Although it is typical to connect directly to the receiver so that the pressure may well be 10bar or so.
There are special flexible attachment hoses to go from receiver to pipework.......
.andy
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It might well be, perhaps together with a regulation that requires the air line to be adequately protected against mechanical damage. This adequate protection might well be traditionally deemed to be the use of steel pipes.
The extra work for plumbing in steel is so great that I still feel that there must be some reason for its universal use in factories.
It might also be that having to use compression fitting discourages professional from using copper.
It is cheap and comes in sizes up to 3" or 4" diameter, if you really want it that big. My factory has a 2" main, with 1" branches to machines and 1/2" branches to air lines or individually supplied bar feeds. With a powered thread cutting machine and a power hacksaw, there is not that much work to putting the system together. You do, however, have to plan it carefully as it all needs to be screwed together from a single starting point.
Colin Bignell
Presumably you had this installed by an airline firm, though Colin?
Clearly these kind of guys are geared up with all the equipment and the name of the game is more one of materials cost.
For a small workshop application, perhaps someone might have a powered hacksaw, but a powered thread cutter seems less likely.
This was the notion behind the booklet that I obtained from THomas Wright - it appears that it is quite popular in small workshops for people to implement their own systems from components. Hence the use of push fit and compression fittings to avoid soldering.
I believe also that there are some regulatory issues based on the use
- i.e. business or not and numbers of employees, like a lot of HSE stuff.
.andy
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Nope. The hacksaw is part of the workshop equipment and I hired the thread cutter for a few days. I did, however, get one of my employees to install it under my supervision, rather than actually do it myself. Then the insurers who do our air systems inspection came around and gave it the nod of approval. The pipework has enough volume to act as a secondary reservoir, so there will be a lot of energy in there and they need to check it looks safe. As I tend to the belt and braces approach, that was not a problem.
Colin Bignell
I would include a ball valve at this point to allow instant shut-off. This is very handy if(when) a hose experiences a failure
Copper will require that you be gentle when operating the quick disconnect fittings. If you use plastic, ensure that your compressor delivers air at a reasonable temperature. This is not usually a problem if your compressor has a standard tank type reservoir and you do not run it continuously (such as when painting a car) .
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Last compressed air line which went into our factory was done in 22mm copper pipe. I was surprised, but apparently the latest regs allow it.
Dave
What's the reason for that, Bill? Not that one should treat any compressed air fittings with other than respect.....
.andy
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