Description
The Atlas Copco GA 18 VSDS is the largest machine of the small GA VSDS class and applies the third-generation drive platform to the 18 kW rating. A FASR synchronous reluctance motor rated at 18 kW works with the Neos Next variable speed drive, and the oil-injected screw element follows the plant demand continuously, from an idle of 11.3 l/s up to 67.0 l/s at full speed on the 4 bar(e) hardware.
The Full Feature build weighs 452 kg, measures 700 x 1200 mm in footprint and posts a mean sound level of 69 dB(A), so the machine installs in the place of the fixed-speed unit it replaces. Four working pressures from 4 to 13 bar(e) are covered, and the drive trims the energy use of the installation by up to 60 percent against fixed-speed running. The GA 18 VSDS therefore suits plants that measure their energy performance, because the savings are not a projection but a figure that the controller records and reports.
At this rating the machine often replaces a 22 kW fixed-speed compressor: the variable speed output of the GA 18 VSDS covers the same effective flow on networks whose demand is not flat, because the saved unloaded minutes of the old unit were never producing air in the first place. The platform converts this operating logic into measurable results, and the energy report of the controller records them shift by shift.
Where the GA 18 VSDS Fits in the VSDS Range
Atlas Copco builds the GA VSDS range from 5 to 37 kW, and the GA 18 VSDS closes its small class together with the GA 15 VSDS. Above this rating the platform steps over to the larger frames of the 22 to 37 kW group, which carry the same drive concept in a bigger package. Plants that outgrow the GA 11 VSDS or the GA 15 VSDS therefore stay on one control logic, and workshops that consolidate an old 22 kW fixed-speed installation find here a direct replacement with a fundamentally better energy profile.
For such consolidations the GA 18 VSDS keeps the planning simple: the footprint matches the small frames of the range, the weight stays predictable at 452 kg for the Full Feature build, and the electrical connection does not exceed the class of the machine it replaces.
Pack and Full Feature Builds
The GA 18 VSDS is available as a Pack version and as a Full Feature version. The Pack build delivers untreated compressed air for networks with external treatment, while the Full Feature build integrates the refrigerant dryer with a 3 degrees Celsius pressure dew point inside the same frame. Both builds keep the same 700 x 1200 mm footprint and the same service plan, so the choice depends only on where the drying step belongs in the plant.
Workshops that buy the Pack version usually pipe the wet air to an existing treatment room, while the Full Feature package removes that room from the plan entirely and delivers dry air straight at the outlet.
One Weight for Every Working Pressure
Unlike the smaller 13 bar(e) variants of the range, the GA 18 VSDS uses one hardware package across all working pressures. The Pack version weighs 328 kg and the Full Feature version 452 kg, whether the machine runs at 4, 7, 10 or 13 bar(e). This simplifies the installation planning: the foundation, the transport and the spare parts list are identical for every variant of the model.
Technical Specifications of the GA 18 VSDS
Unit performance of the GA 18 VSDS is measured according to ISO 1217 edition 4, annex E, 2009, and the mean noise level follows ISO 2151: 2004 with a tolerance of 3 dB(A). The table lists the flow window at full speed for each working pressure.
| Working pressure | FAD range (l/s) | FAD range (m³/h) | FAD range (cfm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 bar(e) / 58 psig | 15.3 – 67.0 | 55.1 – 241.2 | 32.4 – 142.0 |
| 7 bar(e) / 102 psig | 13.8 – 65.2 | 49.7 – 234.7 | 29.2 – 138.2 |
| 10 bar(e) / 147 psig | 12.5 – 55.4 | 45.0 – 199.4 | 26.5 – 117.4 |
| 13 bar(e) / 191 psig | 11.3 – 46.4 | 40.7 – 167.0 | 23.9 – 98.3 |
Motor, Noise and Dimensions
The motor of the GA 18 VSDS is rated at 18 kW or 25 hp, and the mean sound pressure level is 69 dB(A) across the range. The Full Feature dimensions of the GA 15-18 group measure 700 mm in width, 1200 mm in depth and 1495 mm in height, and the height stays below the bulk of the 22 to 37 kW frames that the platform uses above this class.
The FASR Motor and the Neos Next Drive
IE5 Efficiency Without Rare-Earth Magnets
The FASR motor of the GA 18 VSDS reaches the IE5 efficiency class with a ferrite-assisted synchronous reluctance rotor. No rare-earth magnets are involved, which keeps the rotor construction simple and the material supply independent. The efficiency holds across the whole speed range, so the machine converts the majority of its input power into compressed air at part load as well as at full load, and this is what turns the drive concept into the advertised energy savings.
VSD Cooling and Low Part-Load Noise
The Neos Next drive also regulates the VSD fan of the GA 18 VSDS, so the cooling follows the thermal load of the machine. At reduced output the whole package becomes quieter than its rated 69 dB(A), and in a workshop with changing demand the compressor spends most of its life in exactly this quiet zone.
