Butt welding parameters from pipe manufacturers: KWH, ProFuse, SafeTech, Egelen and PVDF

The manufacturer's table takes precedence over the standard

DVS 2207-1 describes how PE is butt welded, but it is based on standard pipes. Jacketed pipes, barrier pipes and specialty materials have their own construction, which is why the manufacturer specifies the temperature, times and forces for their specific pipes. The manufacturer's instructions always take precedence.

This applies in particular to pipes with a protective jacket: ProFuse, SafeTech and Egelen Plus. Here, the jacket determines whether preheating is required, whether the jacket must be removed before welding, and what temperature the heating plate must be set to. The rule of 220 °C for PE 100 does not unconditionally apply to these pipes.

The tables below have been compiled from the manufacturer's instructions and are provided for guidance. Always check against the current instructions supplied with the pipe and store them together with the welding log.

How to read the tables

The columns follow the sequence executed by the machine: heating plate temperature, preheating force or heating force, soak time without pressure, maximum changeover time, maximum pressure build-up time, welding force, and welding and cooling time.

Drag pressure (P0) is added to the specified force. This is the machine's own drag pressure, which you measure or read off, and which must be entered into the machine or into the welding table selector before starting the sequence.

Forces are given in newtons (N), except for the PVDF table, where the source uses kilopond (kp). 1 kp corresponds to approx. 9.8 N. Do not mix units when entering data into the machine.

Checkpoints before using a manufacturer table

Verify that the pipe matches the table: manufacturer, material, SDR and whether a jacket is present. ProFuse and SafeTech have a jacket that remains in place, whereas Egelen Plus requires the jacket to be removed in the welding zone. Barrier pipes such as SLA require separate handling of the jacket.

Verify that the machine can deliver the calculated welding force at the relevant diameter, and that reductions and insert inserts match. Measure the drag pressure and add it to the force before starting the sequence.

Store the manufacturer's instructions and the logged joint together. In the event of a dispute, the documentation determines whether the joint was made in accordance with the applicable instructions. See welding log and documentation.

If no manufacturer table is available, DVS 2207-1 is used as a baseline. The tables are located in the welding tables, and pipe data can be found in pipe data: wall thickness and weight.

Jacketed pipes versus standard PE100

When welding jacketed pipes to standard PE100 pressure pipes, the jacket is removed in the welding area and the standard pipe is scraped. Both sides must have the same SDR.

Electrofusion welding of SafeTech, on the other hand, always requires the jacket to be removed first. The oxidation layer does not need to be scraped if the fitting is welded immediately after jacket removal.

Two paths to a good joint

Method 1 - weld with the jacket on: Both jacketed pipe types are manufacturer-approved for butt welding without jacket removal. The heating plate temperature is 240 °C (+5/-5 °C), which is higher than standard DVS data, and the times and forces follow the manufacturer tables - not DVS 2207-1. For ProFuse RC, preheating continues until the PP jacket slips off the heating plate and rolls back; for SafeTech/PE PLUS, until the bead width is 1-3 mm.

Method 2 - Holm & Holm's recommendation: Remove the jacket approx. 10 mm from the welding area and weld using standard data (DVS 2207-1). This results in a better weld and a smaller internal bead - meaning lower flow resistance in the pipe.

The parameters are located in the welding tables

Select Pipe Type in the welding tables: ProFuse RC (SDR17) or PE SafeTech/PE PLUS (PN10, SDR17) - both for Ø63-Ø630 with complete tables for force, soak time, changeover and cooling. Sources: Holm & Holm butt welding parameters and Wavin's FDV documentation for SafeTech.