Holiday Hurrah - Festive Season Powered by Compressed Air and Gas

The holidays are one of the happiest times of the year. From spending quality time with family and friends to enjoying the festive décor, winter activities, and delicious meals, this season is one that’s filled with joy and excitement. Let’s add to that excitement by exploring how the world of compressed air and gas helps power the holidays!

• Festive Feasting. Eating delicious meals is one of the most anticipated events of the holidays, and no matter what type of food graces your dining room table, keep in mind that it’s produced with the assistance of air compressors, blowers, and gas generators! Specific applications include:
  • Bottled Goods. Whether you’re purchasing bottled soda to use in a nifty new recipe or a seasonal bottled soap to brighten up your kitchen countertop, compressed air is vital to making sure these products appear on your table. PET bottle blowing is an application that uses high-pressure air compressors to blow the plastic into the desired bottle shape.
  • Food Filling. Is dessert your favorite part of the meal? As you’re devouring your cake, pie, or other sweet treat, keep in mind that compressed air is the power behind food filling machines, which fill products like cakes and pies!
  • MAP (No, not the paper kind). Modified Atmospheric Packaging, or MAP, is a process that uses nitrogen (generated by on-site nitrogen generators) to remove the oxygen from the packages, thereby reducing food spoilage and keeping the food fresh for consumption.
  • Peeled Produce. No time for peeling or cutting produce? That’s what air knives are for! Oil-free compressed air makes the ideal “tool” for ensuring that produce like potatoes, fruits, bell peppers, and onions are peeled and sliced to perfection. That way you can simply purchase and use in your recipes!
• Santa’s Workshop. Elves are hard at work creating gifts for delivery on December 24^th, and they’re relying heavily on air compressors to assist with increased production needs. No matter the type of gift being manufactured, a few common applications being powered by compressed air include clamping, or holding parts in place as the product is assembled; stamping, or putting the company logo or name onto the product; and pneumatic assembly tools, which are driven by air compressors.
• Snowy Ski Trips. If skiing is a favorite pastime, you’ll love learning that compressors are critical to the snowmaking process, especially with the warmer winters we’ve been experiencing over recent years. Using air compressors to help create artificial snow ensures that this activity remains possible! The process is relatively simple. Water from a pond on the ski resort’s property is pumped up through pipes to higher mountain elevations; water is then shot out of snow guns or snow cannons with the assistance of compressed air, which eventually falls on the slopes as snow. Check out our snow-making compressors here.
• Planes, Trains, and Cars, Oh My! A whopping 42% of Americans are expected to travel during the holiday season, which means that all types of transport methods (including air, railway, and roads) must be in tip-top shape to accommodate this type of traffic. Here are a few examples of how compressed air and gas are essential in making sure that travelers make it to their destination without issue:
  • Airplane Tire Filling and Fuel Tank Blanketing. Taking to the skies? Rest easy in knowing that your plane’s tires are filled with nitrogen! Aircraft tires are typically filled with nitrogen (rather than oxygen) because it helps prevent oxidation of the tires, eliminates moisture within the tire itself, and helps prevent any explosions or fires that might occur from brake heat transfer. In a similar way, plane fuel tanks are blanketed with nitrogen gas in order to decrease the chance of fire outbreaks and minimize the flammability of these locations. Learn more about nitrogen in the aerospace and aeronautics industry here.
  • Railway Applications. Railway systems are powered by air compressors, which means they are key to keeping a train moving – and keeping you heading in the right direction. Railway compressors must operate reliably in the most extreme ambient conditions and should always be resistant to dust, shock, vibration, fire, and extreme temperatures, not to mention meet standards regarding safety and comfort for passengers like you. Explore our full railway portfolio here.
  • Car Manufacturing and Maintenance. Hitting the road in your personal vehicle during the holidays? You should know that the car that you’re driving is on the road because of air compressors! Specific applications within the automotive industry that are powered by air compressors include the laminating and testing of windshields, powering pneumatic processes for car assembly, spray painting vehicles, and powering pneumatic tools that are used in automotive shops. So, as you’re getting your oil changed before heading out, be sure to thank compressed air for helping you get from Point A to Point B! Explore our automotive solutions.

Have another example of how the holidays are made possible by compressed air? Let us know in the comments! In the meantime, learn more about Atlas Copco's role as a leading air compressor and gas generator provider by visiting us at www.atlascopco.com/air-usa. Happy Holidays to all!

About the Author. Katie Falcon is the contributing writer and editor for The Compressed Air Blog. She currently works at Atlas Copco Compressors as a Digital Marketing Specialist specializing in content creation and platform development. Reach her via email at katie.falcon@atlascopco.com. William Milligan is the technical contributor and currently works as a Product Marketing Manager at Atlas Copco Compressors. He can be reached via email at william.milligan@atlascopco.com.