Boost Flow Mode and Pressure Control
Temporary Extra Flow Without a Second Machine
The GA VSDS platform equips the GA 18 VSDS with Boost Flow Mode, which temporarily lifts the output above the nominal maximum while the consumption peaks. With conventional compressors, exceeding the maximum capacity means falling pressure and interrupted processes. Here the machine bridges the peak, and the investment in a second compressor moves to the day when the peak becomes permanent.
The STC Valve and the Stable Network
The STC valve works with the drive to hold the line pressure close to the setpoint. The tight pressure band protects the downstream equipment, stabilizes pneumatic processes and lets the plant size its receiver smaller than for a load-unload installation.
Full Feature: Dry Air at 3 Degrees Celsius
The Full Feature build of the GA 18 VSDS integrates the refrigerant dryer behind the same panels and delivers a pressure dew point of 3 degrees Celsius. Combined with the matching filtration, the station supports the ISO 8573-1 air quality class 1.4.2 for particles, water and oil, which covers general manufacturing, painting, packaging and most industrial workshop duties. The drying and separating functions arrive wired and plumbed from the factory, so the commissioning reduces to the intake, the outlet and the power supply.
Control, Connectivity and Air Quality
The EQ2i controller comes as standard on the GA 18 VSDS and coordinates the machine with further units of the range on one network. The EQ4i and EQ6i controllers are available as options, and the platform connects to the SMARTLINK environment for remote monitoring of status and energy data. The oil side runs with the Roto Synthetic Xtend lubricant, and the DD and UD filtration options adapt the delivered air quality to the process that consumes it. Together these choices keep the installation of the GA 18 VSDS compact from the first day.
Applications of the GA 18 VSDS
The GA 18 VSDS serves plants whose 20 to 25 kW class installation runs on changing demand: woodworking and furniture production, plastics processing, packaging halls, and general manufacturing with mixed shifts. It is also the direct answer for networks that today run a 22 kW fixed-speed compressor with long unloaded periods, because the variable speed output covers the same effective flow at a fraction of the wasted energy.
Pneumatic conveying stations, bottle blowing auxiliaries and cycle-driven assembly lines all show this pattern, and each of them profits twice: once from the reduced energy draw and once from the stable pressure that the STC valve holds while the demand moves. Plants that already operate the GA 11 VSDS or the GA 15 VSDS integrate this machine without changing the control concept, and the EQ2i brings the units together as one station.
Service and Support Around the GA 18 VSDS
The service plan of the GA 18 VSDS reduces to the filters and the oil system: the direct-coupled reluctance motor carries no brushes and no gearbox, and the drive electronics monitor their own condition. The EQ2i counts the loaded hours and announces the next service in advance, so maintenance happens by plan instead of by breakdown. Seadweer supplies the original service parts for the GA 18 VSDS, supports the commissioning of the machine and keeps the consumables available for plants that depend on it in continuous production.
FAQ
What does the GA 18 VSDS deliver at 7 bar?
At the 7 bar(e) setting the flow window at full speed spans 13.8 to 65.2 l/s, which equals 49.7 to 234.7 m³/h or 29.2 to 138.2 cfm.
Can the GA 18 VSDS replace a 22 kW fixed-speed compressor?
On networks with changing demand it often can: the variable speed output reaches 67.0 l/s at full speed on the 4 bar(e) hardware, and the energy that a fixed-speed unit wastes in unloaded running no longer appears on the bill. The actual sizing depends on the demand profile of the plant.
Does the weight of the GA 18 VSDS change with the working pressure?
No. The model uses one hardware package for all working pressures: 328 kg as a Pack and 452 kg as a Full Feature unit, at 4, 7, 10 and 13 bar(e) alike.
How loud is the GA 18 VSDS?
The mean sound pressure level is 69 dB(A), measured at 1 m according to ISO 2151: 2004 with a tolerance of 3 dB(A), and the machine runs quieter at part load.
Which controller does the GA 18 VSDS use?
The EQ2i comes as standard, the EQ4i and EQ6i are options, and all of them connect to the SMARTLINK environment for remote monitoring.
- Atlas Copco GA 18 VSDS: the 18 kW / 25 hp machine that closes the small class of the third-generation GA VSDS range
- Flow window at full speed 67.0 l/s on the 4 bar(e) hardware, working pressures from 4 to 13 bar(e)
- IE5 FASR reluctance motor and Neos Next drive with up to 60 percent energy savings against fixed-speed running
- 69 dB(A) mean sound level, Full Feature footprint 700 x 1200 mm and 452 kg at every working pressure
- Full Feature dryer at 3 degrees Celsius pressure dew point supporting ISO 8573-1 class 1.4.2 with matching filtration
- Boost Flow Mode, STC valve, EQ2i control as standard and SMARTLINK connectivity
Bogdan Ionescu –
We used to run a 22 kW fixed-speed compressor with a cyclic loader, and the unload noise filled the whole plant. The GA 18 VSDS now covers the same network alone, the pressure never moves more than a fraction of a bar, and the energy report shows a monthly drop that paid back our trust in the technology. It stands where the old machine stood, the Full Feature dryer keeps the dew point for the painting booths, and Seadweer commissioned it between two shifts without stopping production.