Air Compressors for Electronics Industry
In your electronics facility, compressed air is more than just a power source. It's an active part of your production process, coming into direct contact with sensitive micro-circuitry. If it's not perfectly pure, it can compromise your entire operation.
This guide explains how to get a high-purity, oil-free compressed air system that protects your products. We cover the critical quality standards you need to meet and the technology required to keep your system efficient, reliable, and fully compliant with UK law.
Protect Your Sensitive Components from Contamination
If your compressed air is untreated, even minute quantities of oil, water or particles can damage sensitive parts and result in expensive rework. A dirty air supply jeopardises your yields, bottom line and reputation.
- Solid Particles: Dust and rust in the microscopic range can cause shorts on your PCBs and abrasion to delicate pneumatic tools.
- Water: Any water in your air lines will cause corrosion of circuit traces that lead to long-term product failures.
- Oil: Even tiny oil aerosols are catastrophic. They can cause components to overheat, interfere with soldering, and lead to defective batches.
A single failure in your compressed air system can shut down your entire facility. With downtime costs in semiconductor fabs estimated at over £12,000 per minute, you can't afford to take that risk.
Stay Compliant with ISO Standards in Your Cleanroom
Your system must comply with ISO 8573-1:2010 international standard to ensure air purity. This standard is necessary to be able to work in ISO 14464 cleanrooms, where your compressed air has to be as clean as the room, if not cleaner.
Two classes are essential for your operations:
- Class 1: An exceptionally high purity standard that demands advanced desiccant dryers and oil-free compressors.
- Class 0: The highest level of purity possible. It means your air quality is certified to be even more stringent than Class 1, tailored to your most sensitive applications. For your business, this means zero risk of contamination and zero risk of failed batches.
Regular Compressor Air Quality Testing is the only way to verify that your system is performing to these standards.
Choose the Right Oil-Free Technology for Guaranteed Purity
Achieving Class 0 or Class 1 air quality requires a complete, engineered system. It all starts with choosing the right compressor and treatment technology.
Why 100% Oil-Free is Your Only Option
Using a standard oil-lubricated compressor with filters is a gamble. If a filter fails, your entire production line is exposed to catastrophic contamination. Certified oil-free compressors eliminate this risk entirely because they use no oil in the compression chamber. You can learn more in our Oil Versus Oil-Free Air Compressors Guide. For the absolute purity demanded in electronics, Class 0 certified oil-free air is the only safe choice. Control Gear supplies a full range of Atlas Copco oil-free technologies to match your needs, including ZR/ZT rotary screw, high-capacity centrifugal, and compact scroll compressors.
The Complete Air Treatment Chain for Your System
To get truly Clean, Dry Air (CDA), your system needs a multi-stage treatment process:
1. Pre-filtration
Removes bulk water and particles to protect your air dryer.
2. Desiccant Drying
Achieves the ultra-low dew points (-40°C to -70°C) needed to stop condensation from forming in your lines.
3. After-filtration
A set of compressed air filters captures any remaining aerosols and fine dust.
4. Point-of-Use Polishing
A final filter right at the tool guarantees absolute purity for your most critical processes.
Optimise Your System for Energy Efficiency
Your compressed air system is a major consumer of electricity. Modern technology helps you reduce these costs significantly.
- Variable Speed Drive (VSD): Automatically senses and adjusts to the precise amount of air you need. VSD compressors reduce energy wastage by dynamically altering their speed. Electricity consumption can be reduced by 30-50%.
- Energy Recovery: Up to 90% of the heat a compressor produces can be captured and used by Atlas Copco to create hot water for use in other parts of your business, helping you reach your Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) targets.
Why Work With Us?
Get a Compliant System with Expert UK Support
A brand-new, state-of-the-art compressor is only as good as its installation. If your system isn’t up to scratch, it won’t work properly and will likely break the UK’s Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) and other relevant laws. Operating a system without a legally mandated Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) is not only dangerous, it’s illegal.
Control Gear are experts at ensuring full compliance in the electronics manufacturing sector with more than 50 years’ experience. We work with businesses throughout South Wales and the West, including Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, and Bristol. We provide complete solutions you can rely on.
- Expert System Design: We design and install your system correctly with stainless steel or modern aluminium pipework to guarantee purity.
- Proactive Maintenance: Our service plans, like the Guardian Service Plan, keep your system running at peak efficiency and prevent unexpected breakdowns.
- Full Compliance Management: We handle the entire PSSR 2000 compliance process, so you don't have to worry.
- Advanced Monitoring & Controls: Atlas Copco’s SMARTLINK and Optimiser 4.0 give you 24/7 insights to prevent failures and reduce energy costs.
- 24/7 Emergency Support: Our certified engineers are on call to minimise the impact of any unexpected issues.
- Guaranteed Quality: All our engineers are industry-certified, and we use genuine OEM parts to maintain your warranty and compliance.
Don’t risk contamination or downtime. Speak to our engineers today and get a compliant, oil-free system you can rely on.
