TPT March 2017

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I NSPE C T I ON , T E S T I NG & QUA L I T Y CONT R OL
80 MARCH 2017
Non-destructive testing leads
plastic pipes conference
THE newest session to be added to
the Plastic Pipes Conference Asso-
ciation (PPCA) meeting was devoted
to non-destructive testing (NDT) and
was attended by a record number of
industry professionals from around the
world.
Held in a different country each time,
the Plastic Pipes Conference and
Exhibition is described as the largest
event of its kind. The 2016 conference,
PPXVIII, held in Berlin, Germany, had
450 attendees from 43 countries. The
conference is organised in collaboration
with the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc
(PPI), The European Plastic Pipes and
Fittings Association (TEPPFA), PE 100+
Association and PVC4Pipes.
“The action was non-stop in Berlin,”
stated conference organising co-chair
Sarah Patterson of the Plastics Pipe
Institute, Inc.
“Because of the great number
of people, plenty of networking
opportunities were created and the
sessions were full. The new workshop
on non-destructive testing was nearly
standing room only. More than 100
participated and there were seven
papers from firms located in six countries
plus a one-hour panel discussion.
“The reason the NDT session was
so exciting is because for nearly 25
years NDT was done by individual
firms who set their own criteria. Now,
the technology has made its way into
the standards organisation for the
inspection of plastic pipe.
“This session provided a forum for
the two industries, NDT and plastic
pipe, to discuss the technologies as
well as methodology being proposed for
acceptance criteria.”
Presentations examined NDT tech-
nologies, inspection methods, detection
of any indications in butt fusion and
electrofusion joints and ways to
determine if an indication is actually a
defect. The discussions from the NDT
session were also of interest to the
organising associations.
Plastic Pipes Conference and
Exhibition XIX will take place in Las
Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 24 to 26
September 2018.
Plastic Pipes Conference
Association – Hungary
Website:
At Plastic Pipes XVIII, the new workshop
on non-destructive testing featured
presentations about technology and
methods, and a one-hour panel discussion