TPi January 2008

developments products & developments products &

Photo – Uponor Ltd see page 20

Growth market in hot water pipes Cincinnati Extrusion GmbH, Austria, has shipped an aluminium-plastic composite pipe extrusion line and installed it on the premises of Nuova PDM Srl, Italy. The Italian pipe manufacturer has acquired its first composite pipe extrusion line to extend its product portfolio, with the objective of catering to the growing market for hot water transport pipes. Thanks to their corrosion resistance and simple laying properties, aluminium composite pipes are increasingly in demand in the sanitary installation industry. They are particularly gaining ground in the areas of radiator heating systems and potable water transport pipes. In some countries they have also made a successful entry into under-floor heating systems, where the market is still dominated by PEX and PE-RT pipes. Factors contributing to this boom in the sanitary installation sector are the absolute resistance to corrosion and high flexibility of composite pipes, for example in on-wall applications, and their impermeability to oxygen in radiator connection pipes.

KraussMaffei, Germany, is a supplier of key application technologies for the plastics and rubber compounding and processing industries. Since launching its QuickSwitch system for inline pipe dimension change in 2003, the company has sold more than 24 systems. Initially engineered only for PO pipe, QuickSwitch systems for PVC pipe are now available. A number of the new PVC versions have already been sold. European producers were quick to see the benefits of dimension change on the fly. The company supplied a line for PO pipe in the diameter range 25-63mm, with a single-layer pipehead, to an Italian customer. Another line, for 70-160mm pipe and with a 3-layer pipehead, went to an Italian market leader, where it is already in operation. The system has also established itself in the Eastern Europe pipe market, where QuickSwitch systems for all three currently available dimension ranges have been installed. The lines are headed by single-screw extruders KME 60-36 B/R, KME 75-36 B/R and KME 90-36 B/R, in each case with a single- layer pipehead. Teamed with the appropriate pipehead, a QuickSwitch system can be used flexibly to produce single- or multi- layer pipe in its specified dimension range. The PVC QuickSwitch version QuickSwitch wins fans

is currently available in the dimension range 90-160mm, and is capable of processing all PVC dryblends on the market and C-PVC. The polyolefin QuickSwitch version is currently available for three dimension ranges: 25-63mm, 70-160mm, and 160- 250mm. QuickSwitch is supplied either as complete, fully-automated lines or as upgrade kits for existing conventional systems.

The upgrade kits enable a phased transition from conventional pipe production to flexible production with QuickSwitch. Benefits of the system include reduced costs of dimension changes, break-even and profits with smaller batch sizes, and boosted production capacity (due to the elimination of stoppages). The calibration basket is a core component of the QuickSwitch line p

KraussMaffei GmbH – Germany www.kraussmaffei.com

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