Why do car mechanics use air pressure powered tools instead of electricity powered tools like everyone else?

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Salvatore14

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For somebody who began an air tool assortment 20+ years prior, air actually checks out. However I am presently not an expert specialist, every one of my tools returned home with me and I use them consistently in my home shop keeping up with my own armada or chipping away at others' vehicles as a side hustle. A long time ago when I initially began purchasing tools, electric/battery controlled stuff wasn't generally excellent. Today they are brilliant and as a rule out perform even my top of the line air tools. Nonetheless, that includes some significant pitfalls since I'd need to purchase all new cordless tools. For what reason would I do that when my air tools turn out great?

I have buys a couple cordless tools however, for the most part for remote work at my homestead or when I'm out and about an extended get-away. I had a couple trailer tires victory on our last excursion and I had them changed in under 10 minutes out and about with assistance from my cordless effect. Cordless tools today appear to be legit and assuming that I were simply beginning, I'd put more cash into those than I would air tools.

I guess every specialist could have their own response to this. I'm not a repairman but rather I have bunches of tools, air controlled and electric. I work on vehicles and a wide range of different things around the carport/house/yard.
Contemplations:
1) Air controlled tools are a lot more affordable than battery tools when analyzed at comparative quality and power.
2) You basically must have an air blower assuming you are accomplishing vehicle work (tire filling, cleaning things, cleansing things, and so forth) So you have a blower regardless. Furthermore.
3) chipping away at a vehicle is constantly done in the carport. So opportunity of development isn't required, your 25ft self-withdrawing air hose covers everything. In rundown, air fueled tools cost less, don't expect you to keep a lot of costly batteries healthy and charged, and have just the negligible bother of being fastened to the air blower which is as of now arranged not too far off at any rate. For tools I utilize away from the carport, battery power is the best approach. Hauling at least 100 feet of hose around is a significant PITA.
 
They use pneumatic tools because it's been around for so many decades.

A shop starting from scratch today might well opt for rechargeable tools.
 
Air tools are not an ignition hazard.
I have no idea whether that's the reason they're selected for vehicle shops. (or if it was the reason in the past)

They're also not a shock hazard. In the past, mechanics seemed to regard electricity as black magic.
 
Air tools are better at variable torque for me. The lower RPM's make them more controllable for auto work IMHO.

If I'm just drilling a hole electric is fine. For anything where torque is critical I'll take air every time.
 
For decades if you needed (nut busting torque) you needed a pneumatic tool. Not sure even with the most advanced tech that you would have the same ability on cordless. Not only that but pneumatic will go all day as long as the compressor kept up, but it was noisy and hazardous with the high pressure required, but a garage needed the air anyways for other parts of the servicing of vehicles so pneumatic made sense.
Now even in our industry cordless is making an entry even into tasks always associated with larger electrically operated tools such as pipe threading; and even medium level air tool like Jack hammering, and corded core drilling are possible with the new MX battery platform.
With all these cordless options now in the home building field, don't get as much call to run temp service and wireing, even temp lighting is going away with all these cordless job site lights.
 
I think if you venture in to may shops now you'll see the use of more cordless electric tools, the small impact drivers seem to be popular.
 
I don't think pneumatic is any more hazardous then electric, just different. Especially in the days before GFCIs.

Vehicle assembly plants have quit using pneumatic in favor of torque-controlled electric nut runners. Most stations (all?) also monitor torque, count the number of fasteners and report the results to the local Internet of Things, which will pause the line until they're all properly torqued.
 
Speaking as someone who spent years in the air compressor industry, when power tools first evolved, electric tools were no match for pneumatic especially for portable, high-torque applications. As others have stated, that has changed in last decade or so. Air still has an advantage where super high torque is needed. Heavy equipment mechanics who need 2000 ft-lbs or more to remove a rusted 2” spindle nut still use air.

Auto body shops used to spray flammable paint at one end of the shop and the non-sparking aspect of air tools was an advantage. The paint booths required today to meet EPA requirements have the flammable vapors pretty much contained so this isn’t as important.

