Nov 13 2007
Dow Europe GmbH today announced the introduction of AMPLIFY™ GR 388 Functional Polymer, the newest product in Dow’s line of advanced adhesives for multi-layer hot and cold water pipes. AMPLIFY GR 388 delivers breakthrough properties for adhesion to aluminium and has been optimised to support exceptional long-term pipe performance. It has been developed to enhance the performance of DOWLEX™ PE-RT (Polyethylene of Raised Temperature) in plastic multi-layer pipes but is also suitable for use as an adhesive when other ethylene-based polymers are used to manufacture hot and cold water pipes.
“A good quality adhesive is not an optional extra for a multilayer pipe – it is essential to the performance of the entire pipe,” said Katja Wodjereck, Dow’s Marketing Manager for Pipes and Geomembranes in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. “With this new adhesive, Dow is demonstrating its commitment to the long-term future of plastics in hot and cold water pipe applications across Europe.”
AMPLIFY GR 388 combines excellent peel strength and peel strength retention with exceptional long-term thermal stability and easy processing on all extrusion lines. Its primary application is to bond layers of DOWLEX™ PE-RT with aluminium in a multi-layer pipe strucure (typically PE-RT/aluminium/PE-RT). Adhesion is achieved by a chemical reaction between the reactive elements of AMPLIFY GR 388 and the polar components of aluminium and/or DOWLEX PE-RT.
AMPLIFY™ GR 388 has been designed with the long-term temperature requirement of hot and cold water pipe applications in mind. In tests conducted by Dow, It has been shown to resist thermal oxidation 100 times longer than the required malfunction condition defined by EN ISO 2578, at a malfunction temperature of 100°C (as specified in ISO 10508 in classes 4/5). The new grade can be extruded using conventional techniques.
Dow offers two grades of DOWLEX PE-RT resins for hot and cold water pipes: DOWLEX™ 2344 (PE-RT Type I) and DOWLEX™ 2388 PE-RT Type II. These products address the demanding application requirements of hot and cold water installations all over the world and are valued for their high flexibility and excellent long-term, high temperature stability without the need for cross-linking.