Oil-free air compressors
The Class 0 equipment page: Sullair oil-free models, sizing, and specs.
Size an oil-free compressor
Industry: Food and Beverage
Compressed Air Systems for Food and Beverage Processing
- Since 1978
- Sullair dealer since 1984
- 14 locations
- under 2 hour response
Air Quality Spec Plate
- Contact air
- ISO 8573-1 Class 0
- Oil spec
- 0 mg/m3 certified
- Dew point
- -40 F desiccant
- Filtration
- 0.01 micron sterile
- Dealer
- Sullair since 1984
What air quality does compressed air need in a food plant?
For any point where compressed air can contact food or packaging surfaces, you need ISO 8573-1 Class 0 oil-free air. Here is what that requires and how to get there without overspending on lines that never touch product.
The food grade air package
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Oil-Free Rotary Screw
- Air class
- ISO 8573-1 Class 0
- Range
- 25 to 500 HP
- Type
- Two stage, VSD avail
- Use
- Product contact air
-
Dryers and Sterile Filtration
- Dew point
- -40 F desiccant
- Filtration
- 0.01 micron, sterile
- Standard
- ISO 8573-1 particle, water, oil
- Use
- Point of use air prep
-
Sanitary Pumps
- Style
- Lobe, diaphragm, CIP ready
- Standard
- 3-A sanitary
- Media
- Product and CIP fluid
- Use
- Transfer and dosing
-
Food Grade Vacuum
- Style
- Dry claw, rotary vane
- Use
- Vacuum packaging
- Range
- To 1,000 plus CFM
- Service
- 14 branch coverage
45 + Years in Business
14 Midwest Locations
4.7 Star Google Rating
Which ISO 8573-1 class does your line need?
Pick how compressed air is used at the point you are specifying. The output is the recommended air class, what it means in practice, and the equipment kit that delivers it. No form fill required.
Recommendation
Select a contact level above to see the recommended ISO 8573-1 class.
Run the numbers yourself
- CFM calculator: total the oil-free contact air and utility air demand across fillers, cappers, and conveying before you split the system.
- Air receiver tank calculator: size storage to ride through packaging surges and blow-off cycles without pressure sag at the contact points.
- Compressed air leak calculator: put a dollar figure on wash-down and quick-disconnect leaks that inflate a food plant air bill.
What compressed air really costs
- 10% of US industrial electricity goes to compressed air Source: US DOE Compressed Air Sourcebook
- 20 to 30% of compressed air is typically lost to leaks Source: US DOE Compressed Air Sourcebook
- 75% of ten year compressor cost is energy, not purchase price Source: CAGI life cycle cost data
- under 2 hr average emergency response across our territory Source: Brabazon dispatch
Where food and beverage plants use compressed air
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Packaging and filling
Actuation air on filler valves and cappers where air can contact product paths.
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PET blow molding
High pressure 40 bar air for bottle blowing, oil-free at the preform.
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Sparging and mixing
Air or nitrogen bubbled directly into product, the clearest Class 0 case.
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Ingredient conveying
Dilute and dense phase pneumatic conveying of flour, sugar, and powders.
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Nitrogen generation
On-site N2 for MAP packaging fed by oil-free compressed air.
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Bottling lines
Rinser, filler, and labeler air plus line control instrumentation.
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CIP systems
Valve actuation and tank blow-down on clean-in-place circuits.
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Vacuum packaging
Chamber and thermoform packaging vacuum for shelf life.
What the auditor will ask about your air
Compressed air shows up in every major food safety scheme. These are the four frameworks we help plants document, with the air-side requirement of each.
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FDA GMP
21 CFR 117 treats compressed air that contacts food as a potential contamination source. Your hazard analysis must document air quality at every contact point, and oil aerosol from a lubricated compressor is a documented chemical hazard.
-
SQF and BRCGS audits
Both schemes expect a compressed air risk assessment, a defined air quality standard for contact points, and test records on a schedule you set and keep. Auditors ask for the test certificates, not the brochure.
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ISO 8573-1
The air quality standard auditors reference. Class 0 for oil is certified at the compressor by TUV type testing. Particles and water are managed by filtration and drying, and verified by periodic line testing.
