Tube Products INTERNATIONAL

Plastic pipes
Alternatives to metal for valves and fittings
helping to reduce weight
PolyOne Corporation is a provider of
specialised polymer materials, services
and solutions for a wide range of fluid
handling applications.
The company’s Nymax nylon
formulations, Maxxam polyolefin
formulations and LubriOne lubricated
and wear-resistant materials are suitable
as metal replacements for valves and
fittings. This metal-to-plastic conversion
allows customers to reduce the weight
of their parts and eliminate secondary
operations for greater operational
efficiency. The NSF Standard 61
certified and lubricated compounds for
fluid handling applications are currently
available in North America.
PolyOne’s approach pairs customers
with a knowledgeable formulator to
define solutions that accelerate the
design process and get products to
market faster. The company provides
a broad range of standardised and
customised formulations in several resin
families, including new pre-coloured
offerings that enable customers to
differentiate their product, create brand
identity, and provide colour coding.
Valves and fittings in the fluid handling
industry have traditionally been made
of cast iron, brass or PVC. PolyOne’s
engineered materials are highperforming
polymers that can meet the
demands of specialised fluid handling
applications, offering lighter weight than
metals, good chemical resistance, and
targeted physical property performance.
These products also support the
California Lead Plumbing Law (AB
1953), which states that any product that
dispenses or conveys water for human
consumption in a California building
be ‘lead free’ as defined by the law. In
addition, PolyOne’s design assistance
and processing support help create a
smooth conversion from other materials
to a PolyOne engineered compound,
even for the most complex applications.
PolyOne offers NSF Standard
61 certified Nymax and Maxxam
formulations for potable water and
water handling applications. Nymax
formulations in PA6, PA 6/6, and other
copolymer grades can be made with
a wide variety of reinforcements,
modifiers, and fillers to enhance
physical properties, weatherability and
processing. Maxxam polypropylene
and polyethylene-based materials are
tailored to provide a desired balance of
properties such as stiffness, durability,
and impact and heat resistance.
For valves and threaded applications,
LubriOne formulations offer wear
resistance, reduced friction and heat
build-up, noise and vibration damping,
fewer power and maintenance
requirements, design flexibility and
lower part weight. LubriOne materials
are formulated with an internal
lubricant to offer a low coefficient of
friction and lubricity, as well as wear
resistance.
PolyOne Corporation – USA
www.polyone.com
Plastic pipe weld logging heps to control
the entire welding process
Since 1979, Ritmo SpA has played
an important role in the welding of
HDPE and other plastic pipes, with
new ideas and products designed and
manufactured in Italy.
The company’s My Log data logging
system controls and registers the entire
welding process. Its reports certify that
welding has been performed according
to the parameters set.
The data gathered throughout the
welding cycles is saved in an internal
memory, and may be downloaded and
handled on a PC by means of specific
software.
My Log is supplied in a protective case,
and has a wide graphic display and
an intuitive control panel designed for
ease of use.
My Log can be used with many
machines – not only those produced
by Ritmo – so it may be considered an
‘open system’.
In the butt welding field, from medium
to large ODs, Ritmo has invested in
the concept of user-friendliness: highly
technological machines that handle the
entire cycle by means of an intuitive
control panel; with software, entirely
developed by Ritmo engineers, that
assures smooth and faultless welding.
The Ritmo Group also provides
technical assistance and information
to all its customers. A qualified team
of experts is available to assist with
technical enquiries.
Ritmo SpA – Italy
info@ritmo.it
www.ritmo.it
Ritmo: Italian technology in plastic welding
www.read-tpi.com March 2014 Tube Products International 101