How does psi relate to cfm

For more information about Atlas Copco Compressors, visit the company website. Search form Search. Cutting Tools. Understanding relationship between air pressure and flow. Author :. Steve Bruno. Atlas Copco Compressors. Cutting Tool Engineering. All rights reserved. CTE Publications uses cookies to improve your experience and to analyze the use of our website. Accounting for unpredictable pressure drops that may occur across dryers and filtration systems, most operators can afford to scale back pressure by up to 25 PSI.

Calculate potential energy savings achieved from adjusting pressure with the following formula from the experts at Compressed Air Best Practices :. Regardless of your specific compressed air applications, ensuring you maintain an accurate pulse on both pressure and flow rate is critical to ensuring the proper functioning of your pneumatically powered applications. If you have any questions about the pressure or flow rate required for a given application, consult your distributor.

Menu Login. Understanding Pounds Per Square Inch PSI Pounds per square inch PSI is the metric for assessing how many pounds of pressure are exerted on a single square inch of space — psi equates to pounds of force exerted per square inch.

However, they can only maintain 80 PSI in the production area. This is the air flow or air volume that a compressor can supply — or its output. Many pneumatic power tools require a CFM of about 5, but it really varies. A pneumatic stapler might just need 0. Continuous use tools need more air volume and therefore have a higher CFM requirement. SCFM attempts to arrive at a more accurate measurement by ruling out differences in air temperature and humidity.

The standard conditions used to calculate SCFM are: Tank volume determines how long the compressor can produce air, before the motor has to kick on and re-pressurize the tank.

The more continuous use of air pressure a tool requires, the greater the tank size needed. Tank sizes range from 1 gallon to 80 gallons, but a single power tool may only need a maximum 5 gallon tank.