Atlas Copco oil-free equipment and quality service support growing graphic arts company

Since its inception in 1994, Lidergraf, headquartered in Vila do Conde, Portugal, has successfully and steadily grown to be one of the largest graphic arts companies in the country with 145 employees and annual revenue around €20 million. Today, with the construction of a new building and the acquisition of a second rotary machine, Lidergraf is able to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, the company also has had to increase the compressed air, vacuum and blower capacity to meet production demands. Lidergraf chose Atlas Copco to provide 100 percent oil-free compressed air and blowers to ensure the high quality of their printed products. The company installed two ZT 132 VSD FF and ZT 110 FF oil-free compressors with integrated adsorption dryers, a ZS 55+ VSD oil-free screw blower, and a ZE oil-free screw vacuum pump. Featuring energy-efficient integrated dryers, both compressors provide 100 percent pure, clean oil-free air that complies with ISO 8573-1 Class 0 (2010) certification. This means zero risk of contamination; zero risk of damaged products; and zero risk of losses from operational downtime. The ZT 132 VSD FF compressor and the ZS 55+ VSD oil-free screw blower both feature variable speed drive (VSD) technology. VSD technology adjusts the motor speed to the air demand automatically, achieving substantial energy savings of 35 % on average. In addition, VSD dramatically reduces the energy requirements in the overall production process. For Antonio Crespo, company maintenance manager, Atlas Copco offers “reliable, high-quality and energy-efficient equipment, especially in the speed variation compressor with integrated dryers.” Lidergraf also has a full liability maintenance contract for the ZT 132 VSD FF and calls on Atlas Copco’s trained technicians to maintain the other equipment. Crespo indicates he would recommend Atlas Copco products and services without hesitation. “As the constant production of high-quality compressed air is very important for our production, the partnership with Atlas Copo proves to be excellent.”