Why We Can’t Live Without Compressed Air

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Why We Can’t Live Without Compressed Air

There are many ways in which compressed air is used and it has been this way since the start of the Industrial Revolution, when we first figured out that by compressing air, we can carry out a wide range of tasks. Using forced air was a natural progression from steam and in the early 19th century, manufacturers began investing in air compressors.

Common Uses Today

When you drive into a tyre shop to have new shoes fitted on the car, the mechanic uses compressed air to loosen and tighten the wheel nuts and the knocking sound is a hammer mechanism that exerts more force, enabling the nut to be tightened to a degree. There are many power tools that are run on compressed air; the jackhammers they use to break up the road are powered by a large air compressor, which runs on diesel.

Here are a few ways compressed air is used.

  • Abrasive blasting – Air mixed with a medium such as sand or glass beads will strip paint from metal surfaces and clean up stone, timber or any surface. Sandblasting is an essential service in many heavy industries, mining, marine equipment, oil & gas, agriculture and engineering, to name but a few. There are other mediums that can be mixed with compressed air to clean delicate surfaces and with mobile blasting machines, you are not limited with access.
  • Power Tools – Pneumatic drills and jackhammers are used in road construction and civil engineering and this requires the use of large compressors that can power a series of machines at the same time. For the best range of air compressors, check out domnick hunter RL, Thailand, a leading supplier of air compressors, water treatment equipment and other components.
  • Cleaning Computers – The inside of a desktop PC gets very dusty and every now and then, you should take the CPU case to a computer repair shop and they will use a can of compressed air to clean out the interior. On the subject of computers, we need to make sure our kids don’t spend too much time on digital devices, missing out on nature.
  • Tyre & Engineer Shops – The tools they use to tighten and undo wheel nuts, run on compressed air, which is also used to inflate tyres, while in engineering shops, compressed air is used to clear away metal chaff and dust. Every machine would have an air hose for this very purpose, while the huge compressor would keep the pressure at a usable level, automatically kicking in then the pressure drops below a certain point.
  • Dental Treatment – We all hear the hissing of that small pipe that the dentist uses to dry a tooth or section of the gums and this mini-compressor is a vital component for every dentist. The actual compressor is small and it does not require a high level of pressure to provide the air needed.

There are several types of air compressor,

  • Piston compressor
  • Screw compressor
  • Diesel compressor

If you are in need of compressed air, a Google search will bring up a list of established suppliers of all things related to compressed air.