Extrusion International 2-2018

24 Extrusion International 2/2018 PIPE EXTRUSION TOM ® Pipes and ecoFITTOM ® – A Perfect Solution for the Conveyance of Water Under Pressure The stir that this system caused in the industry was due to the fact that it showed an exclusive, novel and innovativeway of ap- plying the Molecular Orientation process to pipeline solutions. The use of air instead of boiling water is the main aspect that distinguishes and makes this technology more secure and cost- efficient in comparison to the rest of the existingmanufacturing processes. The incredible results obtained after applying the Molecors’ Molecular Orientation process are obvious and have been dem- onstrated by the TOM ® pipes and the ecoFITTOM ® excellent mechanical properties. Thanks to their improved characteristics, both products present important benefits and advantages and have become the most efficient, safe and eco-friendly solutions currently existing on the market. The increase in their hydraulic capacity, their excellent response towater hammer, complete resistance to corrosion, whichguar- antees that the quality of the conveyed water remains always unaltered, and therefore, that it is completely suitable for hu- man consumption, their lower weight, and consequently easier installation in comparison to the solutions made of other mate- rials, are some of the TOM ® pipes and ecoFITTOM ® advantages. Apart from this, their incredible resistance to impact and opti- mal behavior at low temperatures are two of the characteristics by which they are highly recognized, being the second one spe- cially taken into account in cold countries. PVC-OClass500,materialofwhichMolecors’productsaremade, remains completely unaltered at low temperatures in fact, the PVC-O Class 500 not only maintains its mechanical properties in optimal conditions at low temperatures, but it also experiences an improvement of those as the temperature becomes lower. PVC-O strength increases as the service temperature is reduced. Hence, the ability of this material to withstand internal pressure is greater at temperatures below 20°C. Regarding expansion and contraction of PVC-O piping systems we could say that the potential consequences of larger expansion/contraction co- efficients are offset by their lower stiffness as well as by their capacity to gradually reduce stress reactions through the phe- nomenon of stress-relaxation. This results in considerably lower ultimate reaction loads than those that result inmetal piping for an equal temperature change. The higher resistance to impact at low temperatures of TOM ® pipes in comparison to that of the other solutions offeredon the market has also been proved by tests such as the one carried out in Moscu by the Russian institute Mezhotraslevoy Institut Pere- rabotki Plastmass-NPO “Plastik”. After submitting a DN200 mm TOM ® pipe to an impact of 2 kg weight, thrown from a height of 2 m at a temperature of -40°C, it was observed that the pipe did not present absolutely any damage, complying satisfactorily with the requirements of the ISO 16422 Standard. This result shows the effectiveness of the Molecors’ exclusive Molecular Orientation process and justifies the fact that the TOM ® pipes are currently presented as the best solution to be PVC-O laminar structure TOM® PVC-O pipes Twelveisthenumberofyearsthathave passed sinceMolecor was founded. Molecor stood out in the water sector for the first time in its history among its many and very experienced competitors just one year after its foundation. The development of its exclusive Genuine Air System used for manufacturing PVC-O pipes, was the reason for this success