ENGINEERING AN  “O” SO RELIABLE FITTING


How PLASSON compression fittings work is a bit of a yarn that starts way back in 1896. Unless you are a trivia junkie, it will probably come as news that one of the most critical precision mechanical components ever developed was patented on May 12, 1896. That was when a Swedish patent for the O-ring was awarded to J.O. Lundberg.  Niels A. Christensen was granted a US patent for his O-ring design in 1937.


Like all good ideas, it came to the attention of some pretty big players.  The O-ring quickly became the standard seal for hydraulics in the military.  The top brass set out the standard sizes and basic design guidelines that remain in use today.


The humble O-ring delivers a reliable seal through compression and that is why PE pipe joiners that seal via O-rings are described as compression fittings.

PLASSON seals due to a simple solution


PLASSON took the original O-ring from 1896 and did something simple but clever with it.  By placing the O-ring into a special groove machined into the inside of each fitting, the PLASSON O-ring is always in the optimum position for sealing.


This innovative design means the fitting seals water-tight as soon as the pipe passes through the O-ring.  With PLASSON compression fittings, you only tighten the nut to prevent the pipe and fitting from moving apart, or blowing out, under pressure. The design also means the O-Ring can’t fall out and be damaged, contaminated or lost during installation.


The O-ring is a donut-shaped ring (technically, a toroid) with a circular cross section made from different elastomers.

PLASSON compression fittings can have Nitrile NBR O-rings or EPDM O-rings, which has a better chemical resistance than NBR, or Vitron seals, which offer better chemical resistance than EPDM.


The name Viton is a trademark and refers to fluorocarbon O-rings, or FKM/FPM for short. This material has an excellent tolerance for high temperatures, resistance to oils, fuels and hydraulic fluids as well as aromatics and solvents.


O-rings seal by mechanical deformation (caused by compression) which creates a barrier to a fluid’s potential leak path between two closely mated surfaces.


Applying fluid pressure pushes the O-ring against the groove wall on the low-pressure side, increasing the sealing force. At higher pressures, the O-ring deforms to a “D” shape, increasing the contact area further.

PLASSON METRIC COMPRESSION TEES FOR POLY PIPE


The range of PLASSON compression fittings includes small 16mm and popular residential plumbing fittings at 20mm, 25mm and 32mm right up to large 63mm couplers for civil water and waste water pipelines.


PLASSON compression fittings are easy to install – just take a look at our install video:

USING THE SMARTFUSE APP: IT’S FREE!

PLASSON SmartFuse app is designed to make electrofusion simpler and more efficient. And it is 100% free to use and always will be.

PLASSON SmartFuse offers a weld recording and reporting system. When using the app, installers are not only guided through systemised welds, the app ensures photos record each step.

These visual records are stored along with details for the fitting being installed, the precise location, the installer’s ID, all control box weld stage times and data and even the temperature on the day!

This data can be saved on site via USB, which is handy in remote areas with limited internet access, or automatically in the cloud.

This gives managers and asset owners a real-time comprehensive picture of what is happening on any job, anywhere, anytime.

CLICK TO SEE THE SMARTFUSE APP SIMPLIFY ELECTROFUSION

FULL BORE BALL VALVES

Want valves and flow control options that are leak-proof, corrosion-resistant to replace your old traditional metal valves?

PLASSON Ball valves are made of quality UV resistant materials so they are resistant to corrosion. Being full bore means they also offer excellent functionality, reliability and long system life.

Available in both long and short handle options, PLASSON Ball Valves are designed to stand up to Australian conditions and cope well in corrosive environments.

PLASSON valves have been keeping Australia flowing for over 40 years

All PLASSON ball valves operate under a range of temperatures and pressures.  Made from tough, UV resistant materials, our valves also cope with aggressive fluids and are corrosion-resistant.

Our Ball Valves are quick and easy to install. A simple on/off action puts flow control at your finger tips. The range also includes a lockable option for situations were security is key.

PLASSON LONG AND SHORT HANDLED BALL VALVES

Ball valve corrosion and chemical resistant | PLASSON Australia

With high quality injection moulded plastic components and NBR O-rings, PLASSON valves deliver years of reliable service.

PLASSON QCV – IT’S EASY TO GO WITH THE FLOW

Who doesn’t want simple and cost-effective control of their water… life is complicated enough as it is! That’s why PLASSON developed the

Quick Coupling ValveThis handy device allows pressurized water to be turned off and on with a simple click in key.

