Choosing quality equipment that will serve all of your industrial needs and offer the dependability that your business requires is an important task. With the options available to today’s consumer, it may seem to be a daunting task to decide which air compressor is right for your company.

Rotary Screw Compressor

The rotary screw compressor has two rotors that are used to compress the air. These two rotors are different in shape, but fit together perfectly. When the rotors are turning, air gets sucked into one side and gets trapped between the rotors. These rotors are continuously running, causing the air to be pushed to the other end of the rotors as new air is pulled in. As this is a continuous process, rotary screw compressors run relatively quietly and smoothly.

When compared to piston-type reciprocating air compressors, the rotary screw compressor can be a bit costlier, but the difference in price is made up by the dependability of the rotary screw compressor. Another difference between the rotary screw compressor and the piston-type reciprocating compressors is that the rotary screw compressor commonly has a higher capacity. For these reasons, this compressor is a common choice for workshops and factories that have a need for a lot of air.

Oil-Injected and Oil-Free Rotary Screw Compressor

The rotary screw compressor comes in two varieties: oil-injected and oil-free. As implied by the name, the oil-injected compressor has oil injected in the compressor element during the compression of the air. Though the oil is later removed by an oil separator to provide nearly oil-free air, there is always a small amount of oil that passes through the separator, called oil-carryover.

In many factories and workshops, this small amount of oil-carryover is not an issue. However, if your industrial needs call for 100% oil-free air, the oil-free rotary screw compressor is the better option. The other difference between oil-injected and oil-free is that the oil-free rotary screw compressor tends to produce a bit more noise.

Lubricated Reciprocating Compressor

When compared to the rotary screw compressor, the lubricated reciprocating compressor uses pistons moving in a reciprocating motion instead of rotors to deliver air at high pressure. The affordability and dependability of these compressors makes them a popular industrial choice.

Though the reciprocating compressor can be used for larger jobs, the efficiency of the rotary screw compressor surpasses that of the reciprocating compressor. The lubricated reciprocating compressor has the tendency to be a bit noisier as well. The reciprocating compressor is often quite sturdy and with appropriate maintenance will serve the industrial needs of the buyer for quite a long time.

When you select and purchase the type of compressor that best suits your industrial needs, it’s important to ensure that you are performing regular maintenance and service on your investment. With appropriate maintenance and service, you should be able to get many years of use from your compressor.