If you need tubing for an industrial application, then you should definitely consider plastic tubing. Such tubing provides a wide array of benefits. Plastic tubing is much more affordable than other varieties, such as various types of metal tubing. It’s also much more flexible than other materials, such as aluminum and steel tubing. Plastic tubing is also extremely durable, and is available in varieties such as heat-resistant and chemical-resistant tubing. This type of tubing is also extremely versatile, and is available in a cornucopia of different sizes, colors, thicknesses, shapes, and so on.
Overview
When in the market for plastic tubing, one of the most popular options is clear plastic tubing. This type of plastic tubing is clear due to the manufacturing process. When the plastic is heated to an extremely high temperature, it transforms to a liquid state. Then after cooling, the material returns to a glassy state again.
The material that’s typically used to produce clear plastic tubing is polyvinyl chloride. Interestingly, more than half of the world’s supply is used to manufacture PVC pipes for industrial applications. PVC pipes themselves provide several benefits. For instance, they’re durable, and have a low reactivity to several materials.
Benefits
Why should you consider clear plastic tubing over other types of tubing? That is the question. While clear plastic tubing can provide you with several key benefits, here are some of the most crucial ones:
1. Transparency
By definition, clear plastic tubing is transparent. However, one of the main benefits that this provides is the ability to monitor liquids and gases that the plastic tubing transports. This is especially crucial when you need to monitor the materials in the plastic tubing. While such monitoring is possible with opaque tubing, the process is much easier and efficient when you can actually see the liquid or gas contained in the tubing. This is particularly important when the material in the tubing has the potential of becoming volatile. In that situation it’s particularly important to have the ability to monitor the liquid or gas.
2. Durability
This is definitely a key benefit of clear plastic tubing. The fracture or breaking of tubing could be particularly devastating if the liquid or gas within it is potentially volatile. In fact, plastic is extremely durable considering its weight. The need to replace any type of tubing can be quite costly. However, choosing a durable clear plastic tubing can eliminate the need to replace the tubing sooner rather than later. And that could help to save your company a small fortune.
3. Lightweight
While clear plastic tubing is quite durable, it’s also amazingly lightweight. This feature can provide you with several benefits. The tubing is easier to transport. It’s easier to install. And it reduces the likelihood of injuries while using it. The lightweight nature of plastic tubing also makes it much more cost-effective, as storing and transporting it is significantly less expensive than other types of tubing, such as metal tubing.
4. Heat-resistance
Clear plastic tubing can be very effective in extreme temperatures, which provides yet another benefit over tubing made of other materials.
5. Value
Unquestionably, plastic tubing (such as clear plastic tubing) can provide you with an extraordinary amount of value. While the cost of such tubing is fairly low, it still provides outstanding value. The material is lightweight, durable, transparent, and so on. All of these features make it one of the best buys available when you need tubing for home or industrial applications.
6. Chemical-resistant
Plastic tubing is extremely resistant to various types of chemical reactions, such as rust corrosion. These chemical reactions can be devastating to tubing, requiring you to either repair or replace it. And such tubing tends to be chemical-resistant up to fairly high temperatures, which makes it an even more effective type of tubing.
7. Flexibility
Plastic tubing is much more flexible than other varieties, such as metal tubing. While they’re not flimsy, plastic tubing provides more versatility when you use it for various applications. It’s able to withstand an increased load, yet remains flexible enough to prevent breakage. One of the most important applications in which the tubing’s flexibility becomes extremely crucial is when the tubing is placed underground. The vibrations and shifting of such locations makes the tubing’s flexibility extremely useful.