Atlas Copco VSD dryers deliver quality air and energy savings to Ogihara's 8 million new press line
April 1st 2007

In today's competitive markets,practical production economics dictate that UK vehicle manufacturers no longer produce all their major components in-house; instead, they rely on the supply of precision body pressings and assemblies from companies like Telford-based Ogihara Europe Ltd the largest independent stamper of skin panels and assembler of bonnets, doors, tailgates and car boots in the UK a key player that has just invested 8 million in a new, fully automated press line.

Founded in 1994, and part of the global Ogihara Group that deals with every major automotive manufacturer worldwide, Ogihara Europe, with a turnover approaching 66 million, is - supplying components on a JIT basis - and undertaking engineering and tooling projects for Jaguar,Toyota, SAAB,Peugeot,Vauxhall and Renault.

It's the company's fifth press line installation on the 20-acre, former GKN site at Hortonwood where compressed air plays an essential role in the efficient operation of the new Fukui production equipment.Known as T2, the facility consists of five individual machines that can exert pressures ranging from 600 up to 1,600 tonnes.

But to guarantee the reliable performance of these presses, there can be no moisture contamination present in the delivered air.That's why Colin Hunt,Ogihara's principal plant engineer, decided it was time to replace the existing, but obsolete and oversized,water-cooled dryers with Atlas Copco state-of-the-art FD 1000VSD refrigerant dryers, after calling in his local compressed air specialist,Telford Compressed Air Services.

Not only do the new dryers remove the threat of moisture-laden air reaching the production equipment but, with the minimum pressure drop and Variable Speed Drive to match output to demand, the installation provides measurable energy savings at the same time.

Each of the two dryers delivers 1000 l/s (2118 cfm) of dry air at a maximum working pressure of 13bar (189 psi), with a PDP of 3C/37F and a pressure drop of just 0.18 bar (2.61 psi).The FD dryer's Variable Speed Drive refrigerant compressor exactly matches the energy input to the need defined by the water load to the dryer, thereby achieving more than 25% savings in energy consumption when compared to a conventional drying unit.

As Colin Hunt explains:"In the light of what is happening in the industry, we are faring well.The new press line is a major advancement on the older presses.

They are still very usable but the technology is a bit slower. In deciding on our considerable capital investment in the new equipment, including the two new dryers,we felt that energy-efficiency had to be an essential part of the equation and that's what Atlas Copco's FD VSD dryers are delivering."

FREE Energy saving CD available to help fight rising costs The completely revised and updated edition of the Atlas Copco Energy Saver CD is available free to every compressed air user who needs to fight back against the soaring cost of electricity.

With the opportunity to help slash energy bills by at least a third in some areas, the CD presents all that a company needs to know about variable speed drive compressors, electronic controllers, leak detection and prevention, AIRScan surveys, air management surveys, money-saving preventative maintenance programmes, and much more

Atlas Copco – the first manufacturer to offer 100% certified oil-free compressed air Atlas Copco's Oil-free Air division Z-series of oil-free rotary screw air compressors is the first in the world to be TÜV certified ISO 8573 -1 CLASS 0.

Risk of any contamination by oil is effectively eliminated during food and beverage processing, pharmaceuticals manufacturing and packaging, electronics manufacturing, automotive paint spraying and powder coating as well as textile manufacturing.

Certification was carried out by the independent Technische Überwachungs- Verein (German Technical Monitoring Association, or "TÜV") using the most stringent test methods available, simulating realistic industrial installation environments.At all test conditions, no traces of oil could be determined and the compressed air was certified to be in the Category 'Class 0' in terms of oil content.

The ISO 8573-1 compressed air standard revised in 2001 established a more comprehensive measuring methodology, including all three forms of oil contamination by air compressors – aerosols, vapour and liquid – to provide a true picture of air quality. To the existing purity classes 1 through 5, a new and more stringent class was added: ISO 8573-1 CLASS 0.

More articles from Atlas Copco Compressors Ltd: