Confirm the cutting process before sizing the compressor
Record the laser model, material, thickness, nozzle and intended cutting process. Confirm which gas the machine maker permits for that process. Compressed air is used in some laser-cutting applications, but an air package cannot be assumed to replace oxygen or nitrogen for every material and required edge finish. Keep separate gas supplies separate on the enquiry.
Obtain the required pressure and consumption at the specified machine connection. Identify cutting, piercing and idle periods, the number of tables operating together and any other air users sharing the supply. A pressure at the compressor outlet does not establish the pressure available at the machine while it is cutting.
Compare a real pressure-and-flow pair
The Risan RG / RKG laser-air product page illustrates why the full suffix matters. The manufacturer table archived in our 8 October 2026 review lists RG20EF at 2.3 m³/min at 0.8 MPa, and a separate RKG20EF at 1.35 m³/min at 1.6 MPa with a 15 kW motor. The larger flow from the first row must not be combined with the higher pressure from the second. The table labels pressure as maximum working pressure and gives discharge volume; it does not state gauge/absolute pressure or full flow-reference conditions. Confirm these and the current offered model.
The E and EF arrangements also differ: the reviewed E configuration includes a receiver, while EF adds a refrigerated dryer and precision filters. The name of that equipment does not prove a particular delivered dew point or oil limit. Ask for the treatment selection and performance at the actual pressure, temperature and flow.
Specify air quality at the machine
Copy the laser maker's limits for moisture, oil and particles into the duty sheet. State where those limits will be measured. Select the dryer and filters for the pressure and flow concerned, and account for their pressure losses. Confirm drainage, filter maintenance and the suitability of the complete treatment train for the machine's stated requirement.
Do not automatically select oil-free compression solely from the word “laser”, or assume that any filtered oil-injected package meets the requirement. Ask the supplier to document how its offered arrangement meets the named machine specification.
Prepare a comparable RFQ
Send the machine's gas requirement, simultaneous demand, connection pressure, duty cycle and electrical supply. Add ambient conditions, installation space and the proposed receiver and treatment scope. Ask for pressure-matched output, package input, control behaviour during intermittent demand and current vessel and installation documents. Agree a verification run using the actual cutting duty and the laser maker's acceptance criteria.
Start with the Risan factory profile and its linked laser-air product information. Other screw compressors should enter the shortlist only after their documented pressure, delivery and treatment have been checked against this duty.
Prepare a laser-air enquiry. Supply the required values from the laser documentation rather than adopting a universal 8, 13 or 16 bar setting.