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After being in the market
for 60 years, PVC is a well proven thermoplastic.
Don’t let its long history of successful
use dissuade you however, because PVC’s well balanced
physical properties can result in considerable cost savings
in many applications.
Available in sheet, rod and tube forms, PVC
remains a highly rigid, strong and versatile material for uses
such as corrosion-resistant tanks, ducts, fume hoods and pipes.
Various shapes produced from PVC provide excellent machining
and fabrication characteristics for components used in corrosive
environments. Before designing with PVC, however, it is useful
to understand the differences among its most frequently used
varieties, including flexible plasticised PVC, rigid PVC (most
typically Trovidur EN), and Chlorinated PVC, or CPVC.
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PVC fan housings |
Flexible (plasticised) PVC
is vinyl that has been heavily plasticised and is used to
produce liners, film, packaging and many other products that
require flexibility.
Trovidur EN PVC
is the name given to Dotmar EPL’s extruded sheets made
from rigid PVC that contains no plasticisers or fillers. Rigid
PVC, as in Trovidur EN, is the most common type of PVC used
in the manufacture of pipe, fittings, valves, fume extraction,
acid tanks, ducting, templates, machining shapes, sheet and
duct.
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Rigid PVC offers advantages owing to its low cost and high
strength-to-weight ratio. Trovidur EN possesses excellent
chemical resistance and dielectric properties, good tensile,
flexural and mechanical strength, low moisture absorption,
exceptional dimensional stability and good flammability
characteristics. The maximum service temperature for Trovidur
is 60 deg C (140 F).
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Products
available ex stock include:
Rod
Outside Diameter: 6 - 400 mm
Sheet
Thickness: 3 - 25mm
Sizes: 2440 x 1220 mm
Sheet
Thickness: 30 - 50 mm
Sizes: 2000 x 1000 mm
Available
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White Trovidur EC UV stabilised (upon request) Clear Trovidor
ET
• Hi temp CPVC (upon request)
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Joining and fabrication of PVC such as Trovidur EN is readily
accomplished by hot air welding, machining and thermoforming.
The wide range of formulations, processing characteristics,
fabrication capabilities, durability and relatively stable
cost provide an economical material for a broad range of
applications.
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PVC tanks |
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PVC shapes |
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Chlorinated
PVC (CPVC) provides advantages in elevated temperature
environments because of its high heat distortion temperatures.
CPVC is created when PVC homopolymer undergoes
a chlorination reaction. The result is a polymer similar to
PVC but with a higher heat distortion temperature. This provides
a material with high temperature strength and excellent flammability
properties that also exhibits many of the desirable physical
characteristics of PVC, such as exceptional corrosion resistant
and good mechanical properties.
CPVC has an upper working temperature limit of about 93°C
(200°F), or 33°C (60°F) above that of PVC, which
greatly increases the product application range and makes
it advantageous for many aggressive high temperature processing
applications.
In addition to chemical inertness and mechanical strength,
CPVC product have excellent flammability properties when compared
with other plastics. It will not support combustion and rated
as self-extinguishing.
Conclusion:
Although PVC and CPVC are similar in nature, they are not
the same. Care should be used when comparing their characteristics,
fabrication techniques and applications. Dotmar EPL can assist
in selecting the correct material for particular applications.
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