AMETEK offering larger fluoropolymer piping for scaling to larger PV manufacturing facilities

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  AMETEK is offering larger diameter tubing and pipe for processing tanks, storage buffers, heat exchangers and other applications, where high-purity and non-corrosive materials are required.

AMETEK Fluoropolymer Products has added tubing with diameters ranging from 1 ½ inches to 3 inches to its line of ultrahigh-purity (UHP) tubing for the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. Schedule 40 pipe with diameters up to 3 inches also are available to meet the need for larger-scale production sites.

Problem

As the solar energy industry moves to larger cell and module fabrication facilities, traditional tubing and pipe with diameters of up to 1 ¼ inches are not able handle the higher fluid volumes of acids, etchants and other chemicals used by the state-of-the art equipment. Both the need for bulk distribution of chemicals and containment vessels for processing tanks, means a shift to new materials and sizes.

Solution

AMETEK can manufacture tubing and pipe from various grades of fluoropolymer resins to meet specific customer applications and ship them to comply with specific customer JIT delivery requirements. All tubing with a diameter of 2 inches or more is available in straight lengths up to 20 feet. Smaller diameters are available in spools or straight lengths.  AMETEK tubing meets all common operating temperatures and pressures, with standard tubing meeting operating pressures up to 70 psi and 73oF, which are required for bulk chemical distribution requirements. In respect to low-pressure, low-vacuum containment vessels, AMETEK is offering larger diameter tubing and pipe for processing tanks, storage buffers, heat exchangers and other applications, where high-purity and non-corrosive materials are required. AMETEK tubing and pipe can replace molded components that often must be welded together to achieve the desired storage capability. Larger diameter tubing and pipe in longer lengths reduces the number of welds along with process contamination concerns, providing an efficient and cost-effective solution for handling higher volume process fluids. Fluoropolymer containment vessels can replace glass vessels that are more prone to breakage and thinning of the walls due to etching by certain corrosive chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid. 

Applications

Bulk chemical distribution processing tanks, storage buffers and heat exchangers.

Platform

AMETEK tubing meets all common operating temperatures and pressures, with standard tubing meeting operating pressures up to 70 psi and 73oF. AMETEK fluoropolymer tubing and pipe are inert to nearly all chemicals used in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. 

Availability

Currently available.