Compressed air quality is crucial for aerospace manufacturing, as aircraft components and tools must be of the highest quality and precision. This demanding standard for component quality urges aerospace manufacturers to utilize compressed air with specific requirements. The air must be clean, dry, and unvaried under pressure. If the air becomes dirty, moist, or varies in pressure, it can disrupt operations, hinder product quality, damage equipment assets, and decrease efficiency and uptime.

“Compressed air is the heartbeat of our operations, and we cannot afford to compromise our product quality with unreliable compressed air,” said Mark Gabbard, facility manager at Legacy Industries, a Michigan-based manufacturer that produces mechanical parts, robots, and tools for “the big three” aircraft manufacturers.

Air pressure is another crucial factor for aerospace manufacturers. As components and tools for aircraft are highly delicate, constant air pressure can ensure manufacturing precision and significantly decrease the error rate.

“To avoid production losses from factory shutdowns, we used to have two backup air compressors for full redundancy,” said Gabbard. “Our two backup air compressors, one with 30 hp and the other with 50 hp, were experiencing deteriorating performance, and we needed to find replacement options.”

Eight years ago, the company began working with Elgi at its Auburn Hills facility in Michigan. Legacy Industries installed an EG 75V, a 100 hp variable speed rotary screw air compressor reputed for ensuring low oil carryover with its unique OSBIC (Oil Separation by Impact and Centrifugal action) process design. This design enables efficient separation of air and oil in three stages, delivering consistent compressed air quality with minimum pressure drop.

“Since we were happy with its performance, we decided to install another 100-hp EG 75V as our backup air compressor,” Gabbard said. “We’ve never encountered any oil contamination or moisture issues. The quality air enables us to produce the most precise aircraft parts and tools.”

The aerospace manufacturer proactively installed a new EG 75V air compressor to ensure complete redundancy and avoid production downtime. The EG Series comes equipped with eta-V profile rotors with a 4/5 lobe combination. This air end design reduces pressure losses and increases stage efficiencies, leading to an optimized compressed air system. Also, the compressor is designed with an oversized cooling system that prevents overheating and enables continuous peak performance.

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