What difference does the free air at a certain CFM make?
Is it better to have more free air at a certain CFM or to have maximum pressure? Bill Answers.... Hello there. Thanks for the question, though I'm not exactly sure of the intent of it. If you are asking about the capacity of a specific air compressor then two factors are important to most users. The first is the amount of air, or the flow of compressed air that's available from that compressor, and the second important issue is - at what pressure is that flow available? Most DIY applications for compressed air involve air tools. Each air tool will have a MOP (minimum operating pressure), and will require a certain flow of air at that MOP in order to work properly. Compressors are usually rated by the number of CFM they produce at a specific pressure. To confuse issues, some compressor manufacturers use the term SCFM to describe post-compressor air, but I contend that once air has gone through an air compressor, it's no longer "Standard" Cubic Feet per Minute, but rather, just CFM. A small DIY type air compressor might boast a compressed air delivery rating of 4 CFM at 40 PSI. That same compressor might have a rating of 2.2 CFM @ 90 PSI, much less than the flow at the lower pressure. The higher the pressure that's required the lower the flow that will be available from most air compressors. To get back to your question, first of all, you don't have "free air" coming out the discharge port of your air compressor, you have so many CFM at so much air pressure of compressed air. So, what's better? Neither. You have to determine based on your application if the flow and pressure from a particular air compressor is right for your application predicated on the compressed air demands of the tools and apparatus that you are planning to use. Hope this helps. Cheers... Bill
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