The body is just one great piece of equipment. It may be the most valuable equipment ever created. It breathes, it contorts and it recovers. But like most equipment, the body can break down, but unlike most equipment, the body can heal itself. The body is an amazing wonder, so it shouldn't be a surprise to know that parts of the body have and continue to do terrific things. Do you have any idea what was believed to be the first air compressor. Well, it was the human lungs. Back in primitive times, people blew on cinders to create a fire. Not only that, but the human lungs were considered the most reliable and lowest maintenance of all types of compressors.

Though the human lungs were good, they could only produce so much energy. Around 3000 B.C. people started melting metals, such as, gold, copper and lead, and they needed a device that could produce more pressure than the human lungs. The Egyptian and Sumerians started out by using the wind, and then blowpipes in their work. The first mechanical compressor, the hand-operated bellows was created, and soon after that, the foot bellows came into use. The bellows, for over 2,000 years proved to be a very reliable compressor.

As with everything, change just happens, and this was the case with the bellow. Blast furnaces had been created, and with this new utility came the need for a compressor that was stronger then the bellow. In 1762, John Smeaton enters the picture. John was considered the first professional engineer and he built a blowing cylinder, that used a water wheel for power, and this tool began to replace the bellow. 1799 saw the creation of the first motorized air compressor, and this was used in mining.

The thought of using compressed air to transmit energy began to take root in the 1800s. The metal manufacturing plants were getting bigger and trying to reduce their dependency on steam. A plant powered by compressed air and water was built in Wales, in the 1820s. The first success at transmitting energy, on a large scale, by compressed air, took place in the Alps in the 1850s.

As the popularity of compressed air grew, so was the need for people to try to economically benefit from it. There were patents issued on machines and tools, everything from clocks to beer dispensers. There was even a backlash against electricity in Paris, because many people thought that maybe air compressors could replace electricity in the future. Of course, those in the business of electricity didn't share these views, and most thought plants that ran on compressed air wouldn't work over time.

As time has proven, both electricity and air compressors have stood the test of time. Compressed air has become a complement to electricity. Pneumatic tools are safe and easy to handle, and compressed air is used for monitoring, control and regulation, and usually in combination with hydraulics and electricity. The air compressor has come a long way in giving human beings one more source or power.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Air Compressor