Types of Tools Powered by Air Compressors

Pneumatic tools have long been popular all over the world. The secret to their success lies in cost-effectiveness and practicality. If you are a beginner mechanic, then you need to have a good idea of ​​the best pneumatic tools that you can use to improve the quality, productivity, and speed of work. The key advantage and the basis of the huge popularity of pneumatic tools is production capacity, safety, reliability, durability, and productivity. They have a special design, different from power tools and are driven by compressed air and require connection to a compressed air compressor. Not all instruments sold on the market today are the same, so carefully check the conformity of the characteristics with your air compressor.

The choice of a compressor is very important in this case

Each tool needs a certain amount of air at a given pressure. This volume is measured in liters/min or in m³/h (i.e. 1m³/h = 16.67 l/min). That is why, when choosing a compressor, first of all, its capabilities should be correlated with the demands of pneumatic tools. Otherwise, the tool will not function correctly. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that compressor performance should give a small head start to tool consumption. This is one of the most important aspects that you can see in any review of pneumatic tools. And, when buying a compressor, you need to add 20% to the maximum consumption of a pneumatic tool, the amount received will mean the minimum compressor performance. The volume of air delivered by a compressor depends on the size of its tank and its ability to fill it more or less quickly thanks to the performance of its compression unit. And a large capacity tank makes it possible to use all the tools almost permanently whatever the air required by the tool. To choose a compressor power suited to your needs, you must determine the nature of the tools that will be connected to the compressor and whether they will be connected at the same time. It is also necessary to know the nature of the electrical source available, namely 230V single or 380V three-phase.

Drilling and chiseling

The pneumatic hammer drill is the oldest representative of pneumatic tools. Its ability to destroy solid materials by impact allows it to be used today in construction and repair work. By the force of impact, pneumatic perforators are practically not inferior to modern electrical analogs, and the frequency of impacts is 2000 – 3000 beats/min. If you need to make holes in metal or wooden workpieces, use a pneumatic drill. It is an analog of shock-free electric models and can safely compete with them, thanks to the high rotation speed reaching 2200 rpm.

Working with fasteners and joining parts

•         Pneumatic impact wrench – Designed to tighten and loosen threaded connections. Models are shockless and shock. The latter allows you to work with stuck nuts and rusted fasteners.
•         Pneumatic riveter – Designed to create one-piece joints of metal workpieces. A riveting is inserted into a pre-drilled hole, its core is drawn in by compressed air and the head is flattened, fastening the elements together.
•         Pneumatic stapler – Equipped with a magazine for fasteners. Under the influence of compressed air, they fly out and crash into the material. Using a stapler, the upholstery fabric is fixed on the furniture and the wooden structural elements are connected. Compared with a hammer and a mechanical stapler, such a tool will be more productive.
•         Pneumatic screwdriver – It is an analog of an electric screwdriver. The main task is to tighten the fasteners, the reverse function allows you to untwist.

Spraying air, sand or paint

Air guns act on the processed material directly with a stream of air. For example, purge guns make it easy to clean the surface of a workpiece or product from dirt and dust, to clean pipes and other cylindrical parts. There are also tools in which sand is mixed with air, they are called sandblasting guns. Such a mixture is released under pressure from the nozzle and removes the top coating layer. Another spraying tool is a pneumatic spray gun. In it, the air is mixed with paint, which is poured into the tank, and under pressure from the nozzle, a spray jet comes out.

Grinding

In furniture and car repair shops, one of the important operations is surface leveling. There are direct and angle grinders pneumatic grinders. The first approach for the treatment of narrow sections and small parts, attachments are abrasive stones. The pneumatic angle grinder is used for polishing a car body, polishing wooden products. For her, grinding and polishing discs come as accessories.