With more than 85 years of experience, Iplex has established itself as a leading provider of water solutions in Australia. It remains at the forefront of plastic pipe innovation and development in Australia.
When people think about stormwater pipes, they might connect with conventional materials such as concrete pipe. However, Iplex Pipelines has long focused on the benefits of plastic pipes.
Making a difference with plastic pipe
Iplex Pipelines has been at the cutting edge of Polypropylene (PP) structured wall pipes for stormwater drainage and gravity sewer applications. The dual wall profile allows an efficient use of the raw material whilst maintaining high stiffness for structural performance and a smooth inner wall for exceptional hydraulic performance.
“We commissioned our machines in 2002 to manufacture our polypropylene pipes,” said Andre Nunn, Queensland Technical Sales Engineer for Iplex Pipelines. “Iplex also has the technical knowledge, experience and innovation to assist our customers.”
One of the many advantages of polypropylene pipes is their resistance to corrosion. Manufactured from polypropylene, these pipes are suitable in corrosive drainage, sewerage, and industrial wastewater applications. The material is highly resistant to aggressive ground conditions such as acid sulphate soils and saline ground waters near coastal regions. Iplex Polypropylene stormwater and sewerage pipes were developed with a high performance joint designed to resist leakage and tree roots entering via the joint. Polypropylene provides a pipe with an expected service life of over 100 years when installed in accordance with industry standards.
BlackMAX
One product that Iplex is particularly proud of is its BlackMAX range. BlackMAX is an Iplex structured wall polypropylene (PP) pipe system. It’s designed for non-pressurised gravity drainage systems. The BlackMAX storm water drainage range also includes high-quality fittings to enable full versatility during installation.
“We chose PP because it has a much higher ring bending modulus than High Density Polyethylene,” said Nunn. “That makes it stiffer. Pipes are manufactured to achieve a minimum ring bending pipe stiffness of 8000 N/m/m or minimum SN8 pipes.
The BlackMAX range is designed with a user-friendly rubber ring socket joint system.
“Our jointing system is a dual wall joint,” he said. “For pipe diameters up to DN525, the joint is made with a corrugated socket, and for our larger sizes, the socket is a double wall cuff. This unique feature provides peace of mind by providing additional strength and compliance with the Australian Standards.
“The BlackMAX joint provides excellent resistance against tree root intrusion. A CSIRO study found that the type of pipe material and rubber ring compression were the two major factors influencing resistance against tree root intrusion. It also confirmed porous materials and poor joints can influence root penetration.
BlackMAX pipes, whilst corrugated on the outside, are smooth on the inside. The smooth liner can lead to higher flow capacity for the same grade or even a reduction in pipe diameter on a steeper grade when compared to other pipe systems.
SewerMAX
SewerMAX is a unique product for sewer applications.
Like BlackMAX, SewerMAX is manufactured with a high pipe stiffness Classification of SN10 and SewerMAX+SN20. It’s designed for very deep sewers or gravity sewers in bored applications. Such environments may see Engineers looking for stiffer pipes.
The future of MAX products
Iplex Pipelines will be increasing its manufacturing capacity and extending its range of plastic pipe solutions.
“Councils are seeing the benefits our product offers for stormwater and sewer systems,” Nunn said. “We are offering a product with a low carbon footprint and a longer service life compared with the alternatives in the market.”
Iplex will continue to invest in BlackMAX and SewerMAX twin wall technology at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in New South Wales and Queensland.
The current size range will be extended to provide the complete package of pipes and fittings for project requirements
“As councils and water authorities continue to support alternative products and innovations, the potential for viable alternatives will continue to grow. Our large diameter corrugated pipes provide enormous opportunities for our customers and the communities they serve. We relish working with customers to support their goals.”
For more information, visit https://iplex.com.au/
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