PEX Products
What is Kafrit PEX?
PEX was first developed in the 1930’s in Europe and introduced to North America in the 1980’s. Since then, PEX for pipes and cable systems has been rapidly gaining market share in the residential and commercial sectors as the material of choice for heating, plumbing and power cables. More recently PEX has been establishing itself worldwide in the industrial, mining, oil and gas sectors.
PEX is the common name for cross-linked high-density polyethylene, a highly inert and flexible polymer. It is a cost-effective high-performance replacement for PVC, CPVC or metal in pipe and other products, and is compatible for use with most existing pipe systems.
PEX is formed into pipe and tubing which is sold in coils or straight lengths, can be color-coded for easier identification, ranges from standard 1/4″ to 4″ diameter and other custom sizes. PEX tubing is installed with both mechanical and compression fitting systems. Designed for interior, buried, and some outdoor applications, additives give PEX tubing enhanced properties, such as UV resistance, metal deactivation, and chlorine resistance.
How PEX is made.
KAFRIT NA uses the Silane or “moisture cure” method to manufacture PEX. This process grafts a reactive silane molecule to the branches of the polyethylene. After extrusion, the tubing is exposed to either steam or hot water to induce the final cross-linking reaction, resulting in a PEX product. The unique benefit offered by this silane crosslinking technology is its ability to trigger the crosslinking at the desired time to produce different properties in the finished product.
Advantages of PEX tubing.
- Wide range of applications including residential, commercial, industrial, oil and gas.
- Cost effective, with minimal investment needed.
- Can be stabilized/reinforced with additive masterbatches.
- Can be used to create multilayered products.