Münster, April 8, 2015 – Armacell has enhanced its ArmaFix pipe support. The system solution for preventing thermal bridging is now equipped with a load-bearing segment made of environment-friendly PET. The material consists of recycled PET bottles which are industrially foamed. PET is lightweight, has high mechanical strength in combination with residual flexibility and a maximum service life.
Products
08 April 2015
New ArmaFix pipe support made by Armacell: now with environment-friendly, lightweight PET core
The new ArmaFix pipe support: more environment-friendly and even more efficient (illustration: Armacell)
Upcycling: High-tech product made out of PET bottles
The new PET core is made 100 % out of the recyclate of PET bottles, 100 % of production scrap flows back into the manufacturing of new PET blocks and the PET elements can be completely recycled at the end of their service life. Here Armacell consistently adopts the cradle-to-cradle principle. This concept is aimed at avoiding waste by recycling materials in a closed loop and, therefore, continuously re-using them. Whereas with classic recycling the quality of the product is usually reduced – in the paper industry, for example – Armacell uses the recyclate for a high-tech product. PET has an excellent environmental performance: the material requires over 60 % less energy for its production than PUR and releases over 80 % less CO2. PET made of recyclate even goes one better: the product consumes 40 % less energy and causes 30 % less CO2 emissions than conventional PET foams.
Excellent technical and mechanical properties
The very good insulation properties of foams based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are still little known: PET has a closed-cell structure and low thermal conductivity (λ23°C ≤ 0.034 W/mK). With a density of 100 kg/m³ PET segments are lighter weight than the previously used PUR cores (140 - 145 kg/m³). Yet at the same time PET displays higher pressure resistance than PUR and is resistant to aging. A further benefit of the new PET material is the residual flexibility which greatly minimizes the risk of the material breaking on large pipe diameters.
Strengthen the weakest link in the chain!
Pipe brackets represent a potential weak point in insulation work. If the pipe is not thermally isolated from the pipe bracket, thermal bridges occur and condensation can form. On the one hand, this leads to increased energy losses and, on the other hand, the risk of corrosion and the danger of expensive secondary damage rise. The ArmaFix pipe support thermally isolates the pipe and bracket from each other. Together with the adjoining ArmaFlex material it forms an insulation system with long-term reliability for cold applications.
Keeping an eye on the overall costs of cold pipe supports
Comparative calculations carried out by Armacell have shown that ArmaFix not only provides maximum reliability, but can also be installed more easily, neatly and quickly than standard clamps and pipe supports. The plumber simply snaps the one-piece pipe support around the pipe and fastens it by means of the self-adhesive closure. The insulator then glues the butt ends of the pipe support to the tube material.
As before, the new ArmaFix pipe support is available as ArmaFix AF, in the halogen-free ArmaFix NH version and as the low-smoke ArmaFix Ultima pipe support. In addition, Armacell offers the ArmaFix AF duct support for installing air ducts. As a system with ArmaFlex Ultima the pipe support achieves the fire class BL-s1,d0, the best fire class for elastomeric insulation materials.