Le Breton Engineering

18/05/2026

All machines breakdown.

Some breakdown more than others.

It’s the honest truth about machinery.

Even the best, most highly respected makes.

The sales person might not tell you this.

A compressor manufacturer might have a portfolio of different machines. But there might be one model that is flawed. That lets the side down.

A good compressor supplier will support you even if a model turns out to be problematic.

So

After 46 years of operation this Atlas Copco has had its final breakdown. It is not economical to repair.

Sad face.

Made in Sweden in 1983 this compressor has done 46 years of work. It was originally with British telecom and I think was installed in this workshop in 1989.

They don’t make them like this any more.

For this customer having the air compressor on stop is an inconvenience, not a disaster.

But if compressed air is mission critical make sure you have a back up, and make sure you are on the top of servicing.

Remember. All machines breakdown.

Have a great week.
Stephen

13/05/2026

Edit - The unit has now been taken. We have had massive interest in this. Thanks to everyone who got in touch.

We are moving business units. Our old one at Withybush is up for grabs if you want to change the lease over before it goes onto the open market.

It's a council unit. Around 2200 square feet. 2 roller doors and a small yard at the back.

If you want a chat about it call me (Stephen) on 01437 779599.

27/04/2026

When do you retire a Compressor?

For me, it really depends on reliability. If compressed air is mission critical then I have a few criteria.

Is the compressor serviced and reliable?
If the answer is yes then that’s a major tick.

I often get called into places where the compressor maintenance has been lacking.

Things have started to go wrong and sometimes it means retiring the old compressor, and putting the new one in.

Is it over 10 years old?
For smaller compressors this is a good benchmark because a major problem like an air end, might mean it’s more effective to replace the machine.

Why 10 years? Well if it’s worked hard, things start to fail. Motors, contactors, tanks if it’s part of a package.

It’s all about what is best for the customer.

This compressor was made in October 1963. That tank passes its test every year. It’s used every day at a small workshop.

It’s worth taking a moment to remember when the United Kingdom still made quality stuff.

Have a great week

Stephen

20/04/2026

Piston compressors like to run cool

This one is working too hard. Flaking paint says it’s getting too hot.

Piston compressors are great for low use applications. Workshops, blowing up tyres or operating valve actuators.

Not this application where it’s running flat out 4 hours, three times a day.

However.

As a back up compressor, It has kept the site working until the a new screw compressor is installed.

The best thing about a piston compressor is that they can sit unused for months on end. This makes them great as a back up compressor for some of the applications we have them in.

We have these piston compressors in some hard working applications. They work better because they have 3 cylinders, dissipating the heat more efficiently.

I would say these compressors have a maximum of 50% duty cycle. 30 minutes in a hour.

With most situations its not about the price of the compressor, its about specifying the correct one for the application.

Have a great Monday.

Stephen

17/04/2026

Protect your compressors from being buried under stuff.

How often do you visit a site and the compressor is buried under a mountain of junk?

Panels dented?

Emergency stops ripped off?

Pipework damaged?

The list goes on.

When we installed these compressors it was realised that the building would be full of trolleys.

Also full of workers that do not care.

Not at all.

The maintenance manager agreed that it would be worth putting in the barriers. He could see the trolleys smashing up the compressors.

It was not expensive.

Saved loads of hassle.

This site is 2 years old now and the barriers are doing their job. They have bent them though.

This is the best part of the job. Being proactive, anticipating the problems and putting measures into place from the beginning. It's a great situation to be in.

Enjoy your weekend
Stephen

14/04/2026

Pressure gives it power.

Phone rings. “Hi Steve, I’ve got a problem, there’s not enough air”.

Now this is an issue that arises from time to time. It appears complex in the moment when machines are on stop and people are shouting.

So let’s pause.

The factory runs at 7bar (101 psi). It’s an old factory and the new owners are pushing it harder. The cylinders could not lift the extra weight because the pressure was not high enough.

They had plenty of air flow, but the pressure was not high enough.A new compressor running at higher pressure, 9 bar (130 psi) gave the cylinders more power to lift the extra weight.

The new compressor had the same air flow as the old one, but more pressure.

Force = Pressure x Area

Everything works better. But there are a few things to think about.

The extra pushing power of the cylinders puts everything else under higher strain.

More pressure also causes more leaks. So maybe more air flow will be needed in the end.

Energy consumption will also increase. More pressure requires more electricity.

The factory are now upgrading their machinery to a higher specification so the pressure can be run lower.

It’s always fun to have this type of problem to solve. Stephen

11/04/2026

Another cracking installation for paint spraying.

This compressor has been installed at a high end joinery for paint spraying.

They had problems with contaminated air causing defects in the paint finish. This required the panels to be cleaned down and painted again.

A costly and time consuming task.

