PE 80 Pipe Grade Launching |
| by Czarina Joy Bongon |
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Evalene HP 10441, the PE 80 pipe grade, was successfully launched in an HDPE pipe seminar held on March 3, 2006 at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Quezon City. This grade was certified PE 80 by Jana Laboratories of Canada on January 31, 2005. The product launch was a very well attended event as 52 participants from 25 companies of pipe manufacturers, water districts, testing equipment suppliers and the Bureau of Product Standards, packed the venue. |
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Aside from the product launch, our Ms. Elsie David discussed the advantages of using HDPE pipe, especially its cost advantage for pipe manufacturers and installers. Listed below are the advantages of polyethylene pipes. |
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Ms. David also discussed the major quality tests for PE pipes. Pipe manufacturers and buyers now have a way of ensuring that pipes they make or buy are of good quality. As long as the pipes conform to the ISO-based new Philippines National Standard (PNS) which took effect in April 2006, they should not worry about early cracks and other related problems. And Evalene pipes made the proper way are sure to pass those tests for PE 80. The major tests are: 1) Hydrostatic Strength (ISO 1167), 2) Thermal Stability (ISO/TR 10837), 3) Longitudinal Reversion (ISO 2505-1/2), 4) Weathering for non-black pipes (ISO 4427 Annex A, ISO 167, ISO 6259-1/3, ISO/TR 10837) and other tests. |
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Our guest speakers who contributed towards making the seminar a real learning experience included Ms. Norma Hernandez, Chief of Standard Development Division of the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS). She discussed the PNS based on ISO 4427 and Procedures for Accreditation. According to Ms. Hernandez BPS issues two certifications, the PS Safety and/or Quality Certification and the Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) Certification. The former is issued to a manufacturer whose product has successfully complied with the requirements of a PNS. Fig. 1 below shows the flowchart of the PS certification scheme. BPS/DTI also issues the ICC to an importer whose product has successfully complied with the requirements of a PNS. After the license is awarded to them, the manufacturer and importer are respectively required to affix the PS Mark or ICC Marks. As of the date of the seminar, only two pipe manufacturing facilities were accredited by BPS. |
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A video on heat fusion of PE Pipes was also shown, courtesy of Mr. Samson Enriquez of Moldex Products Inc. Connecting pipes by heat fusion is another advantageous feature of HDPE as it quarantees leak-free pipe systems. |
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Mr. Brando Berrantes, Sales and Marketing Manager of H. Ramos Plastics, shared his testimonial on BPS accreditation. |
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Two testing equipment suppliers discussed important pipe tests. Mr. Allan Virinia, Senior Sales/Application Engineer of Perkin Elmer Instruments gave a lecture on the determination of percentage carbon black in UV-stabilized HDPE. While Mr. Von Hervett Chavez, Sales Engineer of Shimadzu Philippines, talked on the determination of Oxygen Induction Time (OIT) using the Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). |
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During the open forum most of the questions were directed to the BPS group, and were about procedures on accreditation of pipe manufacturers. The seminar was a success as it achieved its goal of enlightening our customers on the advantages of polyethylene pipe as well as the importance of having pipes PNS-certified. While our customers still have a lot of work to do with regards to certification, JGSPC has Evalene HP10441 with which they can make good quality pipes. |
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