Atlas Copco Extends Its Leadership in Oil-Free Air With New ISO 'Class 0' Certificates

Atlas Copco Extends Its Leadership in Oil-Free Air With New ISO 'Class 0' Certificates

September 03, 2007

    ANTWERP, Belgium, Sept. 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 

    Atlas Copco has yet again proven its world leadership
in air-compressor manufacturing - with new ISO 8573-1 CLASS
0 certificates for oil-free air compressors in the
centrifugal, tooth, scroll and water-injected screw ranges.
The 'Class 0' rating for these compressors is the next step
in a continuous drive in innovation that began with the
certification of the Z screw compressor range in 2006, the
first compressors in the world to be TUV certified ISO
8573-1 CLASS 0.

    With these latest 'Class 0' certificates, Atlas Copco
can offer its customers a wide range of optimal and
efficient compressor solutions capable of meeting every
compressed-air application where high air purity is
critical.

    Testing of Atlas Copco oil-free compressors was carried
out by the renowned independent Technische
Uberwachungs-Verein (Technical Monitoring Association, or
'TUV'), using the most stringent test methods available and
simulating realistic industrial environments. Even with such
rigorous testing, the TUV found no traces of oil in the
output air stream under any of the test conditions.

    "The fact that we can now offer a wide range of
Class 0 certified compressors means that we can help
customers select the best and most efficient compressor
technology to improve their productivity and
profitability," says Ronnie Leten, Atlas Copco's
Business Area President Compressor Technique. "It's a
strategic choice of Atlas Copco to invest in new
technologies, as this is the best way to help our customers
meet their own targets. And one of the driving forces in
Atlas Copco is our commitment to customer value."

    Importance of 100% oil-free air

    Applications where 100% oil-free air is important
include food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical
manufacturing and packaging, chemical and petrochemical
processing, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing,
the medical sector, automotive paint spraying, textile
manufacturing and many more.

    Contamination by even the smallest quantities of oil in
such purity-critical compressed-air applications can result
in damaged products or product batches, high rejection
rates and returns, and costly production downtime and
cleanup. Atlas Copco's Class 0 air compressors eliminate
the risks of oil contamination as well as the resulting
extra costs, by preventing oil from entering the production
process.

    For Atlas Copco's customers, Class 0 certification
means zero risk of contamination, zero risk of damaged or
unsafe products, and zero risk of losses from operational
downtime. Above all, zero risk of ruining a company's
hard-won professional reputation.

    Ranges receiving Class 0 certification

    The Class Zero certification of the Z screw compressors
is now extended with a wide range of oil-free air
technologies, including the high-capacity ZH centrifugal
compressors, the ZR/ZT tooth compressors, the AQ
water-injected screw compressors, the SF scroll compressors
and the P series of rental compressors.

    The ZR/ZT screw compressor range, which was the first
in the world to receive Class 0 certification, is generally
the most efficient and reliable technology for critical
applications between 55 and 900 kW.

    With the ZH centrifugal compressor range, Atlas Copco
is now able to offer efficient and certified 100% oil-free
air for higher capacity base-load applications such as the
fermentation, air separation and aeration processes that
are important in chemical and pharmaceutical processing.
Semiconductor and other electronics manufacturing, textile
production and automotive applications can now also rely on
100% oil-free air in this capacity class.

    Tooth compressor technology is proven to be the most
energy-efficient for applications up to 50 kW. Here, Atlas
Copco's ZR/ZT tooth compressors are especially essential in
food and beverage facilities, pharmaceutical production and
electronics.

    Within the water-injected AQ series, now also Class 0
certified, Atlas Copco offers an oil-free air compressor,
which achieves 13 bar. The water-injected screw technology
has proven to be of significant use for applications such
as cosmetics manufacturing, tobacco industry and automotive
fabrication.

    Atlas Copco's SF scroll compressor range delivers pure
air for hospital, dental and medical applications, printing
industry, laboratories and dairy industry processing. These
compressors benefit from extremely low noise and offer high
energy efficiency to customers.

    The PT, PTS and PNS rental oil-free portable
compressors have recently also received Class 0
certification, answering industry needs for oil-free air in
applications that are short-term yet purity-critical.

    So whether a company's activities lie in pharmaceutical
production, food processing, critical electronics or other
similarly exacting sectors, Atlas Copco has an oil-free air
compressor that can deliver the highest levels of 100%
oil-free air - certified - giving customers the ultimate
peace of mind.

    Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of industrial
productivity solutions. The products and services range
from compressed air and gas equipment, generators,
construction and mining equipment, industrial tools and
assembly systems, to related aftermarket and rental. In
close cooperation with customers and business partners, and
with more than 130 years of experience, Atlas Copco
innovates for superior productivity. Headquartered in
Stockholm, Sweden, the group's global reach spans more than
150 markets. In 2006, Atlas Copco had 25 900 employees and
revenues of BSEK 51 (BEUR 5.6). Learn more at
http://www.atlascopco.com .

    Atlas Copco's Compressor Technique business area
develops, manufactures, markets and services oil-free and
oil-injected stationary air compressors, portable air
compressors, gas and process compressors, turbo expanders,
electric power generators, air treatment equipment and air
management systems. It also offers speciality rental
services. It innovates for superior productivity in
applications such as manufacturing, construction and the
process industry worldwide. Principal product development
and main manufacturing units are in Antwerp, Belgium. More
information is available on http://www.atlascopco.com.

    This release, plus a full press kit and high-resolution
photographs and diagrams, is available on the Atlas Copco
website: http://www.classzero.com/ .

    FOOTNOTE TO EDITORS:

    This press release is distributed by SAATCHI &
SAATCHI BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS on behalf of Atlas Copco.
This release, plus a full press kit, containing
translations into local languages and high-resolution
photographs and diagrams, is available on the Atlas Copco
website: http://www.classzero.com/


    For more information, please contact:

     Luc Hendrickx
     President
     Atlas Copco Compressor Technique - Oil-free Air
Division
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]
     Web:   http://www.atlascopco.com
            http://www.classzero.com