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Metal Head
2nd October 2006, 11:28 PM
Hi,

Can anyone share their thoughts on this make of air compressor?. I have been told they are expensive but very reliable and quiet.

Thanks to those who reply - much appreciated.

Regards
David

CompressorProfe
5th October 2006, 02:06 PM
The compressor that you are referring to may be a Sullair. It is one of the more popular brands in the US along with IR, Atlas Copco, Kaeser and Quincy. I would get a quote from all of these, and if you need a small piston compressor also call Curtis
Compressor Professor
www.compressoroils.com (http://www.compressoroils.com)

Metal Head
7th October 2006, 01:43 PM
The compressor that you are referring to may be a Sullair. It is one of the more popular brands in the US along with IR, Atlas Copco, Kaeser and Quincy. I would get a quote from all of these, and if you need a small piston compressor also call Curtis
Compressor Professor
www.compressoroils.com (http://www.compressoroils.com)


Thanks for the reply CP - much appreciated. However the name is Sil-Air (shortened) not Sullair as you mentioned. They are made in Europe and their range are supposedly one of the quietest in the World. Here is info from their web site:-


Silent Air compressors are known in over 90 countries worldwide. They have been made in Europe for almost 50 years. Silentaire Technology has been distributing them in the North American Market for nearly 20 years.

Ongoing R & D has enabled the Silent Air compressor to be a reliable and virtually trouble free product. Our European factory has invested heavily into modern production facilities. They are the largest manufacturer of silent air compressors in the world. With nearly 200 employees, 220,000 sq. ft. of production space, and over 100 different models.

Close cooperation between Silentaire Technology and our European factory assures you of a high quality product. In our 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse we can also customize our products to your exact specifications and needs. Our OEM department is here to assist you.

gerhard
20th November 2007, 10:06 PM
If it really is Sil-Air, than i have experience with those. I am (among other things) a freelance illustrator and used Sil-Air compressors for my airbrushes. Lots of intense work, and if a client changed his mind and said "nah, now that i've seen it, i think red instead of green would have been better after all". Which meant you had to start all over again, so now i do this stuff digitally. Other colour? No worries, a few clicks, have some coffee in the mean time and see me again in 10 minutes.
Since then, generations of spider families live undisturbed in my airbrush tool cupboard and the two compressors have gathered dust beyond recognition.

But seriously. As far as i know, the make is Italian. The trick behind the silence of the small models that i know, is the use of fridge compressors. So their output is minute and fit for little else than airbrushes or blowing up balloons are bike tyres.
The pressure can be as high as 6 to 8 bar though (85 to 115 psi), those tiny electric cylinder compressors shouldn't be underestimated. The choice isn't such a bad idea, when you look into it closer. The motor and compressor are enclosed and hung in springs inside this black steel enclosure, require very littel maintenance and are truly quite indeed. In fridges this unit enclosure is filled with the refrigerating agent itself (once R12 or freon, now environment-friendly replacement gas mixtures). So the motor itself functions in this gas atmosphere and the enclosure is sealed and welded shut for the gas not to escape. In Sil-Air compressors the enclosure lid is screw fitted and can be lifted to inspect the motor on soiling and proper lube oil distribution. Apart from that, everything else is the same. The motor hangs in a special sort of non-chemically agressive oil, because the copper windings are cooled by this oil and transfer their heat through it to the black enclosure surface, to be dissipated into the outside air.There is splash lubrication as well, the rotor stirrs up the oil and splashes it around. The motor axle is also hollow and through this askew bore, the oil is centrifuged and worked upwards, to lubricate the upper bearings, which are of plain cast iron on axle steel, with no sintered or bronze bushings in between. Therefore the oil level is very important and Sil-Air compressors are fitted with a looking glass, which should be inspected on a regular basis. Instead of pumping round the same inert cooling agent in a closed circuit, the modified fridge compressor in Sil-Air systems draws in outside air, which is filtered to keep out pollution from the bare motor and its oil reserve, and to obtain clean compressed air of course. The choice of a fridge compressor is not bad, in a nutshell, because these tools are used inside studios and other relatively silent workspaces.

I've seen a brochure once, in which larger models were shown. The small ones as described above, have an air reservoir capacity of 1 to 7 gallons max (5 to 30 litres), with the models above 4 gallons often fitted with 2 or 3 fridge compressor units, to serve a studio with several artists. There are larger models still, with tanks up to 30 gallons, probably operated by soundproofed screw compressor (with screw types already being the most silent systems without any exterior sound damping). The last time i used mine was around 1988, so Sil-Air might be purchased by some giant in the mean time, i lost track of the brand and its products in the last 10 years or so. But if you google up "compressori" you will find several Italian makes and maybe encounter Sil-Air (or its new name or owner) as well.

Regards,

gerhard