Report 6 from a series of 5 Prosyma Research Ltd reports to Ametex AG, 15th February 1989 to 14th January 1990.

Report 6 dated 31st May 1989, Report 7 dated 11th July 1989, Report 8 dated 24th July 1989.
S F Bush

Summary: Part 1

1. During the period under review, SAFIRE project A has followed up the breakthrough in finishing technology achieved in the previous six-month period.
2. On the process itself follow-up has concentrated on establishing the design and operating parameters which determine acceptable and indeed exceptional finish with the new technology, at the same time making many metres of pipe for burst and creep testing.
3. Both polypropylene (PP) and HDPE SAFIRE pipe can be made with fine finishes on a routine basis. While not of direct benefit to the project, the finishing technology gives quite remarkable mirror finishes to virgin pipe.
4. In the period under review, SAFIRE project C has concentrated on producing SAFIRE granules in a wide range of combinations of fibre and polymer, and evaluating these for use in pipes.
5. The signs are that the evaluations made for this purpose will also give a good indication of the commercial potential for SAFIRE granules in combination with Fibre Separating Devices (FSD) sold in their own right. The significance of this potential has become clear from recent information on present commercial products.

Report 3 from a series of 4 Prosyma Research Ltd reports to Ametex AG, 29th November, 1987 to 1st December 1988.

Report 2 dated 24th February 1988 and Report 3 dated 16th May 1988.
S F Bush

Summary: Progress on pipe surface finish quality with SAFIRE material

The project has concentrated on developing the process technology needed to achieve an acceptable finish on both the internal and external pipe surfaces simultaneously. This report reviews the developments from the beginning of the work in December 1986, i.e. before the SAFIRE ‘A’ project commenced on 1st October 1987 up to the end of April 1988.

This overview enables the essential continuity in the work to be seen so that we can converge on the solution as rapidly as possible.

In the period up to the start of the Ametex project, calibration was carried out either on the outside or on the inside of the pipe, but not both sides together. To carry out both together has required a major design changed followed by a sequence of mechanical and operational changes in the light of the experience gained. These changes are recorded in the body of the report and summarised in Tables 1-5 of the Appendix. The progress towards achieving the required finish is summarised immediately overleaf.

The indications are now that the solution is in sight using a heated mandrel followed by a cooled extension, together with a cooled outer calibration die placed in specific relation to it. This system is then followed by intense cooling by means of a water spray and trough combination.

It should be noted that reaching this point has generated fundamental information on the behaviour of SAFIRE material in the melt state vital to the scale-up stage.