Case Study
Embracing Sustainability:
ABL Circuit's Transition to Efficient Compressed Air and On-Site Nitrogen Generation
ABL Circuits, following recommendations, installed an energy-efficient Atlas Copco GA11VSD compressor, improving system efficiency.
The investment will pay for itself in 1.5 years through energy savings.
They also installed an Atlas Copco Nitrogen generator, eliminating monthly nitrogen delivery costs, leading to substantial savings.
Overview
ABL Circuits have been designing and manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs) for more than three decades.
PCBs are a key component of electrical devices, from everyday items to industrial machines, and it’s critical they are manufactured to the highest standards to meet the demands placed on them.
With the expansion of their business, they were investing in a new surface soldering machine. As this would increase their demand for nitrogen, they came to Anglian Compressors to look at their compressed air usage.
To install on-site nitrogen generation equipment, so they could operate without relying on costly bottled deliveries.
Immediate Benefits
Reliable air compressors and producing their own nitrogen.
57% Reduction in operating costs
Their new installation is supporting their expansion and keeping their costs low.
The Anglian approach
Although we love installing air compressions and nitrogen-generating equipment, we always begin with a full audit of the customer’s system.
- Our audit and report mean that every customer knows how well their existing system performs, what improvements are possible, and how that all compares against any potential purchase.
- We logged ABL Circuits’ air compressor performance over a full week, providing a comprehensive assessment of it’s use and performance.
- Our report included all their equipment, including their pipework and backup machine.
We discovered that their existing compressor was inefficient.
- Sadly, most air compressors, especially older ones, do not work as well as they could, wasting energy or supplying low-quality air. It means that compressed air accounts for around 10% of all industrial energy use, when it could be a lot less.
ABL Circuits were certainly paying far more for their compressed air than they needed.
- In addition, we discovered that their backup compressor was too small to meet the needs of their growing company. It meant they faced the potential risk of severe disruption to their business if there was a problem with their existing compressor.
RESULTS
Based on our report, Will Leverett, ABL Circuits’
MD, had an easy decision to make.
- ABL Circuits followed our recommendations, and we installed an energy-efficient Atlas Copco GA11VSD compressor, along with some additional work to improve the efficiency of the overall system.
- The energy savings alone mean that the investment will have paid for itself in just over a year and a half.
- A new energy efficient Atlas Copco Nitrogen generator was specified, bought and installed, allowing them to be free of the monthly costs associated with deliveries of Nitrogen.
- And while they have a servicing plan in place to keep their new compressor in the best possible condition, we have also been able to service their old compressor, so they have a reliable backup if ever needed.
- Following discussions regarding the sizing of the new compressor, we quickly identified substantial savings for ABL Circuits, if they were to create their own Nitrogen on site, and “do away” with costly bottles.
CONCLUSION
ABL Circuits’ experience with Anglian Compressors demonstrates the value of a thorough system audit and the implementation of energy-efficient solutions for compressed air, and nitrogen generation.
By identifying areas of inefficiency and addressing the needs of a growing company, we provided ABL Circuits with a tailored solution that resulted in significant energy savings, operational reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
If your company is experiencing challenges with compressed air or nitrogen generation, or if you simply want to optimise your existing system, do not hesitate to reach out.
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