German machinery manufacturer battenfeld-cincinnati (Bad Oeynhausen; www.battenfeld-cincinnati.de) expects demand for large plastic pipes to increase significantly over the coming years. The main driver will be the expansion of water supply networks to meet the demand of a growing global population and increased industrialisation and urbanisation, the extrusion line manufacturer said.

The group’s Infrastructure division believes it is well prepared to reap the benefits of this expected development, not least because battenfeld-cincinnati considers itself to be the global market leader for large PE pipes with a diameter of 2500 mm. The machinery manufacturer recently received an order from Union Pipes Industry (Abu Dhabi / United Arab Emirates; www.upi.ae) for a large, 2000 mm PE pipe plant. The German group reports that it has received 10 orders this year for its turnkey solutions from international clients based in Asia, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Germany.

One of the leading innovations of the new large pipe facilities is the “greenpipe” concept, combining performance with energy efficiency. With this in mind, the new lines have been equipped with the new “solEX” high-performance single-screw extruder, with a processing length of 40 D, which consumes 15% less energy and achieves more output than conventional extruders. Helix pipe dies, either as EAC (efficient air cooling) or in the KryoS incarnation, cut the cooling time by up to 50%, further reducing energy usage and costs. Thanks to the special greenpipe follow-up concept, customers can save up to 50% of energy during the cooling process.

The machinery manufacturer currently is showcasing its latest innovations at hall 16, stand B 19, at K 2010 in Düsseldorf / Germany.