Plasson Quick Coupling Valve for cost-effective irrigation

Usually installed at ground level, the QCV internal valve is normally closed so water does not leak out. The valve is activated by lifting the flipcap and inserting the “KEY”. On top of the key you can insert a sprinkler or a hose.

QCV’s deliver cost-effective irrigation and stock watering without complicated systems or software.

Click here to watch our simple install video…

SMARTFUSE 180 EF CONTROL BOX: OVERVIEW

PLASSON’s SmartFuse 180 is an entry-level electrofusion welding machine designed to weld PLASSON fittings up to DN180. Features include:

• Lightweight, weighs less than 14 kg

• Compact (470 x 370 x 180 mm)

• Bluetooth enabled for smartphones using PLASSON SmartFuse App

• Use app to automatically determine and record welding parameters

• 10 Amp plug

• Tough weather-proof carry case

• 3 m lead

SEE WHAT IS IN THE BOX: PLASSON SMARTFUSE 180

PLASSON SMARTFUSE AUTOMATES AND RECORDS ELECTROFUSION WELDING

NOTE: To achieve quality EF welds, it is key to use tooling specficially designed to EF welding and to follow all best practice procedure outlined in POP001.

It is also important to ensure equipment, such as EF welding control boxes, that require calibration has been calibrated. PLASSON recommends control boxes are serviced every 12 months or after 200 hours of use, which ever comes first.

THE BENEFITS OF  PE PIPELINES

Why PE makes sense and cents!

This industry is pumped full of letters and numbers – like SDR11, HDPE, PE100 and PN16.  There is handy information in those codes that explains exactly what amazing PE can do.  And, when it comes to the different grades of PE, or polyethylene, the magic of what each one delivers is definitely in the detail.

You will find LDPE widely used in plastic packaging or plastic wrap. HDPE is often found in construction and plumbing. And UHMW PE, which is many times stronger than steel, is a high-performance plastic used in bulletproof vests!

The process that makes PE a success was developed in the 1950s by two scientists, Karl Ziegler of Germany and Giulio Natta of Italy. Polyethylene is now one of the most widely produced thermoplastics in the world. It’s light and strong – it’s cheap to transport, easy to handle and safe to store making it a smarter choice than most other materials – especially when it comes to PE pipe.

Drilling down

Polyethylene, like other plastics, starts with the distillation of hydrocarbon fuels into lighter groups called “fractions”.  Some can be combined with other catalysts to produce plastics (typically via polymerization or polycondensation).

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is a very flexible material with unique flow properties that makes it particularly suitable for shopping bags and other plastic film applications. LDPE has high ductility but low tensile strength, which is why it stretches when strained.

Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW) is an extremely dense version of polyethylene. It is spun into threads with tensile strengths many times greater than steel and used in bulletproof vests and high-performance equipment.

High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a robust, moderately stiff plastic with a highly crystalline structure. It is used to make all types of strong and tough containers.  The HDPE used to produce corrosion-free, long-life pipelines for water, waste water and gas is called PE100. PLASSON’s range of poly pipe joiners are designed to easily and securely join PE100 pipelines.

PE is classified as a “thermoplastic” (as opposed to “thermoset”), based on the way the plastic responds to heat.

Thermoplastic vs thermoset

One of the benefits of thermoplastics is they can be heated to their melting point, cooled, and reheated again without degradation.  By contrast, thermoset plastics can only be heated once. The first heating causes thermoset materials to set (a bit like a 2-part epoxy), resulting in a chemical change that cannot be reversed.  These properties are what makes PE ideal for gas pipelines joined by electrofusion fittings like the PLASSON SmartFuse range.

the benefits of PLASSON Australia EF branch saddles

PE is rugged, flexible, and durable.  Both the pipe and PE pipe fittings have outstanding chemical and environmental stress crack resistance.  PE pipelines have been successfully used in a wide variety of applications for over 50 years.  Add to that strength and corrosion-resistance, and you get a life-span far in advance of other pipe materials.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE INNOVATIVE RANGE OF PLASSON PE PIPE FITTINGS HERE…

WHAT IS AN HDPE PIPE FITTING?


HDPE pipe fittings help connect HDPE pipe together. PLASSON fittings can join HDPE pipe in different ways: electrofusion fittings join pipe permanently through fusion; metric compression fittings seal through an internal O-ring being compressed to form a seal between the fitting and the pipe; and BSP threaded fittings join pipe through threaded connections.

