Compressed Air

In general, compressed air needs to be cleared of condensate and mechanical impurities first. The easiest way to do this is to use filters. Non-filtered air will damage air tools with corrosion, grease flushing as well as with mechanical seizing due to contained impurities. Most air-driven equipment needs lubricant to be added to the air. While this can be ensured by regularly injecting about 1-2 ccm of special oil directly into the tool's coupler, it is advisable in practice to use some of the favourably-priced oil lubricating systems that are connected directly before the tool (mini versions) or a panel version that adds lubricant to the whole system (or some of its lines) right after the filter. Naturally, no lubricant is added to air intended e.g. for paint spraying.Line pressure is controlled with a pressure control valve. This is usually part of the compressor or air treatment assembly.
An important aspect is selecting a suitable compressor, which is crucial for the performance of the whole system. 3 basic values need to be evaluated here – the discharge pressure achieved, the pressure tank volume and, in particular, the amount of compressed air. An insufficient amount of air will cause a pressure drop during work, resulting in decreased performance of the connected tool. The amount of air consumed by a specific tool is listed among its technical parameters.

You can use the calculator in the bottom left part of the screen or the following formula to easily calculate a tool's operation time without performance decrease depending on compressor parameters.

Formula for calculation of tool operation time:

Calculation example – e.g. random orbit sander 40026 and compressor 50053 may be used for about 5.25 min without interruption:

When using multiple tools for a single compressor, you need to take into account whether they will run simultaneously and adjust the calculation accordingly. You also need to consider the inner diameter of the hoses used depending on the volume of air consumed.