ABAC 3 HP 130 PSI Rotary Screw Portable Air Compressor, 24 or 52 Gallon

The ABAC AS-3D is a portable rotary screw air compressor for a small shop that runs air most of the day and is tired of a piston machine cycling, overheating and filling the room with noise. A screw air end is rated for 100 percent duty, so it can run continuously without a cool down period, and the AS-3D does it at 59 dBA, quiet enough to hold a conversation beside it. Every configuration delivers 11.3 CFM at a 130 PSI maximum on either a 24 or a 52 gallon receiver, in 230V single phase or three phase, wheeled or set in place.

Key specifications

• Model: ABAC AS-3D portable rotary screw
• Motor: 3 HP, direct drive transmission
• Air delivery: 11.3 CFM measured per ISO 1217 Annex C at 123 PSI
• Maximum pressure: 130 PSI
• Noise level: 59 dBA
• Tank: 24 gallon or 52 gallon receiver
• Power supply: 230V / 1-phase / 60 Hz or 230V / 3-phase / 60 Hz
• Duty cycle: 100 percent continuous
• Air end: fully integrated aluminum block
• Weight: 260 lbs (24 gallon) or 363 lbs (52 gallon)
• Dimensions: 44 x 19 x 43 in (24 gallon), 56 x 24 x 50 in (52 gallon wheeled), 56 x 18 x 46 in (52 gallon without wheels)
• Optimized cooling system, plug and play layout
• Brand: ABAC, part of the Atlas Copco group

What the screw air end changes

A piston compressor builds air in bursts and needs rest between them. A rotary screw turns continuously, which is why the AS-3D can hold a steady 11.3 CFM through a full shift where a comparable piston machine would be heat soaked by mid morning. The air end here is a fully integrated aluminum block driven directly off the motor, so there are no belts to tension or replace and no drive losses between motor and air end. An optimized cooling system keeps discharge temperatures down for continuous running, and the unit arrives wired to its receiver and ready to pipe. In practice 11.3 CFM covers an orbital sander, a couple of air ratchets, a framing nailer, or a small spray gun. It is not the machine for a sandblaster or for several impact wrenches at once.

How it compares

The AS-3D is the smallest screw ABAC builds for the US market and the only portable one. The next step up is the AS-B range, where the 5 HP AS-5251TM delivers 20.3 CFM at 125 PSI on a 71 gallon tank at 63 dBA, close to double the airflow for a machine meant to be set in place and piped rather than wheeled around. The AS-5251BM is the same air end on a bare base for a shop that already owns a receiver. Against the piston side of the catalog, a 3.5 HP AB3-2160V1 on a 60 gallon tank reaches a higher 135 PSI and costs less, but it is a duty cycle machine: it banks air in a large tank and rests. Choose the AS-3D when the air draw is steady and the noise and the heat of a piston machine are the problem, and choose the piston when the draw is intermittent.

Choosing tank, phase and wheels

Pick the 52 gallon tank unless floor space forces the 24. A screw dislikes short cycling, and the larger receiver lets it run longer and rest longer when demand is intermittent. Choose 230V single phase if that is what the panel offers; the 230V three phase version is the better long term choice where three phase already exists. The wheeled version moves around a shop and measures 56 x 24 x 50 in on the 52 gallon tank; the version without wheels is a narrower 56 x 18 x 46 in and is meant to be set in place and piped.

Typical applications

ABAC builds the AS-3D for professional work: wood and metalworking, auto body repair, hammering, grinding, orbital sanding, fastening, precision assembly, and air or water spraying. In practice that means tire shops and detail bays, small fabrication shops running a plasma cutter, dental and lab setups, sign shops, and any small shop where the compressor sits in the same room as the people. Give it about 3 feet of clearance on the cooling air side, keep the room between 40 and 104 F, and run it on its own circuit sized to the motor nameplate. Oil, oil filter and separator element are the service items, so keep a spare set on the shelf.

Models, part numbers and configurations

CFM measured per ISO 1217 Annex C at 123 PSI. Noise measured per ISO 2151:2004 using ISO 9614/2.

If the air goes to paint, tires, or anything that hates water, add a refrigerated dryer: the ABAC COOL 15 treats 15 CFM on a standard 115V outlet, so it covers the full output of this machine with margin to spare. Part of ABAC's screw compressor range from the Atlas Copco group. See the rest of our rotary screw air compressors and our wider range of portable air compressors.