In many industrial applications, maintaining high air purity is critical to avoid product contamination or damage. While many manufacturers use oil-lubricated compressors, they require additional air treatment downstream to remove oil and moisture. An alternative approach is to use oil-free compressors, which can minimise the risk of oil contamination.

Although oil-free compressors come with a higher initial capital cost, they offer long-term benefits and risk mitigation, making them a smart investment for certain businesses. For instance, oil-free compressors are needed to reduce the contamination risk for food and beverage manufacturers.

The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, while clean air is critical when dealing with toxic chemicals to avoid accidents or process disruption. Product quality is another consideration – expensive electronics must not come into contact with oily or wet compressed air and fabrics in the textile industry can’t be stained or damaged with oil.

William Chan, CAPS product manager – with 25 years of experience in the air compressor industry – explained how the market has changed over the years.

“From the user’s point of view, when I first joined this industry no one cared about energy because it was so cheap. In the last few years, energy prices have skyrocketed causing people to look at the bottom line more. Having compressors as energy efficient as possible helps the end user,” he said.

“From the OEM or distributor point of view, we need to bring products which are not only price competitive, but technologically advanced at the same time.”

CAPS has represented the AL Series of oil-free scroll air compressors for many years. The ‘scroll’ technology refers to two spiral shaped members form crescent shaped gas pockets. One member remains stationary (fixed scroll), while the second orbits relative to the fixed scroll.