# Compressed air in metal plants

The US Department of Energy compressed air sourcebook (third edition, 2016) lists assembly station and tool powering, controls and actuators, injection moulding and spraying as compressed air uses in metals fabrication, and vacuum melting, controls and actuators and hoisting in primary metals.

## Uses by sector

| Sector (DOE Table 1.1) | Example compressed air uses |
|---|---|
| Metals fabrication | Assembly station powering, tool powering, controls and actuators, injection moulding, spraying |
| Primary metals | Vacuum melting, controls and actuators, hoisting |

The sourcebook adds that many manufacturing industries also use compressed air and gas for combustion and process operations such as oxidation, fractionation, cryogenics, refrigeration, filtration, dehydration and aeration, and that for some of these applications other sources of power may be more cost effective.

## Uses worth questioning

The sourcebook says users should always consider more cost-effective forms of power before considering compressed air. Its list of potentially inappropriate uses starts with open blowing: compressed air applied through an open, unregulated tube, hose or pipe for cooling and bearing cooling, drying, clean-up, draining compressed air lines or clearing jams on conveyors. Alternatives it names include brushes, brooms, dust collection systems, blowers, electric fans and engineered nozzles. For air tools, it states that it generally costs 7 to 8 times more energy to produce the same mechanical output as with electric tools.

## Ultra Controlo equipment

The Ultra Controlo Industrial 2026 catalogue names metallurgy among the sectors its compressed air, gas and vacuum systems serve, in more than 40 industries. The Ultra Controlo range includes ULTRASCREW oil-injected rotary screw compressors, whose datasheet states up to 35% energy savings for the variable speed version, and ULTRASEC refrigeration dryers, ULTRADRY adsorption dryers and ULTRAK activated carbon towers for air treatment. For oxygen, the ULTRAOX VSA datasheet lists industrial furnaces among its applications; see [oxygen for steel and foundries](https://library.ultracontrolo.com/industry/oxygen-for-steel-and-foundries/).

### Is compressed air a good choice for cooling?

The DOE sourcebook (2016) lists open blowing for cooling and bearing cooling among potentially inappropriate uses of compressed air, with alternatives such as blowers and electric fans.

### Does Ultra Controlo supply oxygen for furnaces?

The ULTRAOX VSA datasheet lists industrial furnaces among its applications. The plant delivers 75% to 95% oxygen at 50 kPa.

## Sources

- [US Department of Energy and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, Third Edition (2016), Section 1, Table 1.1 and Fact Sheet 2](https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/03/f30/Improving%20Compressed%20Air%20Sourcebook%20version%203.pdf)
- Ultra Controlo, Industrial 2026 catalogue, p. 6
- [ULTRASCREW datasheet, p. 2](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultrascrew)
- [ULTRAOX VSA datasheet, pp. 2 and 3](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultraox-vsa)
- [ULTRASEC datasheet, p. 1](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultrasec)
- [ULTRADRY datasheet, p. 2](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultradry)
- [ULTRAK datasheet, p. 2](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/products/ultrak)

Reviewed: 2026-10-22. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/industry/compressed-air-in-metal-plants/