other valuable assets. The trace oil build-up can increase maintenance and replacement costs. Oil build-up is less damaging in an oil-free compressor. With proper maintenance, an oil-free compressor can eliminate contamination risk to both the manufacturing equipment and the finished products.
Why do Industries Choose Oil-Free Air Compressors?
Compressed air encounters nearly every aspect of your operation, including final products. The following industries can benefit from decreased oil contamination risk:
- Medical and Pharmaceutical: In the medical and pharmaceutical industry, it is important to minimize the risk of trace contamination in oil or moisture to the generation population. Every touchpoint requirements cleanliness in both product quality and performance. Processes such as tablet coating and product drying require Class 0 certified oil-free air to keep risks low and quality high.
- Food and Beverage: FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act, Global Food Safety Initiative, and British Compressed Air Society Code of Practice have new requirements that reinforce the need for clean air in the manufacturing process. Utilizing oil-free compressors can avoid product contamination, which can lead to product recalls and a damaged brand reputation.
- Electronics: For electronic equipment, delivering clean and dry compressed air is crucial for cleaning because it minimizes trace contamination in the final product. Requiring Class 0 oil-free air allows manufacturers to protect both sensitive instrumentation and finished products.
- Textile: Oil-free compressors are essential in this industry for delivering high quality textiles products without the risk of oil contamination. Having oil-free air in the spinning machines and air-jet looms is crucial to prevent fabric staining and production loss.
- Plastic: Compressed air comes into direct contact with many plastic manufacturing applications. Oil-free, high quality air allows manufacturers to maintain high-quality standards and minimize operational spending.
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