It is said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This idea applies to many things in life. Air tools and equipment are no exception. Today's pneumatic equipment is far superior in many ways to equipment made just a few years ago. There are lighter materials and better designs, resulting in tools that are faster, quieter and more powerful pound for pound than the tools of yesterday.

There is, however, one common denominator between today's air tools and ones made years ago. The element that all these tools need, which is many times overlooked or taken for granted. Here is a riddle for you: If a gasoline engine can't run without gasoline, then what does an air tool need to operate? You guessed it! Air! Pneumatic tools need air that is clean, dry, and the correct pressure and volume in order to perform the way they were designed.

This presents two different issues. One is the actual creation of the air. This, as you know, is dependent on having a compressor (or compressors) that is correctly sized to supply air to the shop. It needs to be large enough to supply the pressure and, more importantly, the volume needed for the number of bays, technicians and equipment in a shop. This needs to be balanced against the economics of operating the equipment as well as the initial costs. Too big or too much air is wasteful in terms of operating costs and purchase/installation costs. The second issue, and the one this ...