Extrusion International 1-2020

8 Extrusion International 1/2020 COMPLAST South Africa 2020 03. – 05. 03. 2020 Johannesburg / South Africa www.complastexpo.in 12th European Thermoforming Conference 18. - 20. 03. 2020 Geneva / Switzerland SPE - European Thermoforming Division www.e-t-d.org OMANPLAST 2020 23. - 25. 03. 2020 Muscat / Sultanate of Oman Silver Star Corporation LLC www.omanplast.net wire 2020 and Tube 2020 30. 03. – 07. 04. 2020 Düsseldorf / Germany www.wire.de, www.Tube.de Plastics Extrusion World Expo Europe 03. - 04. 06. 2020 Essen / Germany https://eu.extrusion-expo.com/ COMPLAST Ethiopia 19. – 21. 06. 2020 Addis Ababa / Ethiopia www.complastexpo.in Plastasia 2020 19. – 22. 06. 2020 Bangalor / India www.plastasia.in COMPLAST Myanmar 02. - 04. 07. 2020 Yangon, Myanmar www.complastexpo.in/my/ COMPLAST Kenya 14. - 16. 07. 2020 Nairobi, Kenya www.complastexpo.in/ke/ PE100+ Association www.pe100plus.com The PE100+ Association celebrated its 20th anniversary. Founded in 1999 to as- sure consistent quality at the highest level in the production and application of materials for PE100 pressure pipes, it is just as relevant today as it ever was. Member companies of the association offer high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for pressure pipes for gas and water with excellent hydrostatic strength that last for decades, combined with high resistance to slow crack growth and to rapid crack propagation. Performance targets set by the PE100+ Association surpass stan- dards around the world for PE100 materials. The PE100+ Association was founded in 1999 by three European polyethylene producers a few years after the very first introduction of PE100 in the market. To- day, it comprises 13 companies from around the world (in China, Korea, Thailand, the Middle East region, as well as Europe), and the number of members continues to grow. An advisory committee of non-affiliated independent experts that are active across the pressure pipe value chain supports the Association. The members have made a voluntary commitment to regular quality checks – at least on annual basis – in cooperation with an independent administrator Kiwa and several other independent test labs across Europe. Kiwa asks for batches of materials from material suppliers on a random basis. Pipes are usually made in members’ own processing centres and sent to independent institutes for testing. An important principle of the PE100+ Association is that certified PE100 materi- als are listed as ready-made black or coloured and fully formulated compounds, rather than supplied to pipe makers in a natural base resin form that is coloured using masterbatch and other additives at the pipe extrusion line. The PE100+ Association monitors the decisive test methods for PE pressure pipes in round-robin tests, which involve it checking to make sure that the independent test institutes verifying pipes are performing tests in ways that make them com- parable. Adapting to new pipe laying techniques: Although members are all suppliers of HDPE, the PE100+ Association communicates with the full value chain, including converters, installers and standardisation bodies, with whom it has an active dia- logue on such matters as product criteria for new pipe laying methods. At present, there is no uniform resin or pipe requirement for resistance to slow crack performance. The PE100+ Association is acting as a driving force for change, working on development of new and much faster – but still reliable – accelerated test procedures. The PE100+Association unveiled in 2017 an online “No Dig” technical guide. This identifies the properties, benefits and applications of PE100 in trenchless tech- niques for use by designers and decision makers, enabling them to decide which methods are applicable to a specific project. “The PE100+ Association continues to grow and to evolve as it adapts to changes in technologies and markets,” says Hans Pierik, President and Chairman of PE100+ Association, and Business Manager at SABIC. “I believe we are now an invaluable link in HDPE pressure pipe value chain, all the way through to consumers who de- mand reliable, consistent and safe delivery of gas and water to their homes. We have come a long way in 20 years, but we still have work to do.” 20 Years of Keeping PE Pressure Pipe at the Top of its Game