Quickpipes
QUICKSTEP FORMS JOINT VENTURE WITH VORTEX TO DEVELOP HIGH-END COMPOSITE PIPES
- Quickstep Holdings Ltd and Vortex plan to develop a new range of high-end carbon fibre pressure pipes featuring improved strength and corrosion resistance.
- There is potential for the QuickPipes manufacturing process to lead to substantial cost savings in shipping of pipes, due to portability of manufacturing equipment and ability to manufacture and meld pipes on-site.
- The Joint Venture will leverage from Quickstep's expertise in composite manufacturing innovation, and Vortex's significant piping industry knowledge and contacts.
The Quickpipes JV is to develop and market a new generation of high-strength, corrosion resistant pipes to be manufactured using Quickstep's patented composites manufacturing process.
The company's bringing together their respective strengths in composite manufacturing technology and pipe-lining and manufacturing solutions to deliver a ‘next generation' product, offering significant competitive advantages to infrastructure groups and asset managers over existing alternatives.
It is anticipated that pipeline manufacturing using Quickstep's patented fluid-based technology would lead to a range of significant benefits, including improved strength and corrosion resistance in the pipes, as well as reduced manufacturing costs through faster processing times.
In addition, due to the portability of Quickstep's manufacturing equipment, QuickPipes would provide customers with the ability to manufacture and meld sections of pipe on-site, rather than having to ship the finished product from the manufacturer, leading to a substantial reduction in the logistics costs currently incurred.
Initial Proof of Concept ("POC") carbon fibre pipes have already been produced by VCAMM, Quickstep's joint venture partner at Deakin University, and show exceptional strength-to-weight ratios when compared to current market offerings and traditional steel and concrete reinforced pipes. These POC pipes were exhibited at the JEC Show, the world's largest composites conference in Paris, attracting significant interest from the international composites industry.
"At the moment, customers are shipping fully completed pipes which are large and require a considerable amount of space when being transported - most of which is just vacant space within the pipe," Mr Gosatti commented. "Because Quickstep's machines are much smaller than the alternatives, we can simply ship Quickstep's manufacturing equipment closer to the site and manufacture the pipes when and where they are required. This would save customers a substantial amount in logistics and transportation costs, further enhancing the attractiveness of QuickPipes products."
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