Compressor for PVC and aluminium window fabrication

A PVC and aluminium window fabrication shop with 5 to 10 people usually uses between 0.8 and 1.5 m³/min of air (around 28 to 53 CFM) at 7 or 8 bar. An 11 kW 4-in-1 screw compressor such as the K 110, which delivers 1.7 m³/min at 8 bar with a built-in dryer and filtration, covers a complete window production line. A small manufacture-and-install business starts with a 7.5 kW K 75, and a factory running two shifts moves up to the K 150 or the S 220 PM.

When you fabricate windows, doors, conservatories or shutters, almost every machine needs air: the double mitre saw clamps the profiles, the PVC welder clamps the bars and moves the heating plate, the corner cleaner drives its knives, and the corner crimper fixes the corner cleats of aluminium frames. When the pressure drops, the clamps let go, cuts are no longer square and welds fail. The compressor is part of the production line.

Do you work with timber? The needs are different (nailers, lacquer spray guns, dust): see our page on the compressor for joinery workshops.

Which machines use air in a PVC and aluminium window shop?

The values below are orders of magnitude, given as a rough guide only. The exact consumption is in each machine's manual, under the pneumatic supply section.

Two machines weigh more heavily than the rest: the corner cleaner, which blows and actuates many cylinders on every frame, and the profile machining centre, which sprays lubricant and blows throughout machining. The machine-by-machine breakdown is in our article on the air consumption of the PVC welder and corner cleaner.

How much air does a window fabrication workshop need?

Not every machine runs at the same moment. So you add up the consumption of the machines that a given number of operators can run together, counting intermittent tools at half, since the air receiver absorbs their peaks. This is the method used by our configurator.

Example of a six-operator workshop making PVC windows and aluminium doors:

1. Machines running continuously: corner cleaner 250 l/min, profile machining centre 150 l/min, double mitre saw 150 l/min, giving 550 l/min.
2. Intermittent tools, counted at half: two screwdrivers (2 × 100 l/min) and one blow gun (75 l/min), giving 275 l/min.
3. Subtotal: 550 + 275 = 825 l/min. The welder, the crimper and the punch press are not added: six operators do not run ten stations at once.
4. 25% safety margin for leaks and wear: 825 × 1.25 = 1,031 l/min.
5. 20% expansion margin for one more machine: 1,031 × 1.2 = 1,238 l/min, or about 1.24 m³/min.

The K 110 delivers 1.7 m³/min at 8 bar: it covers this need with room to spare. The full calculation for a 5 to 10 person workshop is set out in our article on sizing the compressor for an aluminium and PVC window workshop.

What pressure for PVC and aluminium window machinery?

Most machines need around 6 bar at their inlet. Add the losses through the dryer, the filters and the pipework: a compressor set to 7 or 8 bar suits the vast majority of workshops.

The corner crimper deserves particular attention. Its crimping force is proportional to pressure: one bar less at the inlet means weaker crimping and a corner that may move. What matters is a stable pressure at the machine while the other stations are running. Our article aluminium corner crimper: what pressure? explains how to check it. To convert l/min into m³/min or the CFM given in a manual, use the flow and pressure converter.

Which compressor for a PVC and aluminium window shop?

• Manufacture and installation, 2 to 3 people (one saw, a crimper or a small welder, a blow gun): the K 75, a 7.5 kW 4-in-1 screw unit, delivers 1.1 m³/min at 8 bar, with a 420 L air receiver, a refrigerated dryer and filtration on the same frame. For short, irregular use, a piston compressor such as the E 75 remains an option, on quote, with a separate dryer.
• Complete window line, 5 to 10 people: the K 110, 1.7 m³/min at 8 bar, or the K 150, 2.2 m³/min, when the workshop adds a second machining centre or a second corner cleaner.
• Two-shift production, several PVC and aluminium lines: the S 220 PM, with a permanent magnet motor, delivers 3.6 m³/min at 8 bar. Beyond that, the S series goes up to 132 kW, on quote.

The S and K series are variable speed. In a window fabrication shop, demand changes all the time: the welder is heating, the saw is cutting one profile after another, the corner cleaner is waiting for a frame. The compressor follows these variations instead of switching between load and idle. See variable speed or fixed speed. For PVC window manufacturing in particular, our article which compressor for PVC window manufacturing goes through the choice station by station.

Why do you need dry, filtered air in PVC and aluminium window fabrication?

Air leaves the compressor hot and laden with moisture. As it cools in the pipes, it drops water that makes valves and clamping cylinders stick. On a profile machining centre, this water mixes with the minimum quantity lubricant and upsets the dosing. On white or foiled profiles, a blow gun that spits water or an oil mist leaves marks that then have to be cleaned off before packing.

The basic treatment is a refrigerated dryer followed by particle and oil aerosol filtration. Our compressors are lubricated: it is the outlet filtration that holds back the carried-over oil. A fine filter at the machining centre and on the finishing blow guns completes the protection. If a machine maker specifies an air class, note it from the manual and define the treatment with our technicians using the ISO 8573-1 air quality guide. The machining centre case is covered in our article on dry air for an aluminium profile machining centre.

Installing and servicing a compressor in a PVC and aluminium window shop

• The room. Aluminium swarf and PVC dust end up in the intake filter. Install the compressor in a separate, ventilated room, away from the saws and the corner cleaner. See our article on the compressor room.
• The pipework. A window line often runs the full length of the building. A ring main around the workshop stops the corner cleaner, at the end of the line, from running short of pressure. The pressure drop calculator checks the pipe diameter.
• Condensate. Fit an automatic condensate drain on the air receiver and at the low points of the network. The condensate contains oil: collect it and have it treated.
• Leaks. Quick couplings, screwdriver hoses, machine solenoid valves: the leak cost calculator puts a figure on them.
• Servicing. First service at 500 hours, then every 1,500 hours, with a reminder shown on the controller. Keep a service kit in reserve and change the intake filter more often if the workshop air is dusty. The compressors carry a 2-year warranty and parts remain available for 15 years.

To size your installation, start with the configurator or send us the list of your machines and their manuals with a quote request.

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