Are you using the right air compressor in your factory or production processes? Air compressors are a must-have tool for production and packaging, making tasks quick, easy, and cost-effective.
In this article, we outline the most common applications for an air compressor in the food and beverage industry. We explain how to choose the best air compressor for your unique needs, including the best option for common scenarios in this sector.
Air compressors are used in the food and beverage industry for a variety of tasks.
Compressed air is commonly used during the processing of foods and beverages. This may include conveying, mixing, blending, aerating, or fermenting various products. Common examples include flour, sugar, spices, dough, beer, and dairy.
Compressed air is also useful for various packaging processes, including bottling, canning, capping, labelling, and vacuum sealing. It has also been used increasingly for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to enhance product shelf life.
Compressed air is also valuable for cleaning and sanitising the workspace. Common examples include drying, cleaning, and sorting products while minimising human contact. An air compressor vacuum or air gun can also be used for removing contaminants from surfaces and containers.
Compressed air is invaluable for pneumatic systems and pneumatic air tools, which are commonly used for conveying, cooling, and freezing. Tools that use an air compressor may include chilling conveyors and rapid cooling.
Compressed air-powered automation systems offer precise control and measurement. This is effective in valves, cylinders, and actuators throughout production lines.
When choosing an air compressor, you’ll need to consider the air pressure (PSI), air volume (CFM), tank size, and air purity requirements.
Your air compressor must match the end-use tool with the highest PSI rating. If your tools or automated systems need different pressure levels, you can use pressure regulators to manage them.
The Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) measures the volume of air your compressor can supply. To determine your CRM requirement, add the total air consumption of your tools, remembering to account for any that operate at the same time.
An air receiver tank stores your compressed air between the air compressor and the end-use tool. This reduces how often the compressor needs to run to meet your demand. We recommend that the tank size (in gallons) should be roughly one-quarter to one-third of the CFM output.
In food and beverage, you’ll need an extremely high level of air purity (class 0). This means there should be no risk of contamination in the air,
In food and beverage manufacturing, oil-free fixed-speed rotary screw compressors are often the best choice. These applications typically require continuous, high volumes of air for machinery and automated systems while also requiring high-quality air. A rotary screw compressor offers efficiency, 100% air purity, and the ability to handle high-duty cycles.
In food and beverage packaging, air purity is paramount. The best option is an oil-free air compressor, producing 100% pure air to meet the highest food-grade air quality standards. For even higher air quality, we can also incorporate additional air drying and filtration. These compressors are ideal for bottle filling, capping, purging, carton sealing, wrapping, and all manner of food packaging.
For food and beverage applications, we recommend oil-free compressors to prevent any risk of contamination. We have a range of sizes and configurations to choose from, achieving 100% oil-free Class 0 Certification.
PneuTech's RSCRXA series of scroll air compressors offer oil-free compressed air that is compliant with Class 8573.1. With little low maintenance requirements, this range of scroll compressors offers thousands of hours of hassle-free and cost-effective operation.
Time to purchase an industrial air compressor and tools?
This practical guide will help you make an informed decision based on your unique needs. We’ve included everything you need to know about the types of compressors, how they work, and the specifications of the full PneuTech range.
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