-
3-A sanitary standards
Governs equipment surfaces in dairy and many food plants. Sanitary pumps and fittings in product zones should carry the 3-A symbol so wash-down and CIP validation holds up.
Featured equipment for food and beverage
The workhorse spec for direct contact air in the plants we serve is a Sullair two stage oil-free rotary screw, TUV certified to ISO 8573-1 Class 0, paired with a heatless desiccant dryer at -40 F pressure dew point and sterile point-of-use filtration. Available in fixed speed and VSD from 25 to 500 HP, with OEM parts stocked across our 14 branches. See models and specs on the oil-free compressor page.
When Class 0 everywhere is the wrong answer: non-contact utility air in
the same plant does not need Class 0, and paying oil-free prices for cylinder and tool air
wastes capital that belongs in your contact-point filtration and testing program. Split the
system and put standard
oil-flooded rotary screw air on everything that
never meets product.
Typical project: Food and beverage
Splitting contact and utility air at a food processor
A common scenario in food and beverage starts when a plant plans to replace an aging plant compressor with a single large oil-free machine. The right first step is to walk the lines and map which drops actually touch product: often the filler deck and a couple of conveying circuits need Class 0, while the majority of the plant load is cylinder and tool air. A typical answer is a smaller Sullair oil-free compressor dedicated to contact air with desiccant drying and sterile filtration, alongside an oil-flooded rotary screw for utility air. That gives the plant audit-ready documentation for its contact points and avoids paying the oil-free premium on air that never meets food, with service dispatched from the nearest of our 14 branches.
Food plant air support across the upper Midwest
Factory-trained technicians dispatch from 14 branches with an under 2 hour average emergency response. Find your nearest branch:
Questions engineers actually ask us
Do I need Class 0 air for my whole food plant?
No, only for points where air can contact food, ingredients, or packaging surfaces. Utility air for cylinders, blow-off away from product, and maintenance tools can run on oil-flooded rotary screw air at a much lower cost, so most plants run a split system.
What does ISO 8573-1 Class 0 actually certify?
Class 0 certifies that the compressor adds no measurable oil to the air stream, verified by independent type testing of the compressor itself. It does not cover particles or moisture, so you still need dryers and filtration sized to your dew point and particle class targets.
Can filtration make oil-flooded compressor air food safe?
Not reliably enough for direct contact points: most SQF and BRCGS auditors and major retail customers now expect certified oil-free air where product is touched, because a filter failure upstream is silent. For indirect contact, well-maintained filtration on oil-flooded air is a defensible, documented choice.
How often should compressed air be tested in a food plant?
Most audit schemes accept annual testing at minimum, with quarterly testing common at direct contact points. The schedule is yours to define in your food safety plan, then keep every certificate, because the auditor will ask for the history, not just the latest result.
What dew point do I need for food plant air?
A -40 F pressure dew point from a desiccant dryer is the common spec for direct contact and any line running through cold rooms, because it prevents condensation and microbial growth in the pipe. General plant air away from product can often run on refrigerated drying at roughly 38 F dew point.
What do SQF and BRCGS auditors expect for compressed air?
Both schemes expect a documented compressed air risk assessment, a defined air quality standard for each contact point, and test records kept on a schedule you set. Auditors ask for the test certificates and the history behind them, so the paper trail matters as much as the equipment.
Can compressed air feed nitrogen generation for MAP packaging?
Yes. On-site nitrogen for modified atmosphere packaging is generated from clean, dry oil-free compressed air fed to a PSA or membrane unit. Sizing the oil-free compressor and drying for the nitrogen generator alongside the direct contact air load lets one clean-air package serve both duties.
Who services food grade compressors in Wisconsin and Illinois?
Brabazon services oil-free and food grade compressed air systems from 14 locations across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri, with an under 2 hour average emergency response. We have been the authorized Sullair dealer since 1984 and stock OEM parts for the oil-free line.
Where to go next
Get your contact points to Class 0 without overspending
Send us your line layout or invite us to walk it. An engineer will map contact and non-contact points and quote only what the audit actually requires.