Why does a dental compressor have to be oil-free?

Lubricated compressors carry oil aerosol into the air stream. Some of it makes it past coalescing filters, especially when filters age. Oil residue in the air line damages handpieces (turbine bearings fail early), interferes with bonding and adhesion in restorative work, and is a patient-safety issue when air goes into the mouth. Cattani oil-free units use PTFE rings and dry compression — there is no oil in the compression chamber to begin with.

How is the compressor sized to my practice?

Sizing is based on chair count, simultaneous use, and procedure mix. A single chair draws about 80-120 L/min during active use; a busy chair doing surgery and prophy at the same time draws more. We calculate peak demand assuming a realistic simultaneity factor (rarely 100% of chairs at once), then add a margin for future expansion and aging filters. For most clinics this lands at a Cattani in the 1.5-5.5 kW range. Oversizing wastes energy; undersizing means the compressor runs flat-out and wears early.

How loud is a dental compressor and what can be done about it?

A Cattani Tandem or AC range compressor runs at 65-72 dB at 1m, depending on model. That is too loud to put in the operatory itself but quiet enough for a small plant room. Anti-vibration mounts, flexible couplings on the air line, and basic acoustic treatment of the plant-room walls typically bring the level reaching the operatory below 50 dB — about the same as an open-plan office.

What maintenance does the compressor need?

Daily: drain the receiver if it is not on auto-drain. Monthly: check filter condition and condensate drain. Annual: replace coalescing and particulate filter elements, inspect intake filter, change dryer cartridge or service the refrigerant dryer, check belt tension on belt-drive units, and check piston-ring wear on direct-drive units. We offer service contracts; we also publish the schedule so you can do parts of it in-house.

Dental Compressor Installation

What We Offer

Compressor
Installation

Sizing, placement, plumbing, electrical, and noise control — done as one job so the compressor is ready for the chairs the day commissioning is signed off.

Oil-Free Medical-Grade Compressors

Cattani oil-free units only. Dental delivery air must be oil-free at the chair — oil aerosol contaminates handpieces, fouls turbine bearings, and is a patient-safety issue. Cattani uses dry compression with PTFE piston rings, no lubricant in the compression chamber.

Noise Control

Anti-vibration mounts under the unit, flexible couplings on the air line at the compressor, and acoustic enclosure or treated plant room when the compressor sits near treatment areas. Typical Cattani units run at 65-72 dB at 1m; a treated plant room drops what reaches the operatory below 50 dB.

Air Treatment

Refrigerant or membrane dryer matched to your flow rate, coalescing and particulate filters, and an automatic condensate drain. Dew-point target is below ambient at the chair so no liquid water reaches the handpieces.

Plant Room Ventilation

Compressors throw heat. The plant room needs intake and exhaust ventilation sized to the unit kW; without it the compressor cycles short and trips on thermal cut-out in summer. We size the louvers and, where needed, add an extract fan with a thermostat.

Our Process

Installation
Steps

Site survey, infrastructure prep, install, commissioning, handover. A typical single-compressor install is one working day on site after the prep work is done.

Site Assessment

Walk the proposed plant room: floor area, ventilation paths, distance and rise to the chairs, electrical supply, and noise transmission to neighboring spaces. Calculate flow demand from chair count and procedure mix, then specify the Cattani model that fits.

1-2 hours

Infrastructure Prep

Concrete pad or anti-vibration plinth, electrical supply with a dedicated circuit and isolator, copper or properly rated polymer air line to the chairs with shut-off valves, and ventilation openings cut and louvered.

2-3 hours

Install & Connect

Compressor positioned on isolators, dryer and filter bank plumbed in, condensate drain piped to a separator, electrical connection terminated, and air line tied into the existing distribution. Pressure-test the new pipework before pressurizing the chairs.

3-4 hours

Commissioning

Pressure setpoints adjusted, flow tested at each chair, dew-point checked at the dryer outlet, noise level measured in the operatory, and a leak survey on the new pipework. Anything outside spec is corrected on the day.

