August 7, 2024
Silent air compressor with low noise
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
What is your biggest fear? Factory space? The acquisition of a quiet compressor? Good financing options for your equipment? Integrated processing? Whatever is on your mind, be confident that our sales team will be on his top priority suggesting the right choice of equipment that fitting you.
Our offer will satisfy your factory’s needs, whether you need the lowest investment cost because your plant is newly established, our silent air compressor. or compressed air fittings that do not break down with guaranteed uptime. Request free consultation with our expert to guide you.
Atlas Copco's products are developed by experts who are highly experienced in their field and have an extensive knowledge of all the latest developments. Our products meet all standards of quality and excellence, including the best silent air compressor present in the market that fits all your needs
What causes air compressor noise?
All machines generate sound and vibration, so do compressors. Their noise level can be influenced by the properties of the room it is in, the room's size for example. In this article we will discuss this further, as well as give you five methods on how to reduce it. Learn more about the basics of sound here.
How to reduce sound
There are five different ways to reduce sound.
- Sound insulation: Sound insulation involves an acoustic barrier being placed between the sound source and the receiver. This means that only a part of the sound can be insulated, depending on the area of the barrier and its insulation characteristics. A heavier and larger barrier is more effective than a lighter, smaller barrier.
- Sound absorption: involves the sound source being surrounded by light, porous absorbents attached to a barrier. Thicker absorbents are more effective than thinner absorbents and typical minimum densities are approx. 30 kg/m3 for open-cell polyurethane foam and approx. 150 kg/m3 for mineral wool.
- Vibration insulation: is used to prevent the transfer of vibrations from one part of a structure to another. A common problem is the transfer of vibrations from a built-in machine to the surrounding sound insulation barrier or down to the floor. Steel springs, air springs, cork, plastic, and rubber are examples of materials used for vibration insulation. The choice of materials and their dimensioning is determined by the frequency of the vibration and by the demands of stability for the machine setup.
- Vibration dampening: involves a structure being fitted with an external dampening surface composed of elastic material with a high hysteresis. When the dampening surface applied is sufficiently thick, the barrier wall will effectively be prevented from vibrating and, consequently, from emitting sound.
- Dampening of a sound source: will often influence its operational behavior. It may give limited results, yet provide a viable solution in terms of cost.
How to pick a quiet air compressor?
Terms like ultra-quiet compressors, quiet compressors, silent compressors etc. might sound different but they all mean the same thing i.e. an air compressor that is equipped with either a full or a partial enclosure that absorbs sound and reduces the noise level to below 80 dB (A).
What type of compressors are the quietest?
Because of their structure, piston compressors are the least quiet compressors. Scroll compressors on the other hand are the quietest compressors. For instance, Atlas Copco's SF line of air compressors have a low-noise scroll element, optimised super-silent fan and sound insulated canopy that allows noise levels as low as 53 decibels! Screw compressors are also quiet since the helical screws don't touch one another. For example, Atlas Copco’s VSD+ compressors could run as low as 62 dB(A) and is made to run continuously and are ideal for applications that need continuous input.
