Oil-free compressors
Class 0 air for contact packaging and nitrogen generator feed air.
Spec Class 0 air
Industry: Packaging
Compressed Air and Vacuum Systems for Packaging Lines
- Since 1978
- Sullair dealer since 1984
- 14 locations
- under 2 hour response
Packaging Utilities Spec Plate
- Contact air
- ISO 8573-1 Class 0
- Blow molding
- Up to 580 psi PET class
- Vacuum
- Central, VSD matched
- MAP nitrogen
- 95 to 99.9%+ on site
- Dealer
- Sullair since 1984
Do I need compressed air or vacuum for this packaging operation, and what quality?
When the line drops packs at speed or slows every changeover, the question is which utility does which job. Compressed air belongs on actuation, sealing, and blow molding; vacuum belongs on pick and place, holding, and forming; and any air that touches food-contact packaging needs ISO 8573-1 Class 0 quality. The picker below matches your task to the right technology and spec.
The packaging utilities lineup
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Oil-Free Contact Air
- Air class
- ISO 8573-1 Class 0
- Use
- Food-contact packaging
- Range
- 25 to 500 HP
- Cert
- TUV type tested
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High-Pressure Blow Air
- Pressure
- Up to 580 psi PET class
- Use
- Blow molding, stretch blow
- Recovery
- Blow air recovery options
- Quality
- Dried and filtered
-
Central Vacuum
- Use
- Pick and place, holding
- Types
- Rotary vane, claw, screw
- Vs venturi
- Lower cost per pick
- Control
- VSD demand matching
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Nitrogen Generation
- Use
- MAP flush, blanketing
- Purity
- 95 to 99.9%+ selectable
- Style
- Membrane and PSA
- Feed
- From your compressed air
45 + Years in Business
14 Midwest Locations
4.7 Star Google Rating
Vacuum versus compressed air application picker
Pick the task your line performs. The output is the right technology for it, the quality spec that applies, and the product path. Sanity check for a spec meeting, confirmed by an engineer against your line layout.
Recommended technology
Choose a task above to see the right technology and quality spec.
Run the numbers yourself
- CFM calculator: total actuation, sealing, and blow-off demand at line speed before sizing the compressor.
- Air receiver tank calculator: size storage so high-pressure blow phases and cycle-rate spikes do not sag header pressure.
- Compressed air leak calculator: quick-disconnects and festooned hoses leak hard, so price the loss per case.
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 packaging lines use air and vacuum
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Form-fill-seal
Pneumatic actuation on forming, dosing, and sealing at line speed.
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Blow molding
High-pressure PET stretch blow and extrusion blow air.
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Case packing
Cylinders, diverters, and vacuum grippers building cases.
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Palletizing
Vacuum end effectors and pneumatic layer squaring.
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Labeling
Blow-on label application and air-assisted feeds.
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Vacuum pick and place
Suction cups moving product, film, and cartons every cycle.
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MAP nitrogen
Modified atmosphere flush extending shelf life on food lines.
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Leak testing
Pressure decay and vacuum decay checks on sealed packages.
What keeps packaging air and vacuum out of trouble
Four disciplines separate a line that holds speed from one that drops product and burns energy. None of this is gated behind a form.
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ISO 8573-1 for contact packaging
Where compressed air touches food-contact packaging surfaces, film, trays, bottles, auditors apply the same standard as food processing: ISO 8573-1 with Class 0 oil-free air at the contact point. The full breakdown by class is on our food and beverage page.
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Vacuum sized for line speed
A pick-and-place cell that loses vacuum mid-transfer drops product at line speed. Central vacuum sizing works from cups per head, cycle rate, and porosity of what you grip, with reserve capacity so one leaking cup does not slow the line.
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Air quality at the changeover
Point-of-use filters and regulators drift out of spec as formats change. A quality map of the line, which drops feed actuation, which feed contact air, which feed instruments, keeps changeovers from quietly connecting the wrong air to the wrong task.
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Energy per package
Compressed air is commonly the most expensive utility per package: DOE puts typical leak loss at 20 to 30 percent, and packaging halls full of quick-disconnects and festooned hoses sit at the high end. Leak surveys and shutting air off at idle stations show up directly in cost per case.
Featured setup for packaging operations
For a packaging hall running form-fill-seal and case packing, the setup we install most pairs a Sullair rotary screw for actuation air, an oil-free machine or point-of-use Class 0 supply for contact points, and a VSD central vacuum system replacing scattered venturi ejectors. The vacuum retrofit is usually the fastest payback in the building. Machine options are on the oil-free page and the industrial vacuum page.
When compressed-air vacuum is the wrong spec: venturi ejectors are the
right call for one or two pick heads or hard-to-reach cells, but many lines specced
entirely on venturi would run cheaper on a central vacuum pump. The crossover comes
surprisingly early, once several heads run most of a shift, because venturi consumes
compressed air at several times the energy cost per CFM of pump vacuum. If your line is
borderline, we will show the math both ways before quoting the
pump.
Typical project: venturi to central vacuum retrofit
Cutting the cost per pick on a case packing line
A common scenario in food packaging is a case packing line with a dozen or more venturi vacuum heads, all fed from plant air, where the compressor room becomes one of the largest electrical loads in the building. A typical Brabazon project logs the line for a week, then replaces the venturi supply with a VSD claw vacuum pump and manifold, keeping a couple of venturi heads on a hard-to-pipe cell. Compressed air demand on that line usually drops enough to shelve a planned compressor purchase, and dropped-pack faults fall because the central system holds vacuum through peak cycles. The energy math from the logging week is the template we use for venturi retrofit reviews.
Packaging line 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 packaging lines need compressed air or vacuum?
Almost always both, doing different jobs: compressed air drives actuation, sealing, and blow-off, while vacuum does the picking, holding, and placing. The mistake that costs money is generating one from the other, running venturi vacuum off compressed air on every head, once a line has more than a few pick points.
Does packaging air need to be oil-free?
At any point where air can touch food-contact packaging surfaces, yes: auditors expect ISO 8573-1 Class 0 there, same as food processing. Actuation air that never touches product can run on oil-injected machines with filtration, which is why splitting the line into an air quality map saves capital.
Is venturi vacuum or a vacuum pump cheaper for pick and place?
Venturi ejectors win on simplicity for one or two heads, but they consume compressed air constantly, which costs several times more per CFM than pump vacuum. Once a line runs several pick points most of a shift, a central vacuum pump usually pays for itself in energy within a year or two.
What pressure does PET blow molding need?
Stretch blow molding typically runs 435 to 580 psi high-pressure air for the blow phase, with lower pressure pre-blow, and it must be dry and oil-controlled to protect bottle clarity. Blow air recovery systems recycle part of that high-pressure air and are worth evaluating at scale.
How much nitrogen purity does MAP need?
It depends on the product: many MAP applications for baked goods and snacks run at 99 to 99.5 percent purity, while high-fat or oxygen-sensitive products push to 99.9 percent or better. On-site membrane or PSA generation fed from your compressed air system covers this range and cuts cylinder and bulk contracts.
Who services packaging line air and vacuum systems in the Midwest?
Brabazon supports compressors, vacuum pumps, and nitrogen generation from 14 locations across Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri with an under 2 hour average emergency response. We have serviced industrial air since 1978 and stock OEM parts.
Where to go next
Get the air and vacuum map for your line
Send us your line layout or walk it with an engineer. You get a quality map of which tasks need Class 0 air, which need vacuum, and where the energy is leaking out.