Product category:
Compressors and Air Treatment
News Release from: Boge Compressors | Subject: SD40 oil-cooled screw compressors
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 18 November 2003
Dry air helps CNC machines
Two Boge SD40 oil-cooled screw compressors with integral dryers have solved several major problems for precision engineer JJ Churchill, based in Nuneaton.
Two Boge SD40 oil-cooled screw compressors with integral dryers have solved several major problems for precision engineer JJ Churchill, based in Nuneaton JJ Churchill manufactures precision engineered components for the aerospace, defence, automotive and power generation markets and is a world leader in part-off tooling
Sometimes working 24 hours a day, JJ Churchill needs a constantly available supply of clean, dry compressed air for its 20 horizontal and vertical CNC machining centres.
The problems centred around two old piston compressors, one of which had developed a major water leak in its cooling system, and both of which made too much noise for neighbouring residents.
The compressed air supply was never reliably dry, which was causing corrosion in air tools and problems with the pneumatic actuators in the CNC machines, which in turn caused stoppages.
Downtime in a busy precision engineering shop is not good news, so something had to be done.
Local compressed air specialist Manton Compressor Service was called in to advise what should be done to provide a reliable, quiet source of dry compressed air.
Factory space was at a premium, so David Manton and his team recommended that the company buy two Boge SD40 screw compressors with integral refrigerant compressed air dryers, and install them in two acoustic compressor houses specially built by Manton Compressors.
The integral dryers made it unnecessary to use space for separate dryers, as would normally be required.
A survey showed that peak air demand was of the order of 6230 litre/min, with the normal air requirement rarely more than half that.
The effective air delivery of each Boge SD40 is 5100 litre/min at 8bar pressure, so having two meant that the present peak air requirement was easily covered, with room for expansion.
It also meant that the normal compressed air requirement could be covered temporarily by one machine running alone, so that no shortage of compressed air would normally be experienced during routine maintenance.
The Boge screw compressors are so precisely made that they normally deliver air that is almost oil-free at the compressor output.
However, a standard set of filters ensures that any residual oil aerosols are removed before it enters the receiver and the air main.
The built-in refrigerant dryer that is within the SD40 cabinet ensures that all moisture is removed from the air supply to a 3C dewpoint, thus protecting the company's air tools and pneumatic actuation systems on the CNC machines from damage.
Stoppages due to poor quality compressed air have been eliminated.
Best of all, the new compressors are so quiet that all risk of complaints from the neighbours has gone for good.
Boge screw compressors are electrically powered and run with a smooth hum.
Manton's supplies routine maintenance at the prescribed intervals under the free 5-year Boge warranty and JJ Churchill is now able to forget about problems with compressed air.
Reliable, clean, dry compressed air means constant uninterrupted production, which is what every precision engineering workshop wants. Request a free brochure from Boge Compressors ...
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