Air Compressor Parts

Air compressors are mechanical devices with lot of moving parts. Needless to say, the moving action will cause wear and tear on such parts. No mater what type of air compressor you are using it will eventually need replacement of air compressor parts. If neglected, this wear and tear can have serious effects on your air compressor. It will not only lower down the performance of your air compressor, but at times, might also prove to be dangerous. Hence it is important to know the components that make up your air compressor so that when you are looking to change some parts, you at least have an idea what you should be looking for. As like any other device, the specifications may change for different models and different manufacturers, however, the basic parts and their functions would remain the same.

The two broad categories of air compressors are those that are oil lubricated and those that are not. The oil-lubricated compressor needs more care with its operations, more maintenance, and the oil needs to be changed periodically to keep it in good running condition. Compressors which are not lubricated by oil are comparatively simpler machines and easy to use.

Most air compressors that are used by industries make use of multi stage compression (where air is compressed more than once). This meets the heavy-duty requirements of industries, as the air is compressed at a much higher degree compared to the small, portable compressors commonly used in homes. Also, these have the option of storing the unused air for future use, which results in savings in terms of energy consumption. These industrial air compressors run on higher horsepower than the conventional compressors, are much less likely to break down, and require minimal maintenance.

Air compressors are complex mechanical devices, and there are many parts that go into their working. External parts such as the gas tank, the frame, compression module, wheels, handle bars, and electrical cables are all relatively simpler and can be easily maintained and replaced in case of damage. The internal parts are much more complex and are much more likely to wear out due to constant use. They lie inside the compressor module and are the mechanical parts that actually compress the air.

Rotary Screw: The mechanism of the rotary screw compressor utilizes counter-rotating intermeshed helical screw placed in a correspondingly shaped chamber. With the rotation of the mechanism, the meshing and rotation of the helical rotors compresses the gas inside a small space.

Rotary Vanes: The rotary vanes are the blades in a rotating cylinder, and are mounted off-axis. In the rotor, two diametrically opposed radially directed vanes are spring-loaded to force contact with the pump’s body. As the rotor is positioned off-axis, the motion will cause the volume of gas between the vanes and the body to vary during each half turn. The gas inlet port is positioned in such a way that once there is an intake of gas by the movement of the vane it allows the next portion of the gas in the feeding pipe to expand until the next vane passes.
Piston: A piston is a solid disk or cylinder that fits into a larger cylinder and is moved by or moves against the pressure of air.

The other parts that supplement these main mechanical parts inside a compressor are springs, shocks, forks, rims and stand. All these are subjected to a lot of wear and tear, as these are the moving mechanical parts, which actually compress the air. Hence, periodic maintenance and replacement is necessary for these parts.