!8: Prices Dremel Scroll: January 2012

!±8± Silent Air Compressors - For Office Use

While everyone generally agrees that pneumatic (air driven) energy is cost efficient and generates much less waste than many alternatives, at the same time they are not particularly known for being very quiet. Indeed, anyone that has ever visited their local mechanic's shop knows that pneumatic tools - and the air compressors that run them - are usually very loud. This is even worse in a lot of factories, where multiple pneumatic machines are being run constantly. The noise in factories is frequently so loud that workers are required to wearing hearing protection.

Nevertheless, as pneumatic energy becomes more popular outside of heavy industry and machine shops - where noise is not as much of an issue - there has developed a very specific market for silent air compressors. A prime example might be a dentist's office, where many of the tools and suction devices are pneumatically powered, but where the loud noise associated with your mechanic's shop would be most inappropriate. Other examples of places where people want less noisy compressors include small workshops, shared spaces, and private homes. As a consequence, a specialized industry has developed that focuses specifically on creating silent compressors that are still strong enough to satisfy the user's requirements.

The actual ways and means of making silent air compressors is largely proprietary knowledge, so the manufacturers do not usually advertise precisely how the noise reduction is accomplished in order to discourage copycats. Nevertheless, there are basic techniques that are common to almost all silent air compressors. These are things that can help steer buyers in the right direction if they know what to look for. For example, virtually all silent air compressors are designed primarily as stationary machines and almost all use electrical motors; so one can automatically exclude most air compressors fueled in other ways.

Similarly, almost all silent air compressors are reciprocating, or piston driven, as opposed to using other means of compression simply because piston compressors tend to make less noise without oil. Since many, if not most, indoor applications require oil free compressors; it only makes sense to use piston technology. Rotary vane compressors make less noise than reciprocal ones, but they tend to be much larger, making them inappropriate for small office spaces. There are also scroll compressors, which represent an excellent technology at low levels, but these are newer and less common. In fact the "secret" of some silent compressors is simply that they are scroll compressors, but these may not be powerful enough to meet all the user's requirements.

Other methods used in the construction of silent air compressors involve using added insulation, anti-vibration technology, and special materials. These are the elements that the companies tend to be vaguer about when it comes to the specifics. Special dampeners, padding, insulation, and suspension have resulted in silent compressors that are truly silent today. Similarly, as industrial materials continue to be developed, all sort of new synthetic or treated materials are being used in the construction of silent compressors.

It is safe to say that at least one of the many silent air compressors on the market will probably meet your requirements, but it is also safe to say that you will probably be expected to pay more for it.