There is a surprisingly vast range of poly pipe compression fittings. Even the most familiar options, like couplers, tees and elbows, have a range of reducing and connection options that can take some time to understand.


While pipe fittings or connectors attach one pipe to another in order to lengthen the run or change the flow direction in a plumbing system, there are also lots of clever fittings that do so much more to make plumbing life easier. They can combine, divert or reduce the flow of the water supply. They can monitor flow or stop it, reduce pressure and provide outlets for sampling. 


PLASSON compression fittings have a number of unique features that help deliver leak-free connections and reliable, long-life PE pipelines.

Compression fittings come in a range of standard sizes. PLASSON compression fittings start small for domestic plumbing at 16mm, 20mm, 25mm and 32mm and continue up to civil and industrial sizes like 40mm, 50mm, 63mm and right up there to above 1000mm.


All PLASSON compression fittings seal the instant they go on the pipe due to an innovative O-ring design.  The O-ring is held captive in the body of the fitting in a specially designed groove. This simple piece of engineering means the O-Ring can’t fall out, get contaminated or become easily damaged like other compression fittings.


While most have openings of the same size on each end, some fittings are designed with different-sized openings and serve as the transition from one size pipe to another. The following briefly explains some of the different PLASSON fittings, where and how they are used.


To see the full range of PLASSON metric compression poly pipe fittings click here…

PLASSON METRIC COMPRESSION TEES FOR POLY PIPE

Tee Fittings & Wye Fittings
Tees and wyes are used to connect three pieces of pipe. Tees can have one inlet and two outlets at 90-degree angles in the shape of a “T” and are used to split a supply line, or they can combine two lines into one outlet. You often see tee fittings connected to potable water supply lines. A wye is shaped like a “Y” with the two inlets coming together at roughly 45-degrees into a single outlet in drain applications.


Elbow Fittings
Elbows change the direction of flow between two pipes. Common elbows have 90-, 60-, 45- and 22 ½-degree bends and are used to make a turn. They can be joined together to move around obstructions in a pipe run.

Coupling & Adapter Fittings
Pipe couplers slip over the outside of two pipes to connect them. A coupling can be a reducer, or reducing coupling, meaning they reduce flow by joining a larger pipe to a smaller size. Adapters are used when connecting two pipes of different types. For example, an adapter could be fitted on the end of a plain pipe to allow a threaded connection at the other side of the adapter, or to connect poly pipe with another pipe material, like copper.

PLASSON OFFERS A RANGE OF METRIC COUPLING FITTINGS FOR PLUMBING

Bushing Fittings
Bushings, sometimes called reducer bushings, are used for connecting two pipes of different sizes. The larger diameter of the bushing fits inside of the larger pipe. The smaller pipe is then inserted into the smaller end of the bushing.

Flange Fittings
A flange is a flat, round fitting that creates a tight seal with bolts or clamps. They are used when pipes pass through walls, ceilings and floors. They are also used in electrofusion installations to connect valves to main lines.

Plasson Australia BSP threaded fittings range


Cap Fittings
A cap fits over the end of a pipe to stop the flow of water or gas. These fittings can be used for the permanent termination point of a pipe or used temporarily to cut off supply during a plumbing or pipeline project. 

Plug Fittings
Plugs used at the end of a pipe to seal the opening, similar to a cap. The difference is that a plug fits into the threaded pipe opening to make the seal while caps fit over the opening. They are commonly found at cleanout locations for sewer systems.

PLASSON METRIC COMPRESSION ADAPTORS FOR CONNECTING PE PIPE


Nipple Fittings
Nipples are short sections of pipe that are male-threaded at each end and used for connecting two female-threaded pipe ends or fittings.


Ag Pipe Fittings
Agricultural pipe is widely used for stock watering, water mains, irrigation systems and bore water reticulation. PLASSON rural couplings and clamp saddles are specially designed to connect imperial-size polyethylene pipes from ¾” to 2″. The range is compatible with PELD, PEHD, PE40, PE80 and PE100 pipes complying with AS/NZS 4130. PLASSON’s special red barbed inserts fit a range of pipe dimensions so that ag pipe can be easily connected without the need for any tools.

Rural Ag pipe couplings from Plasson Australia

The PLASSON range includes solutions for most plumbing situations. You can take a look at the catalogue for the full range here….