Introduction to Plastic Pipes

Introduction

Introduction to Plastic Pipes

Over the years, plastic pipes have successfully replaced the use of metal pipes. They are an ideal choice in most of the piping and plumbing solutions because these pipes do not corrode, are resistant to scaling, are light weighted, easy to handle and install. These features make them economical and highly durable due to which Plastic pipes are widely used in the water and food industry for transferring drinking water, waste water, chemicals transportation, heating fluid etc.

Common Applications of Plastic pipes

Irrigation
Municipal water supply
Municipal drainage
Infrastructure drainage
Domestic and commercial Plumbing
Domestic and commercial drainage
Industrial chemical transportation
Hydraulics and Pneumatics

Plastic Pipe Factory

The main process used to produce plastic pipes is called Plastic extrusion. Extrusion in a plastic pipe factory is a manufacturing process where raw plastic is melted and pushed through a circular opening which forms into a continuous pipe which is then cooled and cut to size to produce the pipe. Pipe fittings are produced using the injection molding process where melted plastic is pushed inside the cavity of required shape inside a mold and cooled to produce the pipe fitting.

Plastic Pipe Types

There are different types of plastic pipes in the market. They are

PVC plastic pipes
CPVC plastic pipes
UPVC plastic pipes
PEX plastic pipes
PERT plastic pipes
PPR plastic pipes
MDPE plastic pipes
HDPE plastic pipes
Composite pipes
DWC plastic pipes
Biaxially oriented PVC pipes

Types of Pipes and fittings materials Used in plastic Plumbing

Plumbing is a complex system of pipes connected together. Here are the different types of plumbing pipes material:

UPVC stands for Unplasticised PVC and is also known as rigid PVC. UPVC pipes and fittings are most commonly used for cold water plumbing system and are light and easy to handle. UPVC pipes offer high mechanical performance, durability for a longer time, resistance to chemicals , UV exposure, and are 100% recyclable. UPVC pipes are available in 2 different classes (Sch 40 & Sch 80) in sizes available from 1/2” upto 8”.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) or Unplasticized Polyvinyl Chloride is a low carbon plastic used to manufacture pipes. These pipes are recyclable and need less energy, few materials, and resources to manufacture and require less maintenance. PVC pipes are widely used in municipal water distribution systems, where water is drawn from sources like lake, river, reservoirs, large wells or stream and treated before it is distributed to homes and businesses. PVC pipes are widely used for municipal water distribution and agriculture. PVC pipe sizes available from 20mm to 315mm in different pressure classes like 2.5Kg, 4Kg, 6Kg, 10Kg & 15Kg. In some cases 15kg pipes are used for plumbing application also.

CPVC Pipe Sizes
Class of CPVC Pipe	Sizes Available
Class-1/SDR-11	1/2″ – 2″
Class-2/SDR-13.5	1/2″ – 2″
SCH-40	2½” – 8″
SCH-80	2½ ” – 8″

Introduction