The piping is used in the production of precision-moulded products for automotive, building, transport, waste management and other applications, including seals for coolrooms, waste compactors and windows, as well as door nosings, industrial broom elements, tubing for traffic counting devices and heavy transport accessories.
Derbey Rubber stated "We wanted to use non-metal piping on the machines, because it's clean, simple to install and easy to change around as production needs change, But the problem was that we needed a high margin of safety and total reliability built into the pipeline's ability to handle heat. Water exits our machines at about 80 degrees Celsius. Normally this is cooled to 30-40 degrees by a bleed line from the cooling tower to the machinery water exit, so that in normal service it's cool enough to touch."
"However, our safety and reliability policy is that the machinery has to be totally secure even without the cooling. So the pipelines have to be able to handle the highest potential exit temperatures, as well as easily accommodate water pressures of 75-80 psi (5-6 bar).
"Before we approached Calair, we had tried other products that literally melted in front of our eyes - a joint just melted at 50 degrees, while we were trialing it,"
"Given our heavy investment in new equipment to meet orders throughout Australia and worldwide, as well as our uncompromising attitude to the safety of our loyal staff team, we weren't going to stand for any substandard elements in our production processes. So I was very interested to read about CalAir in FEN magazine." CalAir's solution to the problem was its Pro-Pipe II® second-generation polymer piping, one of a family of products designed for applications such as compressed air, gases and chilled, cooling or hot water.
"In modern commercial and industrial buildings, it is important to be able to get your product installed quickly with minimal dependence on costly skilled labour. Similarly, as building roles change with refurbishment and updating, you need to be able to change and re-route piping systems with minimal disruption and waste. Rather than having to throw out rigid piping systems, it is more economic to have a system that can be easily cut, reconfigured and re-used in new roles," said Mr John McNab of Calair Pipe Systems.
Derby Rubber says flexibility is a major asset of CalAir's polymer piping - "it's easy to change it around, to meet the evolving demands of specialist markets. And, if you ever had to move your production plant, you could just pick it up and take it with you. It's leakproof too.
"The real test, of course, is in production. We had all three extruders going at once recently, and the piping system didn't have a single problem, which is much more than you could say for the previous system. We are delighted with the service we got when we had a potential problem, and delighted with the piping's performance in production."
Derby Rubber's precision products - some of which are prepared using the company's patented moving die technology for irregular shapes - are sold throughout Australia and exported to countries such as Austria, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Thailand and the USA. Derby Rubber Products is a Quality Endorsed Company to ISO 9002.
