If you’re an industrial 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. From builders right through to major industrial customers – ProbeAir is making it easier for customers to access the best compressors and aftermarket services with rent-to-air lease options and full stock availability across a dealer network.
“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,” says Grant van Houten, who heads up Probe’s Industrial Division. “Probe can guarantee to bring down your overall cost of ownership over the lifespan of your compressor. We’re focused on helping our customers increase profitability by ensuring that they can achieve the highest productivity, while reducing the total cost of ownership to the absolute lowest levels. 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 says 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, says Van Houten. “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 says that 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 ProbeAir piston compressors have a duty cycle of 60/40, explains van Houten. This means that they are expected to operate for 60% of the time (which is around 15 to 20 minutes) before automatically shutting off for a 10 minute rest period. “This is a great mechanism that stops users from unknowingly burning out their compressor.”
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. They are elegant and easy to install, with simple operation and maintenance and a robust design to ensure your processes will function continuously even in the harshest conditions, including temperatures up to 55°C. ProbeAir screw air compressors are ISO, CE and SME certificate approved.
“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,” says 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.”
Research comparing the performance of a VSD screw air compressor and a normal screw air compressor indicates the cost of the VSD can be recouped within two years. For a 55KW screw air compressor, with 70% air delivery in a year, the VSD type can save about 80 000 KwH energy. “Through avoiding frequent loading and unloading, the VSD machine saves over 35% energy compared to the normal compressor. The VSD screw air compressor changes the rotating speed according to air consumption and balance of the air supply and air usage. Stable pressure delivery controlled the pressure zone at 0.01 Mpa – 0.02 Mpa, avoiding the energy loss under high pressure found in a general type air compressor,” van Houten explains.
“Basically, it delivers more air for less horsepower, saving thousands of Rands per year on energy. It also eliminates wasteful unloaded running by cycling the compressor on and off.”
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,” says van Houten. “Clients also benefit from easier, less costly maintenance due to fewer maintenance consumables, including air and water filters.”
The machine’s ultra-quiet design includes a low speed and large volume cooling system and a large scale cooler to reduce a convection friction. Absolutely oil-free operation means cleaner air with no risk of oil pollution. An integrated design, with no complex pipe and electric lines, reduces the potential for failures and provides more stable operation. The machine can operate for 24 hours unattended and includes PLC-controlled automatic fault detection, fault warnings and maintenance reminders. New technology ensures air ends are now manufactured from durable, corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy rather than copper. Intelligent precision machining technology ensures highly balanced air ends in operation. This results in smaller vibrations, lower noise and extended life.
“The key is compression at ambient temperature, which saves energy,” says Van Houten. “As the operating temperature is less than 50 degrees Celsius, there is no risk of burning. With the same power, this compressor offers 10% better airflow than a dry oil-free screw air compressor. Pressure can range from 2 bar to 40 bar. Regular automatic water change and system cleaning means the compressor is also cleaner and more hygienic.”
The ProbeAir compressor range complements the comprehensive range of high-quality compressors that Probe Industrial Technologies offers, including the Fini range of piston and screw compressors and the SCC screw compressor range. “It’s important to choose the right compressor for your operating needs and to have access to ongoing service and consumables at the right price to maximise profitability. At Probe, we’ve specialised in offering the best product and ongoing service.”
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, says Van Houten. “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 says that 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 ProbeAir piston compressors have a duty cycle of 60/40, explains van Houten. This means that they are expected to operate for 60% of the time (which is around 15 to 20 minutes) before automatically shutting off for a 10 minute rest period. “This is a great mechanism that stops users from unknowingly burning out their compressor.”
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. They are elegant and easy to install, with simple operation and maintenance and a robust design to ensure your processes will function continuously even in the harshest conditions, including temperatures up to 55°C. ProbeAir screw air compressors are ISO, CE and SME certificate approved.
“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,” says 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.”
Research comparing the performance of a VSD screw air compressor and a normal screw air compressor indicates the cost of the VSD can be recouped within two years. For a 55KW screw air compressor, with 70% air delivery in a year, the VSD type can save about 80 000 KwH energy. “Through avoiding frequent loading and unloading, the VSD machine saves over 35% energy compared to the normal compressor. The VSD screw air compressor changes the rotating speed according to air consumption and balance of the air supply and air usage. Stable pressure delivery controlled the pressure zone at 0.01 Mpa – 0.02 Mpa, avoiding the energy loss under high pressure found in a general type air compressor,” van Houten explains.
“Basically, it delivers more air for less horsepower, saving thousands of Rands per year on energy. It also eliminates wasteful unloaded running by cycling the compressor on and off.”
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,” says van Houten. “Clients also benefit from easier, less costly maintenance due to fewer maintenance consumables, including air and water filters.”
The machine’s ultra-quiet design includes a low speed and large volume cooling system and a large scale cooler to reduce a convection friction. Absolutely oil-free operation means cleaner air with no risk of oil pollution. An integrated design, with no complex pipe and electric lines, reduces the potential for failures and provides more stable operation. The machine can operate for 24 hours unattended and includes PLC-controlled automatic fault detection, fault warnings and maintenance reminders. New technology ensures air ends are now manufactured from durable, corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy rather than copper. Intelligent precision machining technology ensures highly balanced air ends in operation. This results in smaller vibrations, lower noise and extended life.
“The key is compression at ambient temperature, which saves energy,” says Van Houten. “As the operating temperature is less than 50 degrees Celsius, there is no risk of burning. With the same power, this compressor offers 10% better airflow than a dry oil-free screw air compressor. Pressure can range from 2 bar to 40 bar. Regular automatic water change and system cleaning means the compressor is also cleaner and more hygienic.”
The ProbeAir compressor range complements the comprehensive range of high-quality compressors that Probe Industrial Technologies offers, including the Fini range of piston and screw compressors and the SCC screw compressor range. “It’s important to choose the right compressor for your operating needs and to have access to ongoing service and consumables at the right price to maximise profitability. At Probe, we’ve specialised in offering the best product and ongoing service.”
