PKS Pipe is a brand not a product
PKS PIPE AND INFRAPIPE ARE HELICAL (SPIRAL) PIPE
Helical (spiral) pipe is wound onto a mandrel to produce infinitely customisable HDPE profile pipe in 6m lengths. There are two 5065-certified manufacturers in New Zealand – INFRAPIPE and Franks PKS now Hynds PKS. INFRAPIPE makes PKS pipe but with a modern German machine.
There are 3 manufacturers of the pipe manufacturing equipment globally – 
who developed the system in 1965 and have all the patents, and the cheaper Maintools and Eagle who copied them. INFRAPIPE commissioned a machine in 2022.
PROFILE PIPE COMES IN 3 TYPES
A helical machine can make a profile pipe (as shown to the right) where a polypropylene core tube (sheathed in HDPE) is wound around the inner waterway HDPE layer. This core tube provides the ring stiffness which creates such great performance compared to solid wall. Variations are solid wall pipe (below left) (for pressure pipe, risers, manholes and connections to other materials), and CPR pipe (centre) where the core tube is restrained by the further outer layers to provide additional strength. PKS+ is simply CPR pipe, which INFRAPIPE also make.
WHY USE PKS PLUS? WHAT IS THIS?
In order to achieve higher SN ratings (buckling strength) profile pipes add additional layers of material over the coretube layer – as shown above in the middle illustration, that is what PKS+ is. INFRAPIPE do the same thing, but refer to it as CPR. The other way of achieving greater pipe strength is to add multiple layers of the core tube, known as an OP (Olympic Profile) or as COP (Covered OP) when outer layers are then added. PKS+ is a type of profile just like INFRAPIPE PR, CPR, OP & COP.
The pipe design software used by both INFRAPIPE and PKS can be used to create thousands of profiles based on the combination of layer thicknesses, core tubes and core tube spacing – limited only by the size of core tube the manufacturer can use, designing the optimum pipe for the location, saving the client money.
Therefore no pipe either PKS or INFRAPIPE produces is in any way an unique solution for one customer. PKS pipe and INFRAPIPE are both helical (spiral) wound profile pipe. PKS pipe is INFRAPIPE and INFRAPIPE KRAH is PKS pipe.
SUBSTITUTION
An INFRAPIPE pipe (or any tanks, manholes etc. made with it) is a like-for-like substitution for a PKS pipe (and vice versa). The performance criteria of a helical pipe are its SN, PN (and OD if constrained) and the supply of a pipe with the requisite criteria is a conforming supply if it is AS/NZS 5065 certified – which both INFRAPIPE and PKS are.
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