Most oxygen generator projects that run into trouble do so before a single component is specified. The conversation jumps straight to the generator itself, when the real starting point is the air going into it.
Feed air quality, compressor sizing, purity targets, and output capacity all depend on each other, and getting any one of them wrong means the rest of the system works against you. So before anything else gets decided, these are the questions worth asking.
Purity drives almost every other specification downstream, and the range is wider than people expect.
For most industrial uses, welding, water treatment, laser cutting of mild steel, and general process applications, 93% to 95% oxygen is sufficient. The PneuTech Oxy-Series OXYSWING generators deliver 93% purity at 6 bar pressure and meet both EU and US Pharmacopeia standards, which also makes them suitable for medical applications at that purity tier.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing, specialist laboratory processes, and certain high-precision cutting applications sit in a different category. The OXYPURE generators are designed for these situations, producing 99% to 99.5% purity across output ranges from 2.3 m³/hour to 43.2 m³/hour. That's a meaningfully different system from a sizing and cost perspective, so confirming purity requirements upfront avoids expensive reworking later.
At the smaller end of the scale, the OXYPLUS is a self-contained unit with a built-in compressor, touchscreen display, and outputs of either 10 or 20 litres per minute. It's fully mobile, which makes it useful for decentralised setups or applications where portability matters.
Undersizing is the more common mistake. An oxygen generator sized to average demand will struggle during peak usage periods, and in medical environments, that's not an acceptable failure mode.
The PO2 Series containerised packages (delivered as Oxypak units) range from the OXY-8LP at 43.30 litres per minute, supporting up to 8 patients, through to the OXY-48LP at 258.30 litres per minute for up to 46. Power draw scales with output, from 8 kW at the smaller end to 23 kW for the larger models, so operating costs should factor into sizing decisions alongside capital cost.
If demand is likely to increase over time, the modular architecture of the OXYSWING range is worth paying attention to. A single master unit can be expanded to six modules in total, tripling output without replacing the core system. That's a much cheaper path to additional capacity than starting over.
Want the full specifications before you decide? Download the free Oxygen Generators Brochure for detailed output tables, system configurations, and application guidance.
PSA technology, which is the process behind all PneuTech oxygen generators, works by separating oxygen from compressed ambient air using molecular sieves. Those sieves are doing precise, sensitive work, and they depend entirely on the incoming air being clean and dry. Wet, contaminated, or poorly pressurised feed air degrades sieve performance and shortens service life faster than almost anything else.
At minimum, the compressed air supply needs to pass through a refrigerated dryer and pre-filtration before it reaches the oxygen generator. For more demanding applications, a desiccant dryer is the better choice. A complete, well-specified air treatment train before the generator oxygen system typically includes:
For medical and food-grade applications, the compressor feeding the system needs to be oil-free. Trace oil contamination in the feed air will compromise generator oxygen purity, and in a healthcare context, that's a patient safety problem, not just a quality control one. PneuTech's RSCRD-V series oil-free compressors are Class 0 certified, meaning oil contamination is eliminated at the source rather than managed downstream with filtration.
For industrial applications where purity requirements are less stringent, a well-maintained, lubricated compressor with appropriate air treatment can work, but the air treatment side still needs proper attention.
The physical setup is worth thinking through properly rather than defaulting to whatever's easiest to quote. A site with limited indoor space and unpredictable cylinder deliveries has different needs than a large facility doing a permanent factory install.
The Oxypak containerised packages work well for operations that need to be up and running quickly, or where location flexibility matters. They arrive ready to go, and because they sit on any firm, level surface without requiring building consents, they're a practical option for remote sites or facilities where getting bulk cylinders delivered reliably is already a headache.
For larger or more permanent setups, skid-mounted and factory-install configurations give you more control over how the system integrates with the existing plant. The monitoring side is worth mentioning too: all systems include a PLC with touchscreen HMI and an onboard oxygen analyser that cuts supply automatically if purity drops, so the generator oxygen quality is never left to guesswork.
The right answer depends on your site, your application, and how your demand is likely to change over time. Explore our range of Oxygen Generators to get started.