Air Compressor scfm

So what is air compressor scfm or CFM? It is the air delivery rate, the volume of air that an air compressor turns into compressed air in one minute measured in cubic feet, or it can be expressed as the equivalent air flow delivered from the air compressor in one minute at atmospheric pressure. Air compressor output scfm is always measured in cubic feet per minute. Knowing the air consumption of your production process, air tools or apparatuses being driven by your air compressor, and the amount of time you will be using them is vital because this will determine the duty cycle of your air compressor. So what is the duty cycle. It is a ratio of the time the air compressor spends pumping compared to its idle time and it is usually expressed as a percentage. The usual time span referred to for its duty cycle is one hour. For instance, if a compressor pumps for 30 minutes in every hour it has a duty cycle of 50%. Commercial air compressors can have duty cycles as high as 100%. Why is duty cycle and delivery rate so important? Well it determines how much you will pay for your air compressor and what type of air compressor that is needed. The duty cycle is dependent on the air receiver sizing, the air compressor scfm requirement of the apparatus being used, the air compressor capacity and the operating pressure. If an air compressor has a high duty cycle and a high operating pressure requirement, it will need to be manufactured to be able to cope with running hot and dissipating the heat load effectively. This makes for a higher quality machine if any sort of serviceable life is to be expected, which means a higher cost for the air compressor.