HDPE Butt-Welding

What is HDPE Butt-Welding?

HDPE Butt-Welding is a method of joining HDPE pipe through head and pressure to fuse to pipe ends.

Where can HDPE Butt-Welding be used?

HDPE Butt-Welding can be used on any HDPE pipe where two pipelines need to be joined or where specialized fittings such as bends, or stub ends need to be installed to a HDPE pipeline. HDPE Butt-Welding is only limited by the available space onsite to position the HDPE Butt-Welding base.

Our Capabilities

We have the capacity to HDPE Butt-Weld pipelines from 90mm in diameter up to and including a 315mm diameter HDPE Pipe.

A quick run-through of the HDPE Butt-Welding Process.

The ends are faced to form a flat mating service by means of an electrical plainer. Once the pipe ends are faced and the welder ensures that the ends meet flush in the Butt-Welding base, the two surfaces are cleaned and a heating plate is inserted, the ends are heated to a specific temperature for a specific time and under specific pressures. Once the parameters are met the heating plate is removed and the two pipe ends are pushed together for a specific duration.

The HDPE Butt-Welding process forms an internal and external bead, for sewer pipelines, it is generally required that the internal bead be removed, if the internal bead is to be removed it is removed after a specific duration after the weld is complete and during the cooling stage, and the removed bead is then inspected to ensure that the entire bead has been removed.

HDPE Butt-Welding, when done correctly and according to the set-out parameters forms a joint that is stronger than the HDPE pipe itself.

Electrofusion Welding

What is Electrofusion Welding?

Electrofusion Welding is a method of joining HDPE pipe by means of prefabricated off the shelf fittings. Unlike HDPE Butt Welding which generally is only used for straight sections of HDPE pipe, Electrofusion Welding uses specifically designed fittings, these include straight couplings, 45 & 90-degree bends, tee pieces, and other specialized fittings which can be used to get degrees that will not be achieved with any other fittings. The advantage of Electrofusion Welding is that the required workspace can be greatly reduced and can be used where there are complicated tie-in points.

Where can Electrofusion Welding be used?

Electrofusion Welding can be on any HDPE pipe that needs to be joined and the space is restricted, some designers call for the specific use of Electrofusion fittings. Electrofusion is also used where there are special installations that need to be installed such as fire hydrants and small radius bends.

Our Capabilities

Our Electrofusion Welding machine is a one size fits all machine, the machine will weld any Electrofusion fitting and is compact enough to be carried into small spaces.

A quick run-through of the Electrofusion Welding Process.

Similar to HDPE Butt-Welding, the pipeline ends need to be cleaned, this is to remove the outermost layer of the HDPE pipe to remove any contaminants. Once the pipeline is scrapped the ends to be joined are cleaned, this ensures that the welding the surface is clean and free from impurities, and the specialized fitting is then put on the ends of the pipeline, a specialized welding machine is then connected to the fitting and the necessary information is entered into the welding machine, the operator initiates the weld and the welding machine completes the weld.

Electrofusion Welding, if done correctly is strong, however, if there are any misalignments or differences in height between two pipelines or water in the line to be welded, there is a high risk that the fitting will leak once under pressure or possibly burst. The specialized fittings are made for both low-pressure applications as well as high-pressure applications.