The role compressed air equipment plays in the tyre business is often underestimated. But with the recession causing businesses to think more about energy costs and legislation; and with general opinion swaying us all towards being more ecologically friendly, this is something that the pneumatic experts at Tom Parker Ltd are hoping to change, with the launch of the Exhausted Air Recycling System or EARS. EARS is designed to capture the exhausted air from pneumatic tools and recycle this otherwise wasted energy back to the compressor, which improves efficiency and therefore saves money.

Because the new technology centres on recycling wasted exhaust air it represents a major advance in compressed air technology. It does this by running two lines between the compressor and the pneumatic tool in a way not dissimilar to veins and arteries in your own body – the primary airline acts like an artery sending out “clean” air to power the tool, while a secondary line is like a vein and returns used, or exhausted air, back to the compressor. By capturing and reusing this exhausted air, it reduces environmental pollution in the workplace with no airborne contaminants such as oil, dust or other pollutants being released. However it is also quieter, comfortable and more energy efficient due to higher output flows from the compressor, which maximises its power consumption and operating life.