Where pneumatic falls short is efficiency. It takes something like a 10HP compressor to continuously run a 1HP air motor! I don’t recall the exact numbers, but it’s pretty bad.
 
No doubt a cordless drill or impact is a lot more convenient than a pneumatic equivalent. But, every darn one needs a different battery type and then the manufacturer decides they have a new battery size or voltage that isn't backwards compatible. The cost of all those Li-ion batteries just makes me crazy. In the garage I have a serious compressor and a handful of pneumatic tools. But, for any jobsite, cordless sure is convenient.
 
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It may be naive, but it seems to me that a piston driven air motor would be a natural for impact type devices like jackhammers and impact wrenches.
To rapidly accelerate a free piston electrically requires sophisticated control of high current pulses which was technologically much more difficult in the days before semiconductors, when air tools became dominant.
 
GoldDigger said:
It may be naive, but it seems to me that a piston driven air motor would be a natural for impact type devices like jackhammers and impact wrenches.
To rapidly accelerate a free piston electrically requires sophisticated control of high current pulses which was technologically much more difficult in the days before semiconductors, when air tools became dominant.
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Exactly correct.
 
Talking as somebody who went through years in the air blower industry, when power tools originally advanced, electric tools were no counterpart for pneumatic particularly for convenient, high-force applications. As others have expressed, that has changed in last decade or somewhere in the vicinity. Air actually enjoys a benefit where very high force is required. Weighty hardware mechanics who need 2000 ft-lbs or more to eliminate a rusted 2" shaft nut actually use air.

Auto body shops used to shower combustible paint toward one side of the shop and the non-starting part of air tools was a benefit. The paint stalls expected today to meet EPA necessities have the combustible fumes basically contained so this isn't as significant.

Where pneumatic misses the mark is proficiency. It takes something like a 10HP blower to ceaselessly run a 1HP air engine! I don't remember the specific numbers, however it's awful.
 
Salvatore14 said:
Where pneumatic misses the mark is proficiency. It takes something like a 10HP blower to ceaselessly run a 1HP air engine! I don't remember the specific numbers, however it's awful.
Click to expand...
I think you mean efficiency instead of proficiency. The ratio of "energy we want" to "energy we pay for".

In the upper limit of perfection, the turbine of the air engine and the compressor that powers the air source, could both be reversible processes, and be 100% efficient. But with practical factors that come in to play for building the machine in reality, is a much more difficult to mitigate the inevitable irreversible processes with the extra moving parts in a pneumatic power transmission system, than it is to mitigate the inevitable irreversible processes when electricity is the medium of power transmission.
 
While less significant today, a 2 HP air motor is much lighter in weight than an electric motor. Hydraulics surpasses that, but fluid handling often hurts their applications. Off-road vehicles often use hydraulic powered tools; there are even standard quick-connect fittings for mobile.

Example; a hydraulic motor capable of producing 50 horsepower can be carried in one hand. That's why they are used on aircraft as much as they are.
 
Pneumatic and hydraulic motors are also easier to cool. The waste heat is carried away by the same fluid that's providing the power to make them go. And hydraulic motors have built-in lubrication.
 
My father sells automotive tools and most people are switching over to electric. Once you get into the 3/4 Drive range, you still need pneumatic. For the most part, electric can handle most things. Its a matter of cost for everyone to switch over to electric but it will come as everything is becoming for affordable and more powerful. Im at the point where I will avoid cords wherever i can. I have enough batteries to never need cords
 
I like pneumatic tools. No batteries to go bad! Keep them lubed and they should last 20+ years. I have junk Snap-On cordless tools. Batteries are unobtainium (but could be broken open and new cells inserted , no screws holding them together) then they would still be 9.6 volt low torque tools... I also have Milwaukee cordless, see the price of their old 18 volt batteries, or the V28 or M28 series? So every time I need to use a cordless tool that has sat for 5 years, time to buy new batteries. I just plug the hose onto my pneumatics and work away! (y)

Now tools used on the job, the new Fuel series does well, but I still have corded tools for use when there is power.

So, hobby use - old school corded or air, work in the field use, cordless or corded when power available. Nothing like the old Hole Hog!:LOL:
 
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