New Standards in HDPE Pipe Applications

At the Plastic Pipes XV Conference in Vancouver, Canada SABIC introduced the new SABIC® Vestolen A RELY family of tough, sustainable and costeffective bimodal high-density polyethylene (HDPE) materials for pressure pipe applications. The SABIC® Vestolen A RELY portfolio offers converters considerable energy savings and enables environmentally responsible pipe installation. The company also presented its revolutionary new Strain Hardening method, a fast, cost-efficient and highly accurate method for evaluating the slow crack growth resistance behavior of HDPE. This Strain Hardening method avoids the use of detergents that can pose an environmental hazard and avoids the use of valuable drinking water.

Both announcements underscore SABIC’s increasing focus on the development of high-performance, sustainable technologies, and its ongoing investment in innovative materials and validation techniques to help converters, developers and builders leverage next-generation, pressure pipe solutions. The term “RELY” refers to the material’s outstanding reliability, which is critical for transporting potable water, gas and other valuable liquids.

The first two grades within the SABIC® Vestolen A RELY portfolio – one designed for low sagging and the other engineered for high resistance to slow crack growth – contribute to the eco-responsible production and use of pressure pipe. With these materials, converters can significantly reduce energy. Developers and contractors can select trenchless pipe installation such as guided boring and horizontal directional drilling that reduce impact on the environment.

The new, premium-performance RELY family is produced at SABIC’s state-of-the-art HDPE plant in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, which was designed to put less stress on the environment than traditional facilities.

For more information, contact Sabic Innovative Plastics, One Plastics Avenue, Pittsfield, MA 01201, 413-448-7110, Web: www.sabic-ip.com.