A dental clinic or a university simulation room brings together many workstations. Suction and compressed air are then designed as a centralized installation. The principle does not change: size according to the workstations that work at the same time. Here is the Cattani information to get there.
Start from actual use
A clinic and a simulation room do not work the same way. In a clinic, chairs work at staggered times. In a simulation room, a group of students may start at the same time, then stop together. Count the active workstations at the busiest time, not just the total.
Cattani stresses it again: do not undersize. According to the manufacturer, the saving at purchase is not real and costs you suction unit lifetime and energy savings.
Suction: up to 5 chairs per machine
Smart suction systems cover 1 to 5 chairs working simultaneously per machine. For large installations, there are three models to know.
Turbo-Smart TS: a machine that grows with you
For the Turbo-Smart TS, Cattani's UK subsidiary states: “Turbo Smart TS is supplied for three surgery use and is upgradable to five surgeries if required”. It reaches 1600 l/min in version A. Contaminated air is cleaned by a HEPA-grade filter before being exhausted.
Turbo-Smart 2V and Turbo-Smart HP: power for surgery
For the Turbo-Smart 2V, Cattani writes: “Suggested for 4 surgeries working at the same time”. For the Turbo-Smart HP : “Consigliato per 4 studi in funzione contemporanea”. These machines target a higher vacuum, useful in implantology and surgery, or when pipes are long, undersized or fitted with traps. In a large building, this last point matters.
Programmable vacuum
On Smart suction systems, the vacuum is programmable and the unit automatically adapts it to the demand from the chairs. When some workstations stop, the machine slows down. Thanks to the inverter, consumption is proportional to use, with up to 50% energy savings compared with a fixed-speed suction system.
Suction and air combined: Blok-Jet Silent
Blok-Jet Silent centralized solutions combine suction and compressed air in a single soundproof cabinet. The Blok-Jet Silent 2 is designed, according to Cattani, “to serve four dental chairs working simultaneously”. Its software adapts energy consumption to the number of operators using the suction system and the compressor. An asset for a room whose occupancy varies.
Compressed air: from 6 to 25 chairs
For compressed air, Cattani central units go much higher:
- AC 400: “Suggested for 4-5 dental units”;
- AC 600 : “Suggested for 6-9 dental units” — 476 Nl/min at 5 bar, 150 l tank;
- AC 1800 : “Suggested for 20-25 dental units” — 1428 Nl/min at 5 bar, 300 l tank, six cylinders on three heads, six dryers.
On the AC 1800, the heads start in sequence to avoid peaks in power consumption.
To check a sizing, apply the Cattani ESAM UK rule: at least 50 litres/minute per chair at 5 bar, with chairs working simultaneously. Twenty simultaneous workstations therefore require at least 1000 l/min. The compressor's flow must then clearly exceed this consumption, to give the dryer time to regenerate.
The AC 1800 takes up 1800 × 1100 × 1100 mm and weighs 394 kg. Plan the equipment room and access from the building design stage.
An adjoining dental laboratory
Some clinics and faculties also have a laboratory. Cattani offers suction units for laboratory dust, as a centralized installation:
- Uni-Jet 500: 6 simultaneous workstations at 20 m;
- Uni-Jet 1000: 12 simultaneous workstations at 25 m.
See the page Laboratory.
Running a large installation
The larger the installation, the more monitoring matters.
- Diagnostics: the display on Smart suction systems shows vacuum, maintenance, current draw, temperature, amalgam level and operating hours. The machine logs events for accurate diagnosis.
- Remote monitoring: with SmartApp, the technical team monitors the suction system without going down to the equipment room.
- Amalgam: the alarms at 95% and 100% let you plan the container change without interrupting activity.
- Organization: routine maintenance is for trained staff; extraordinary maintenance for a trained technician, using original parts.
In a simulation room, designate who handles the evening routine. Details are on the page Maintenance.
The four-step method
- Count the active workstations at the busiest time.
- Choose the suction system(s) according to Cattani's recommendations, taking procedures and pipework into account.
- Size the compressed air at a minimum of 50 l/min per chair, plus the dryer's headroom.
- Plan the equipment room, monitoring and the organization of maintenance.
For educational institutions, also see the page Schools and universities. The full ranges are on the pages Suction and Compressed air.
A Cattani specialist can advise you
Equipping a clinic, a faculty or a simulation room? Send us the number of workstations, how they are used and the building plans. A Cattani specialist will work with you on a centralized solution based on the manufacturer's recommendations.
Ask a Cattani specialist for advice
Sources: Cattani ESAM UK (Cattani subsidiary), Turbo Smart TS (p. 2, 4), Turbo Smart (p. 7) and oil-free compressors (p. 4) brochures and Smart maintenance guide (p. 7); Cattani documentation, manual Smart 04-2024 (EN), p. 6; Cattani documentation, manual Smart 04-2024 (FR), p. 19, 20 and 32; Cattani documentation, Turbo Smart brochure 02-2020, p. 2, 4 and 6; Cattani documentation, Turbo Smart HP leaflet 05-2023, p. 4 and 6; Cattani documentation, manual Blok-Jet Silent 09-2021, p. 9; Cattani documentation, manual compressed air central units 02-2023, p. 7 and 16; Cattani documentation, manual oil-free compressors 1-2-3 cylinders 02-2023 (FR), p. 11; Cattani documentation, manual Maxi Smart 04-2025, p. 15; Cattani, product sheets Turbo-Smart 2V, Turbo-Smart HP, AC 400, AC 600, AC 1800, Uni-Jet 500 and Uni-Jet 1000 (cattani.it).