Quincy 5153D12HCB46M QP MAX: 15 HP on 460V Three-Phase

This is the 460V member of the QP MAX family, and the voltage is the reason to choose it. Quincy lists the amp draw for this build at 21 A. The same 15 HP of compressor on a lower-voltage three-phase supply pulls roughly twice that current, and more again at the lowest of the common shop voltages. Current is what sizes conductors, conduit, breakers and the disconnect, so if your building already carries 460V service, this version of the machine is materially cheaper to install than the identical compressor on a lower voltage — smaller wire, a smaller breaker, and a shorter bill from the electrical contractor. Nothing about the air changes; only the cost of getting power to it does.

What you are buying is a 15 HP, two-stage, cast-iron compressor on a 120-gallon horizontal receiver, belt driven, wired for 460V three-phase power. It is a fixed installation for a building with the service to match.

The electrical case, in plain terms

Compressor buyers tend to shop on horsepower and tank size and then get surprised by the install quote. On a large three-phase machine the feed can be a serious fraction of the total project: the conductors, the conduit run from the panel, the fused disconnect, the labour, and sometimes a panel that has to be uprated to take the load. Because the current on this 460V build is a fraction of the equivalent low-voltage machine, every one of those line items gets smaller. If you have a choice of supply in the building, take the higher voltage. If you do not have 460V, buy the version that matches what you actually have — a transformer to feed one compressor is rarely worth it.

Will It Fit?

• Footprint. 78" long by 28" wide, plus clearance to work around it. Treat the published footprint as the machine, not the installation.
• Height. 55" to the top. Leave space above the cooler for airflow and above the tank for the safety valve.
• Weight. 995 lbs, so a level concrete slab and mechanical handling to set it.
• Power. 460V three-phase at a listed draw of 21 A. Quincy does not publish a breaker size for this unit and instructs buyers to consult a certified electrician; the correct breaker depends on your conductor run and your local code, not on a catalogue figure.
• Outlet. A 1" tank outlet, big enough that the shop main is the limiting factor only if you make it so.

The slab, the feed, the disconnect and the connection into your compressed-air main are all the customer's responsibility, and all of it should be done by trades licensed for the work in your jurisdiction.

The pump: iron, two stages, and a filtered oil supply

The pump is cast iron with aluminum heads and works in two stages, with a high-efficiency fin-and-tube intercooler between them so the second stage receives cooled, denser air. Compressing in two smaller steps with cooling in the middle puts far less thermal stress on valves and rings than doing it in one, which is why this architecture is standard on machines expected to run for years rather than weekends. Stainless steel reed valves with valve bumpers handle the breathing, a spin-on oil filter and a gerotor positive-displacement oil pump handle lubrication, and an oil sight glass and low-oil shutoff handle the two ways people usually kill a compressor. A mounted air-cooled aftercooler sits downstream of the pump and drops the discharge temperature before the air enters the tank, so a good deal of the moisture condenses at the machine instead of in your drops.

Perfect For

• Industrial and light manufacturing sites already distributing 460V.
• Multi-bay service centres where several techs are on air at once.
• Fabrication shops running sanders, grinders and plasma continuously.
• Facilities replacing an ageing three-phase compressor where the feed and disconnect are already in place and sized.

If your building is single-phase, or three-phase at a lower voltage, this is not your machine — the same compressor is offered in versions that match those supplies.

What's in the Box

A complete, assembled compressor package: two-stage cast-iron pump, motor, 120-gallon horizontal receiver, magnetic starter, mounted air-cooled aftercooler, fin-and-tube intercooler, spin-on oil filter and oil sight glass. No air dryer is fitted to this unit. Piping, filtration, regulators, the disconnect and the electrical feed are supplied by you. The packing list in the crate is the authority on contents.

Specifications

Certification, Honestly

Our record lists the receiver as built to the ASME pressure-vessel code and lists CSA among the unit's marks. Read that for what it is: a pressure-vessel stamp certifies the tank, and a mark on the assembly is not automatically the mark your local authority asks for. Insurers, fleet policies and some jurisdictions are specific about what listing a permanently installed machine must carry. If that applies to you, check the requirement against this unit's data plate before purchase — we would rather answer the question now than have you find the gap at inspection.

Before You Order — Please Confirm

• Lubrication. Published descriptions of the oil system differ: the package name and its feature list specify a fully pressure lubricated compressor; a specification field on this page records splash lubricated. If the lubrication system decides your purchase, confirm it with us in writing before ordering — we will get the answer straight from Quincy.
• Automatic tank drain. Published information differs here too: the description and one specification record an electronic automatic tank drain as fitted; another records it as not fitted. Ask us before you order if you are depending on one.
• Delivered air volume. No CFM figure is published on this page, because the figure available for this build is not recorded against a unit of measure. Contact us and we will get the factory figure.
• Pump speed. No pump speed is published for this 460V build, so none is quoted above. Quincy documents a lower speed for its siblings on other voltages, but a figure from another build is not a specification for this one — ask us and we will confirm it.

Shipping and Delivery

This item ships free within the lower 48 states, so there is nothing to add at checkout. At 995 lbs on a pallet this arrives on a freight truck and you are responsible for getting it off — forklift, dock, or collect it yourself from the carrier's terminal. A residential delivery address carries a residential fee, added to the freight quote at checkout. Inspect the machine on the tailgate before signing: check the tank, feet, guards and gauges, and write any damage onto the bill of lading while the driver is still there. Damage noted after a clean signature is very hard to recover.

Warranty

A 1-year factory warranty applies, extendable to a 3-year "No Bull" warranty on the terms set out in Quincy's warranty handbook. The handbook governs, and the extension carries conditions worth reading before you rely on it.

If a fault appears, contact us before anyone opens the pump. Warranty claims are routinely refused on units that have already been stripped, and a well-meant teardown is the most common way a covered failure turns into an uncovered one.