Compressor - Should I feel remorse?

I just pulled the trigger on a 2year old Atlas Copco LF5 FF compressor with 500liter (132 gallon) receiver and air dryer.
Compressor looks to be in near new condition
I paid a bit more (auction fever) than I was expecting, but still only 1/3rd of new price.

Question: Is an oil free compressor overkill for general shop use and running CNC machines? Compressed air is only compressed air, or is it?
Being an oil free compressor, does that not compromise reliability or longevity?

P

zoeper said:

Compressed air is only compressed air, or is it?

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Working in a mold shop, its a PITA when the lines have condensation in them... pneumatic cylinders HATE it and I've seen an old line spit a mouthful of water out of a die grinder!

It's really nice to have dry, oil free air, but Atlas Copco compressors aren't high quality. Make sure to have their techs do regularly scheduled preventative maintenance.

run it til it gives you issue, your only regret will be not buying one sooner

John Welden said:

It's really nice to have dry, oil free air, but Atlas Copco compressors aren't high quality. Make sure to have their techs do regularly scheduled preventative maintenance.

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Have you had problems with them before John? If so, what was the weak link, or is it just quality in general?
They certainly are not cheap here.

One negative point would be the direct drive and the fact that the pump runs at 1500RPM. I have read elsewhere that the belt drive units with the pump running 1000RPM lasts a lot longer.

I imagine in the present age Oil-free air compressor is best but 2 years old AtlCopco will not perfect to get best result. You can use the latest design Central Pneumatic, Dewalt, Senco air compressor to get right result as you want.

Thanks

Mr WALTER said:

I imagine in the present age Oil-free air compressor is best but 2 years old AtlCopco will not perfect to get best result. You can use the latest design Central Pneumatic, Dewalt, Senco air compressor to get right result as you want.

Thanks

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I agree, why would you want a commercial rotary compressor when a 20 gallon home Depot compressor is more than adequate. Mmmhmmm mmmhmmm

plastikdreams said:

I agree, why would you want a commercial rotary compressor when a 20 gallon home Depot compressor is more than adequate. Mmmhmmm mmmhmmm

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Now that wouldn't be a SPAMMER sneaking in to post verbal garbage into an OLD POST eh ?

digger doug said:

Now that wouldn't be a SPAMMER sneaking in to post verbal garbage into an OLD POST eh ?

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Nah...seems legit

plastikdreams said:

I agree, why would you want a commercial rotary compressor when a 20 gallon home Depot compressor is more than adequate. Mmmhmmm mmmhmmm

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20 gallon? 6 gallon should suffice.

cranium said:

20 gallon? 6 gallon should suffice.

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Quick story here.. A while back the motor on my big compressor fried.. Then my little back
up fried... Ran down to that unmentionable orange store and bought a 2.5hp 21 gallon compressor,
for $150.... Cycles from 90-115 or so..

Once I got all the little piss ant air leaks fixed (a small compressor will let you know
really quick if you've got air leaks you've been ignoring) that stupid little compressor
will run 3 VMC and an air hog of a lathe (air chuck, air tailstock and air over hydraulic turret).

Running 40 gallons of tank, plus the air lines, it will cycle about every 10-15 minutes, and run for
about 2-3.. With the lathe running. its about 4 and 4, but I just fixed an air leak in the tailstock
and haven't timed it again.

AND!!!!! the best part, on average, my electric bill dropped $100-$150 a month.

I've been getting about 9 months on each compressor.. And its just the reed valves that
crack.. So some .005" shim stock for a new head gasket and a .012" feeler gage for a
reed valve and its back up and running.

My big compressor, its sitting over there, brand new motor on it, new plumbing, new pressure
switch, new belts... I need to make a plate for the new motor (5hp 220V single) and wire
it in, but I'm not overly motivated since these little cheapies are doing what I need.

In short.. I never realized how little air I actually needed.. I didn't realize I could
squeek by on 90-110psi.. I didn't realize how much compressed air was costing me.. I didn't
realize how many little leaks (some you could barely feel and couldn't hear) I had.

Not great for sand blasting or using a die grinder... But runs all the machines just fine.

The Gong show forum

Mr WALTER said:

I imagine in the present age Oil-free air compressor is best but 2 years old AtlCopco will not perfect to get best result. You can use the latest design Central Pneumatic, Dewalt, Senco air compressor to get right result as you want.

Thanks

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Welcome,I see that this is your first post.You have my vote for the funniest post of the year.Edwin Dirnbeck

edwin dirnbeck said:

Welcome,I see that this is your first post.You have my vote for the funniest post of the year.Edwin Dirnbeck

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Nicely done sir

John Welden said:

It's really nice to have dry, oil free air, but Atlas Copco compressors aren't high quality. Make sure to have their techs do regularly scheduled preventative maintenance.

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I don't buy that Atlas Copco compressors are not high quality. At my day job we have 5 of them each 200hp, 750cfm, oil free screw with desiccant driers that run 24-7. They do pretty well but they do tear up now and then and we fix them. Oil free can be good if you need it but it has a cost. I think generally it is easier to build a good reliable compressor that is not oil free but i have a crappy little oil free pancake compressor that has some sort of polymer rings that has run for years. In the end all mfr's have some winner and some looser designs. Hopefully yours is a winner.

I fixed one air leak at a job that I had listened to for almost 2 years. Electric bill dropped from $600 to $300 a month! That little hiss you hear? That is your vacation money leaving the building.

It’s been said in many a plant-management text before: compressed air is easily one of the most expensive infrastructure resources a factory will use.

Compressed air isn't the same. Who cares what compressor you have if your running a couple hundred dollar air tool. When you have $100k+ cnc machines with $20k spindles that have air purge/lubed spindle bearings you need clean dry air. It's much better to start with clean and dry air than to rely on the small filter/dryers on the machines themselves. There will only be one point of service with a good air system. With a crappy air system you will be maintaining all the filter/regulators and air driers on each machine. When your 20k spindle takes a shit and the tech says the bearings failed because of a contaminated air supply how much did you actually save?

^ Yeah but for anything air quality crucial only a moron does not have quality high grade filter at point of use. Weather that be a high value spindle, semiconductor manufacture line or food use. Filter regulators are designed to be good enough for std every day pneumatic applications, thats very different to high quality air purge!!

My experience with any of the oil free compressors other than diaphragm low pressure ones, its a case of how long till the fail, not if. For some reason more than a few things i work on seam to have these little Chinese almost large solenoid like compressors, barley gets you 10 psi, but the frigging things just run and run and run.