IF you’re a user of compressed air wanting to reduce your overall cost of ownership, the new ProbeAir range of reciprocating piston, smart rotary screw and oil-free air compressors from Probe promises to provide cost-effective, quality solutions.
That’s according to Grant van Houten, who heads up Probe’s Industrial Division whose customers span the gamut from builders right through to major industrial customers.
“When you consider the total cost over the lifespan of a compressor, only 10% is the cost of the compressor and 90% will be the ongoing running costs. This means choosing the right quality compressor for the business needs, and backing it up with parts, service and maintenance plans to ensure the compressor doesn’t end up being costly over time.”
Van Houten said that in South Africa’s tough economic climate impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses can make air compression choices based purely on cost, which can ultimately affect the quality of their product offering.
“Based on market needs, we’ve developed the ProbeAir range of air compressors to be competitively priced, yet strong performers. Depending on the compressors, our warranties range from 1 to 5 years, for complete peace of mind.”
The Probe Air range of reciprocating piston air compressors for light-duty applications are a great alternative for local businesses because they can generate high returns for a relatively low investment, he said.
“The piston compressors are ideal for builders, handymen and home-based businesses, right through to paint shops at motor dealerships and more heavy-duty applications. When we visited a mine in Zimbabwe, this compressor had been running in 24-hour operations in the harshest conditions on a mill for a year and was still going strong.”
Van Houten said the key aspect when purchasing an air compression solution for businesses is to understand air compressor cycles in terms of time.
“A small business owner is not necessarily an air compression expert and may tend focus on the amount of air that their compressor will need in order to determine the right type of compressor. It’s more important to consider use in terms of time. Piston air compressors operate on a duty cycle, which means that they will seldom run continuously and will require an intermittent rest period.”
The new ProbeAir smart rotary screw air compressor adopts advanced technology from Europe, using leading brands in its main spare parts configuration to ensure good stability, high efficiency, low noise and long life.
These compressors are widely used in industries including power generation, ship building, food, packaging, electronic, cement, textiles, paper making and gas. ProbeAir screw air compressors with V-belt drive use a German technique which delivers high quality air, low noise and high efficiency.
“All parts of the ProbeAir Variable Speed Drive (VSD) screw air compressor are assembled before shipment, removing the need for complex electrical installation and programming. This plug-and-play simplicity eliminates the leading cause of failure in air systems – incorrect sizing and installation. Integral packaging saves valuable floor space for other uses,” said Van Houten.
“The VSD screw air compressor is also ideal for use in areas lacking electricity, as it accelerates slowly, offering more stability than a soft-start compressor.”
The ProbeAir Oil-free air compressors take it up a notch, offering 10% better airflow than a dry oil-free screw air compressor, with the same power. “The average energy saving is 25% more than a single stage and 15% more than a two-stage dry oil-free screw air compressor,” said Van Houten.
