TPT March 2017

I NSPE C T I ON , T E S T I NG & QUA L I T Y CONT R OL

Non-destructive testing leads plastic pipes conference

Held in a different country each time, the Plastic Pipes Conference and Exhibition is described as the largest event of its kind. The 2016 conference, PPXVIII, held in Berlin, Germany, had 450 attendees from 43 countries. The conference is organised in collaboration

THE newest session to be added to the Plastic Pipes Conference Asso- ciation (PPCA) meeting was devoted to non-destructive testing (NDT) and was attended by a record number of industry professionals from around the world.

with the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc (PPI), The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA), PE 100+ Association and PVC4Pipes. “The action was non-stop in Berlin,” stated conference organising co-chair Sarah Patterson of the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. “Because of the great number of people, plenty of networking opportunities were created and the sessions were full. The new workshop on non-destructive testing was nearly standing room only. More than 100 participated and there were seven papers from firms located in six countries plus a one-hour panel discussion. “The reason the NDT session was so exciting is because for nearly 25 years NDT was done by individual firms who set their own criteria. Now, the technology has made its way into the standards organisation for the inspection of plastic pipe. “This session provided a forum for the two industries, NDT and plastic pipe, to discuss the technologies as well as methodology being proposed for acceptance criteria.” Presentations examined NDT tech- nologies, inspection methods, detection of any indications in butt fusion and electrofusion joints and ways to determine if an indication is actually a defect. The discussions from the NDT session were also of interest to the organising associations. Plastic Pipes Conference and Exhibition XIX will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 24 to 26 September 2018. Plastic Pipes Conference Association – Hungary Website: www.plasticpipesconference.com At Plastic Pipes XVIII, the new workshop on non-destructive testing featured presentations about technology and methods, and a one-hour panel discussion

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MARCH 2017