ForConstructionPros.com

Where would we be without portable sources of power? Compressors and generators provide power in so many ways on construction sites as well as during special events and emergencies. While these unassuming machines aren’t usually perceived as cutting edge technology, they are continuing to evolve into highly efficient, environmentally friendly tools that are simple to operate and service.

While offering different machines, manufacturers of compressors and generators have the same objectives. “Today’s power sources are designed with two major issues in mind: energy efficiency and noise abatement,” says Chance Chartters, assistant national sales manager Mobilair, Kaeser Compressors. “Most equipment is designed with these two factors in mind.”

Generating power

Let’s start by looking at generators. “Today’s trends in generator design revolve around the operator,” says Marc Leupi, pump, power and light product manager at Wacker Corp. “In order for a manufacturer to be successful in the generator market, they need to design generators that are easy and cost effective to operate as well as safe, reliable, versatile and environmentally friendly.”

He continues, “In the rental market, versatility is important. Generators should be versatile so one machine can be rented in a variety of applications. Offering a quiet generator is important for the versatility of application. Lower sound is important for special event and party rentals, as well as residential construction sites.”

Dave Dahlstrom, director of sales and marketing with Shindaiwa Construction Products, agrees that sound attenuation is huge in the design of today’s generators, and so is size. The more compact a unit is, the better. Smaller generators are less obtrusive and take up less space on the job, as well as in a rental showroom and on the delivery truck. Making a generator smaller while keeping it quiet can be mutually exclusive objectives, however, since typically the machines need a larger housing in order to dampen the sound.