PIPE INDUSTRY LINKS
Standards Australia
Standards Australia provides up-to-date, local and internationally compliant rules for the design, manufacture and installation of product. The standards involving plastic pipes and fittings create a quality reference for specifiers and ensure the integrity of the installed pipe network. The standards for Polyethylene (PE) pipes and fittings address product specifications, design and installation requirements for a range of applications including water supply, drainage, gas, electricity, plumbing, industrial, mining and irrigation.
The standard of particular interest to Polyethylene is AS/NZS 4131:2010 Polyethylene (PE) compounds for pressure pipes and fittings. This document outlines the specifications for polyethylene grades such as the PE80B and PE100 classification used in the manufacture of pressure pipes. The corresponding standard that outlines the specification for polyethylene pipes is AS/NZS 4130:2009 Polyethylene (PE) pipes for pressure applications.
PIPA (Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia)
PIPA is a technically focused organisation. Its prime objective is to promote the correct installation of plastics pipe systems by contributing to the development of national codes and standards. It also plays an important role in developing industry guidelines. PIPA members play a significant role in the development of both National Standards through Standards Australia and with International Standards through involvement with ISO. PIPA membership extends from the raw material suppliers, fittings suppliers and plastics pipe manufacturers of Australia to installation contractors and training providers.
PIPA is a source of "best practice" information on product and pipe installation. "Industry Guidelines" are freely available as pdf download files known as POP documents. These documents supplement the standards by providing additional detail about specific aspects of plastics pipe design and installation. Polyethylene pressure pipe compounds that have been evaluated and accepted against the requirements of the Australian Standard, AS/NZS4131 are published as POP004- Polyethylene Pipe Compounds.