After a discussion about the best way to fix the problem the customer decided on a new MATTEI compressor as he had lost faith in his old system.

He wanted this particular compressor as it has a dry tank that gives pretty clean air before filtration. Adding the correct filtration gives them the confidence to carry on spraying their panels.

Big bonus. MATTEI had a BLADE 4SEH in stock and sent it out straight away.

It’s great giving customers the best solution for their application.

Have a great weekend
Stephen

06/04/2026

The most important thing in health and safety.

Over the years I have sat in countless health and safety courses, safety inductions and safety sessions.

There is an overwhelming lack of understanding regarding health and safety. We have to adhere to the rules to keep safe and that is correct. But asking the question “What is the most important thing in health and safety?” Draws blank faces and lots of umm’s and errrr’s.

In my opinion the most important thing in health and safety is the ability to shout STOP at the very top of your voice.

And not just that, bigger than just shouting STOP, is having the courage to say stop no matter what you are doing or someone else is doing.

Why am I so passionate about this?

It’s a lifetime of hands on the job. Getting things wrong and learning the lesson the hard way. Thinking about passing on my hard learnt knowledge and doing it in a way that’s easy to understand. Stopping people from having to learn the hard way.

It’s about empowering everyone to have confidence to say, or shout STOP.

I have seen the apprentice silently watch a lorry reverse into a wall, with a crunch. When questioned he answered “I thought he ment to do that”.

That had to be fixed. So now anybody who works with me gets the question “what’s the most important thing in health and safety?”.

I get them to shout out “STOP” at the top of their voice, just to get them used to it.

Everywhere should have good risk assessments, good work practices and management willing to listen. This does not always happen. The last line of defence is that ability to shout STOP.

A customer to our Haverfordwest depot was reversing away from his parking space. Looking in his mirror at where he was going. Unfortunately a van was reversing out of another space. Neither noticed the other.

I shouted STOP at the top of my voice (I’m the father of 4 boys, I have a loud shout).

Both vehicles stopped inches away from each other, both a bit pi**ed until they realised how close they were to each other.

Only a small incident but the perfect example of being prepared to intervene loudly and decisively to prevent an accident.

We all have a responsibility for our personal safety and the safety of others. Empowering people to stand up and stop a process or situation before it escalates protects people but is also financial gold.

And one final thing. Stopping for that tea break, when everyone has been struggling on a job is the same thing. Stepping away. Taking a few minutes and then going back to the job fresh. Everything works better.

Have a safe day
Stephen

03/04/2026

Compressed air. Know what you’re dealing with, it’s stored energy.

Compressed air, when used well is a delight. It is clean, quiet, and easy to use. Look at a factory where machines operate quietly and efficiently, processing products using compressed air. It’s like magic.

The side most people never even consider, is the machinery and energy used to collect and store that compressed air. It’s a hidden part of a factory, farm, tyre shop or any other obscure industry. Most of us use it every single day in the tyres of the vehicles we travel in.

Because compressed air is taken for granted, people do not understand the danger it possesses. I didn’t. Let me tell you a story that happened to me.

As a young man I worked in a local hydraulic supplier. Part of my tasks was resealing hydraulic cylinders. One day I was stripping down a small hydraulic cylinder and found it to be stuck. I tugged and pulled as much as I could, but I could not extract the rod assembly from the cylinder.

I then had a bright idea. With the cylinder clamped tightly in a vice, I connected an air pipe from the workshop air compressor to the cylinder and opened the tap. The cylinder filled up with air under pressure and did not budge.

My next step is Universal the world over….

Hit it with a hammer.

I have replayed this in my mind hundreds of times over the years.

With a huge boom, the rod fired itself across the workshop, losing no height until it hit the workshop doors with another huge bang. My boss noticing the unusual noises came to enquire. Luckily, nobody was injured and no real damage done. It could’ve been much worse.

It’s an amazing lesson that I’ve never forgotten. Probably no more than 4 or 5 litres of 10 bar compressed air, launched 10 kg of metal rod, 6 metres across a workshop at high speed (approximate measurements, it was 30 years ago).

So what is the takeaway here?

There are so many lessons to learn from this story. As technicians, engineers, managers and end users, understanding the explosive power of compressed air is vitally important.

It is sobering to consider and understand the real implications of things going wrong.

Untrained, inexperienced staff.

Inappropriate use of compressed air

No standard operating procedures

No risk assessments

The list goes on

No safety inspections

Take a moment to consider your compressed air system.

Is it in good condition?

Is it used correctly?

Do the people maintaining it know what they’re doing?

Do the people using it know what they’re doing?

Are there things that you are turning a blind eye to?

DO YOU need to step back and ask if YOU know what you’re doing?

Stay safe, everyone
Love Stephen

(Photo does not show actual rod)

11/03/2026