To meet the demands of evolving regulations and current market dynamics, water system parts manufacturers are under pressure to bring compliant parts to the market. Lead-leaching brass is being retired more and more, and in some cases common polyamide 66 and POM need to be replaced with safer alternatives. Yet, many commercial plastics fail to meet the strict design and performance requirements for applications. To stay ahead of competitors, it’s critical that part suppliers adopt robust, versatile and circular material solutions.
The world generates 2.01 billion tons of municipal solid waste each year. In 2018, the United States alone produced 600 million tons of construction and demolition debris – nearly a quarter of which ended up in landfills. To preserve the planet, governments and regulatory bodies are pressing for the use of circular material solutions in residential building and renovation.
Many water system parts manufacturers are focused on retiring brass materials, which are expensive and release potentially harmful levels of lead into drinking water. As a result, thermoplastics are increasingly used to develop a variety of components for water faucets, meters, and boiling and heating systems.
As consumers spend more time at home, kitchen and bathroom renovations featuring modern amenities, such as luxury bathtubs and faucets that dispense boiling water, continue to top the list of the most common remodeling projects. More homes are equipped with smart water meters that incorporate advanced electronic control valves to prevent leaks and decrease water costs.
In addition to meeting the performance requirements of individual applications, materials used to develop parts for these systems need to comply with shifting regulations, such as Germany’s KTW-BWGL. You need to be confident that the materials you select today meet current or future water contact standards. Rushing this decision can lead to choosing the wrong material, which may lead to leakages. Not only can this result in substantial property damage, but it can also damage your brand.
At the same time, complex global supply chains limit the number of compliant thermoplastic solutions to choose from. Minimizing the risk of product delays means working with a partner that provides reliable supplies of high-performance materials engineered to stay ahead of changing industry standards.
Envalior offers a broad range of safe, sustainable and reliable water contact thermoplastics proven for heating, meter, sanitary and industrial applications. We combine in-depth material expertise with advanced part design, prototyping and cost assessment support to help you de-risk operations and bring best-quality components to market faster.
Enabling you to stay ahead of water contact regulations while saving costs
Our teams have helped water contact parts manufacturers worldwide overcome challenges. For example, we enabled a flow heater supplier to replace polyamide 66 (PA66) and polyphenylene oxide (PPO) – which did not comply with KTW-BWGL – with our fully certified EcoPaXX® PA410 and ForTii® PPA solutions. We accomplished this without major retooling or part redesigns to save the customer additional time and costs.
Xytron™ PPS, with its outstanding strength and thermal resistance, is ideal for water boiler and heater applications. As part of our commitment to preventing material supply chain interruptions, no Xytron customers have been impacted by force majeures – despite unprecedented demand for polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) from the automotive industry. Xytron PPS can also replace brass in water meter plate applications – which helps suppliers get ahead of water contact regulations and reduce operational costs.
Helping you transition to a circular economy
To meet our goals to minimize the use of fossil feedstocks and help you lower your carbon footprint, we developed the Simply Circular™ initiative. Plus, we are developing third-party certified bio- and recycled-based alternatives to our entire plastics portfolio for launch by 2030.
As you adopt materials from renewable sources, our teams support you through every step of part design, testing and production process to make the transition to a circular economy as seamless as possible.
The materials you select now determine how quickly you’ll be able to adapt to rising consumer demand for high-quality, sustainable at-home water systems. Envalior is at the forefront of helping you embrace green thermoplastic solutions without compromising product quality. As your partner from start to finish, we help you strengthen relationships with OEMs and meet sustainability targets ahead of schedule.
Market Development Manager at Envalior
After obtaining his Ph.D. in supramolecular and organic chemistry, Pim Janssen began his career at Envalior as a chemist for the engineering plastics Akulon (PA6) and the biobased EcoPaXX (PA410). He also spent a few years in product development and program management for high temperature polyamides ForTii (PPA), Stanyl (PA46), EcoPaXX (PA410) and Xytron (PPS). In 2018, he joined the business management team as market development manager for water and food contact, industrial applications, and to develop a unreinforced PPA portfolio.
25 January 2023
Manufacturing eco-friendly, lead-free water heater and boiler parts
