The general mechanism of an air compressor is a piston or rotary component (e.g. rotary 
screw or vane) that draws in air flow, which is compressed into a storage container. Naturally, because the piston or rotary component needs to move regularly and smoothly for this to work, it generally needs to be lubricated.
In a lubricated air compressor, there is lubricating oil which keeps the piston or rotary component running well without damaging the mechanism. The lubricant also really helps to dissipate temperature and maintain air compression efficiency.
Oil-free of Water Lubricated Air Compressor charge air compressors also use a piston or rotary element, however they bypass the lubrication problem by coating the compression element with a pre-lubricating material like Teflon. Some oil-free compressors could also use water in place of oil for the lubricating and cooling procedure. These alternate materials safeguard the pump and invite the mechanism to move smoothly with no need for any oil-based or synthetic lubrication.