1-2 hours

Handover

Walkthrough with your team: how to read the gauges, when to drain the receiver if it is not on auto-drain, what the alarms mean, and the maintenance interval. You get the install file, manuals, warranty registration, and a service-due reminder.

30-60 minutes

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Practical answers on oil-free compression, noise, maintenance, and sizing.

Lubricated compressors carry oil aerosol into the air stream. Some of it makes it past coalescing filters, especially when filters age. Oil residue in the air line damages handpieces (turbine bearings fail early), interferes with bonding and adhesion in restorative work, and is a patient-safety issue when air goes into the mouth. Cattani oil-free units use PTFE rings and dry compression — there is no oil in the compression chamber to begin with.
Sizing is based on chair count, simultaneous use, and procedure mix. A single chair draws about 80-120 L/min during active use; a busy chair doing surgery and prophy at the same time draws more. We calculate peak demand assuming a realistic simultaneity factor (rarely 100% of chairs at once), then add a margin for future expansion and aging filters. For most clinics this lands at a Cattani in the 1.5-5.5 kW range. Oversizing wastes energy; undersizing means the compressor runs flat-out and wears early.
A Cattani Tandem or AC range compressor runs at 65-72 dB at 1m, depending on model. That is too loud to put in the operatory itself but quiet enough for a small plant room. Anti-vibration mounts, flexible couplings on the air line, and basic acoustic treatment of the plant-room walls typically bring the level reaching the operatory below 50 dB — about the same as an open-plan office.
Daily: drain the receiver if it is not on auto-drain. Monthly: check filter condition and condensate drain. Annual: replace coalescing and particulate filter elements, inspect intake filter, change dryer cartridge or service the refrigerant dryer, check belt tension on belt-drive units, and check piston-ring wear on direct-drive units. We offer service contracts; we also publish the schedule so you can do parts of it in-house.

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Our Process

Installation
Steps

Site survey, infrastructure prep, install, commissioning, handover. A typical single-compressor install is one working day on site after the prep work is done.

Site Assessment

1-2 hours

Infrastructure Prep

2-3 hours

Install & Connect

3-4 hours

Commissioning

1-2 hours

Handover

30-60 minutes

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Practical answers on oil-free compression, noise, maintenance, and sizing.

Lubricated compressors carry oil aerosol into the air stream. Some of it makes it past coalescing filters, especially when filters age. Oil residue in the air line damages handpieces (turbine bearings fail early), interferes with bonding and adhesion in restorative work, and is a patient-safety issue when air goes into the mouth. Cattani oil-free units use PTFE rings and dry compression — there is no oil in the compression chamber to begin with.
Sizing is based on chair count, simultaneous use, and procedure mix. A single chair draws about 80-120 L/min during active use; a busy chair doing surgery and prophy at the same time draws more. We calculate peak demand assuming a realistic simultaneity factor (rarely 100% of chairs at once), then add a margin for future expansion and aging filters. For most clinics this lands at a Cattani in the 1.5-5.5 kW range. Oversizing wastes energy; undersizing means the compressor runs flat-out and wears early.
A Cattani Tandem or AC range compressor runs at 65-72 dB at 1m, depending on model. That is too loud to put in the operatory itself but quiet enough for a small plant room. Anti-vibration mounts, flexible couplings on the air line, and basic acoustic treatment of the plant-room walls typically bring the level reaching the operatory below 50 dB — about the same as an open-plan office.
Daily: drain the receiver if it is not on auto-drain. Monthly: check filter condition and condensate drain. Annual: replace coalescing and particulate filter elements, inspect intake filter, change dryer cartridge or service the refrigerant dryer, check belt tension on belt-drive units, and check piston-ring wear on direct-drive units. We offer service contracts; we also publish the schedule so you can do parts of it in-house.

Dental Air Compressor Installation
Oil-Free Cattani Systems with Dryers