Water is the lifeblood of humanity. Clean drinking water is by no means a given everywhere. Water supply and drainage is a worldwide problem in which plastic pipes play an important role. Whether for sanitation or transporting water over great distances to reach arid areas, in all of these solutions, plastic pipe is the most durable and safe. Like almost any other raw material, Polyvinyl Chloride, the main material in PVC plastic pipes is hugely increasing in price. Next to price, availability of sufficient material is an additional problem. Did we find any substitute to this material?
The price of PVC has been rising over this few years. In October 2016, the price per metric ton was around USD 5.000.But the price raised to USD 12.435 in October 2021.some authority forecast even higher prices of PVC for the coming years.And the same situation happened on raw material PP PE etc.All this arises major complication for companies, such as producers of plastic pipes, which among others use PVC as their main manufacturing material (PVC, but also alternative materials such as PP and PE contribute about 80% of the cost of the production of plastic pipes).
All this in mind one would wonder what is the solution? The answer is simple but the application of it is not. The solution is either to substitute PVC with another material or to minimize its use in production. Thus, to date, does the world have a more sustainable alternative than PVC for the production of pipe? Not yet, at least not one that would replace PVC in resistance, durability or being less expensive, which brings us back to our main problem, the increasing prices of plastics. Then it remains the second solution, minimizing the use of PVC, without sacrificing properties. Reducing overweight and reducing virgin materials while maintaining performance.
Walthmac, the leader supplier of pipe extrusion auxiliary euipment, comes in to the best material saving solutions:
1. Control of adding raw material to extruder and control of extrusion rate:
Install an extruder output and haul-off speed control equipment at the material inlet of the extruder.The system will adjust the screw speed and haul off speed in real time based on adaptive algorithm,So the wall thickness of the pipe will be constantly controlled to the minimum value within the allowable range.
2. Real-time monitoring and measuring the pipe wall thickness
Install a thickness measuring equipment after the vacuum tank of the extrusion line.The system will measuring the pipe wall thickness online.
We at Walthmac believe that we are fulfilling our promise to contribute actively to the success of our customers and our environment by offering sustainable cost saving solutions.
