Armaflex Tuffcoat is made by leading flexible technical insulation manufacturer Armacell at their Oldham plant in the UK. The product comprises the renowned Armaflex flexible, closed cell, foamed nitrile rubber laminated with a Tuffcoat PVC coating for enhanced protection against impact damage. The product is suitable for both above and below ground installations including mains cold water and ground source heat pump pipework to prevent freezing. The Tuffcoat outer covering also ensures protection against UV damage, water ingress and damage from birds or rodents. It is also ideal for pipe and ductwork applications where wash down cleaning regimes are regularly undertaken.

The tube version of the product has now been redesigned so that around a quarter of the Tuffcoat PVC covering is left un-adhered to the Armaflex insulation tube. This un-adhered section of the covering has a self-adhesive backing with protective peel off paper sheet for removing and fixing down onto the Armaflex insulation once the tubes are installed onto pipework. The change makes it easier to slide and fit the tubes onto new pipework sections since the tube can be stretched over and onto the pipe without being constricted by the Tuffcoat covering being adhered all the way around the tube sections.

For installations onto existing pipework, the exposed area of the Armaflex tube can simply be slit open, this makes it easier to cut and rejoin the seams back together around the pipework before re-sealing with Armaflex 520 adhesive. The protective paper on the self-adhesive backed section can then be peeled off and the Tuffcoat film sealed in place down over the glued seam. The un-secured piece of the Tuffcoat film overlaps the circumference of the tube to provide additional integrity against moisture ingress at the tube seam.

The new Armaflex Tuffcoat insulation tubes are now also supplied in 1 metre lengths rather than 2 metres. This change facilitates both easier and quicker installation by simplifying handling of boxes onsite and when sliding the tubes onto new pipework or slitting and re-sealing tubes onto existing pipework applications.

In addition the new tube design leaves a short piece of the Armaflex insulation material uncovered at each end. This allows for wet sealing the tubes with Armaflex 520 adhesive under compression at longitudinal butt joins to ensure a vapour tight seal is achieved on refrigeration, cold services and outdoor applications. The exposed length of Armaflex insulation is then covered using 25mm wide Tuffcoat tape to ensure a neat finish and additional protection against water ingress at system joints.

Armaflex Tuffcoat is ideal for both hot and cold water services, heating systems, air conditioning and refrigerated pipework. The Tuffcoat outer covering and the closed cell Armaflex insulation material provides a built-in vapour barrier against condensation and corrosion problems on cold services. Insulating pipework also prevents unnecessary heat losses and greatly improves the efficiency of mechanical services.

Armaflex Tuffcoat is supplied in insulation thicknesses of 13 and 19mm, with the external covering available in black or white (other colours also available on request). The tubes are manufactured in 12 bore sizes, ranging from 10 to 67mm. The external Tuffcoat covering has a semi-gloss finish which requires no additional painting, while also being easy to wipe clean. The Armaflex Tuffcoat insulation product also incorporates in-built Microban antimicrobial protection which helps to prevent bacterial, mould and fungal growth and makes the product ideal for applications in food manufacturing, hospitals, schools and offices.

Armaflex Tuffcoat sheet for ductwork and larger pipe diameter applications are supplied in 2m x 0.5m size and are available in the 13mm and 19mm insulation thicknesses.