RE: Pliaduct - New toroid material

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>

For my foam toroid, the thick epoxy coating was nothing less than
perfectly smooth, so the only aberrations were due to the overlapping
aluminum tape - no way around that.  But should I drop my foam toroid on
a sharp edge, it may fare better than an Al duct toroid, but it's still
crying time!

I can't be certain if the Pliaduct is identical to what I saw at work,
but both seem to be similar in that there are no prominent ribs - only
flat plateaus and valleys - so these may be less objectionable.  If one
is after a perfectly smooth finish, Pliaduct is probably better than Al
duct, but not a substitute for spun or coated foam.  But its real
strength is dent-resistance.  See my previous post for bend radii.

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

> Original poster: "Gerry  Reynolds" <gerryreynolds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Hi Gary,
>
> How do you guess this stuff would compare to your foam toroid for
> surface smoothness (after taping)???  Also, did you get any feel for
> bend radius for the 8, 10, and 12 inch ducting???
>
> Gerry R
>
> >Original poster: "Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>
> >
> >I saw a portable air conditioner for lab environmental testing at
work
> >today, and the 6" air ducts in and out of it were made of a
> >"ribbon-lock" PVC that I hadn't seen previously.  It was made such
that
> >unlike corrugated aluminum ducts, it absolutely won't dent from minor
> >accidents, unless you deliberately jumped on it.  The maker of the
A/C
> >unit, Topaz, said I had to buy it from them, so I started Googling.
I
> >found something very similar (maybe the same?) called Pliaduct.  You
can
> >see it at http://www.ducting.com/Pliaduct.html.  It is available in
> >diameters from 2"-12", standard lengths 25' for 2"-6", and 10' for
> >8"-12".  The price for a 6"x25' length is $22.80.  The really neat
thing
> >is that the two ends will seamlessly mate with no tape or adapters
> >needed, and you can series-connect multiple lengths!
> >
> >Obviously one must cover a PVC toroid with aluminum tape to make it
> >conductive, but the surface is flatter with less pronounced ridges
than
> >AL duct, so it will look nicer and probably be less prone to corona.
As
> >I don't actually need another toroid I didn't research the cost of
> >shipping such a thing to me - most of the vendors I saw seemed to be
on
> >the West Coast - but I'll leave that to someone who needs one.  Any
> >follow-up from anyone trying this would be much appreciated!
> >
> >Regards,
> >Gary Lau
> >MA, USA
> >
> >
>
>
>