While there are dental
air compressors that use rotating impellers to generate air
pressure, positive-displacement compressors are more common and include the
models used by homeowners, woodworkers, mechanics and contractors. Here, air
pressure is increased by reducing the size of the space that contains the air.
Most of the compressors you'll run across do this job with a reciprocating
piston.
Like a small internal combustion engine, a conventional piston compressor has
a crankshaft, a connecting rod and piston, a cylinder and a valve head. The
crankshaft is driven by either an electric motor or a gas engine. While there
are small models that are comprised of just the pump and motor, most compressors
have an air tank to hold a quantity of air within a preset pressure range. The
compressed air in the tank drives the air tools, and the motor cycles on and off
to automatically maintain pressure in the tank.
At the top of the cylinder, you'll find a valve head that holds the inlet and
discharge valves. Both are simply thin metal flaps–one mounted underneath and
one mounted on top of the valve plate. As the piston moves down, a vacuum is
created above it. This allows outside air at atmospheric pressure to push open
the inlet valve and fill the area above the piston. As the piston moves up, the
air above it compresses, holds the inlet valve shut and pushes the discharge
valve open. The air moves from the discharge port to the tank. With each stroke,
more air enters the tank and the pressure rises.
Typical compressors come in 1- or 2-cylinder versions to suit the
requirements of the tools they power. On the homeowner/contractor level, most of
the 2-cylinder models operate just like single-cylinder versions, except that
there are two strokes per revolution instead of one. Some commercial 2-cylinder
compressors are 2-stage compressors–one piston pumps air into a second cylinder
that further increases pressure.
Compressors use a pressure switch to stop the motor when tank pressure
reaches a preset limit–about 125 psi for many single-stage models. Most of the
time, though, you don't need that much pressure. Therefore, the air line will
include a regulator that you set to match the pressure requirements of the tool
you're using. A gauge before the regulator monitors tank pressure and a gauge
after the regulator monitors air-line pressure. In addition, the tank has a
safety valve that opens if the pressure switch malfunctions. The pressure switch
may also incorporate an unloader valve that reduces tank pressure when the
compressor is turned off.
Many articulated-piston compressors are oil lubricated. That is, they have an
oil bath that splash-lubricates the bearings and cylinder walls as the crank
rotates. The pistons have rings that help keep the compressed air on top of the
piston and keep the lubricating oil away from the air. Rings, though, are not
completely effective, so some oil will enter the compressed air in aerosol form.
Having oil in the air isn't necessarily a problem. Many air tools require
oiling, and inline oilers are often added to increase a uniform supply to the
tool. On the down side, these models require regular oil checks, periodic oil
changes and they must be operated on a level surface. Most of all, there are
some tools and situations that require oilfree air. Spray painting with oil in
the airstream will cause finish problems. And many new woodworking air tools
such as nailers and sanders are designed to be oilfree so there's no chance of
fouling wood surfaces with oil. While solutions to the airborne oil problem
include using an oil separator or filter in the air line, a better idea is to
use an oil
free compressor that uses permanently lubricated bearings in place
of the oil bath.
A variation on the automotive-type piston compressor is a model that uses a
one-piece piston/connecting rod. Because there is no wrist pin, the piston leans
from side to side as the eccentric journal on the shaft moves it up and down. A
seal around the piston maintains contact with the cylinder walls and prevents
air leakage.
Where air requirements are modest, a diaphragm compressor can be effective.
In this design, a membrane between the piston and the compression chamber seals
off the air and prevents leakage.