Processing industry

Checking and testing

All products that are used under a certain pressure have to undergo initial testing at many times the pressure ultimately required. If necessary, their gas-tightness also has to be checked when highly volatile gases will be used. Water used to be employed to carry out pressure checks but now an improved procedure involving air, nitrogen or helium is used instead. During leakage checks Sauer compressors help to recycle any gas that escapes (e.g. helium) and return it to the process. The advantages are clear to see. Individual process steps, e.g. cleaning and drying during water checks, are shortened or can be dispensed with entirely, and the loss of expensive gases can be avoided.

Sauer compressors are used to pressure-check brakes, airbags, injection systems, valves and other fittings, containers, coolant containers, heat exchangers and other components, and to check the gas-tightness of components using helium. Our customers in this field include automotive manufacturers, automotive suppliers and manufacturers of valves, other fittings and pressurised containers.

Metal treatment

In treating all kinds of metals Sauer compressors give you a competitive advantage thanks to modern manufacturing procedures that make production processes faster, more efficient and less expensive. In close collaboration with our customers we develop innovative integrated system solutions for hardening materials – solutions that allow you to not only supply a process with gases but also remove them again and store them for the next process step. With a Sauer compressor you also benefit from particularly low leakage rates and our turnkey installations, some of which have a flexible design. Our metal treatment customers include automotive and aviation industry suppliers, manufacturers of hardening furnaces and autoclave manufacturers. 

Laser metal cutting

Laser-cutting metals brings the benefits of shorter processes and non-contamination of the cut surfaces by the cutting-die material. But as the laser environment has to be free from ambient air to achieve the best possible cut, nitrogen is thus used to create an inert atmosphere around the laser. The preference is for the nitrogen to be produced on site using the pressure swing absorption (PSA) process or membranes so that the company in question is not reliant on gas suppliers. After PSA has been completed, Sauer compressors are used to boost the nitrogen to a pressure of 40 or 300 bar. The advantage of the higher pressure is that it ensures greater operational reliability so users do not need to operate their high-pressure compressor for such long period, and can take advantage of periods when electricity is cheaper. Last but not least, much less upstream equipment is required when a pressure of 300 bar is used. Our customers in this field include metal treatment companies, manufacturers of machine tools for laser cutting and manufacturers of nitrogen generators or membranes. 

Plastic forming

In the complex plastic forming business more and more customers are relying on Sauer compressors in view of their reliability and the uncomplicated and rapid service we provide. A continuous supply of compressed air is particularly important to avoid downtimes in the mass production of plastic parts – and failure to produce the required number of units can sometimes put a company’s survival at risk. The 24/7 design of Sauer compressors and their ability to operate even in the toughest of conditions made them the ideal solution for high-volume manufacturers of mobile phones, automotive components, housings for electrical goods and plastic bottles for drinks, oil, shampoos, etc. Our customers include companies from these sectors and manufacturers of internal gas-pressure systems. The applications our compressors are used for include internal gas-pressure procedures, isostatic forming and manufacturing of PET bottles and canisters.

Manufacturing composite materials

In both the wooden and plastic industries different materials are pressed together to produce composites with special properties. Sauer compressors are used to raise the pressure for wood presses and to fill and generate pressure for autoclaves – special pressurised containers that can be sealed gastight – to create plastics-based composites. Their reliability and efficiency are much-valued qualities amongst producers of wood-fibre composites, producers of plastic composite systems and autoclave manufacturers. 

Nitrogen generation and storage

Sauer compressors are a popular choice when nitrogen has to be stored for fast availability in sufficiently large quantities for the desired processes. That is because each and every Sauer compressor is engineered to be flexible enough to meet a wide range of differing requirements, e.g. different suction pressures, final pressures or gas quality. This makes them highly suitable for a variety of medium- and high-pressure applications. Sauer compressors are used for creating an inert atmosphere, transporting media, inflating aircraft tyres and filling fire-extinguishing systems. Our customers in this field include chemical or gas manufacturers, tyre manufacturers, manufacturers of fire-extinguishing systems, nitrogen generators or membranes, and service companies to the aircraft industry.

Urea plants

As urea is an integral part of many industrial processes, the number of production plants is increasing. This is feed a growing global population. At our customers’ urea or fertilizer plants, Sauer compressors are used to form a very resistant CrO₃ layer.