single stage air compressor :When the piston moves down inside the cylinder, the air enters the space above thanks to the difference between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure inside the cylinder. The air is then compressed as the piston moves upwards. two stage air compressor : Two-stage compressors take the air in from the atmosphere just like single-stage units, but as you can see on the picture they have two cylinders instead of one. multi stage air compressor :The intake of air in the first stage gets compressed and then it is passed over a cooler to achieve a temperature very close to ambient air. This cooled air is passed to the intermediate stage where it is again getting compressed and heated.