Challenge

Traditional poly pipe manufacturing is limited to standardized fittings, requiring long lead times and costly tooling for custom joins, elbows, and couplers. When specific geometries are needed for unique applications—such as marine systems, aquaculture setups, or industrial piping—fabricators are forced to rely on welding and workarounds, adding cost, complexity, and risk of failure.

Solution

By leveraging Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM), Hyperion can produce custom poly pipe components on demand. The 90-degree elbow shown here was printed in HDPE—a material fully compatible with standard polywelding equipment—ensuring seamless integration into existing pipe systems.

This part was printed in under an hour using less than 2kg of material, demonstrating how LFAM reduces both cost and turnaround time while enabling custom geometries that traditional methods cannot match.

The key benefits of LFAM for poly pipe components are:

• Fully custom and optimized geometries to meet specific system requirements.

• Produced without tooling, enabling rapid one-off parts or small-batch runs.

• Compatible with existing infrastructure, using standard welding and joining processes.

• Minimal labour and rapid production, reducing reliance on overseas suppliers.

Key Metrics

• Component Type: 90-Degree Elbow

• Print Time: < 1 hour

• Material Usage: < 2kg HDPE+GF

• Material Compatibility: Weldable with standard polywelding equipment

Impact

This approach unlocks new possibilities for industries that rely on robust pipe systems, including aquaculture, marine, mining, and industrial applications. By producing components locally, organisations reduce lead times, simplify supply chains, and gain the flexibility to design exactly what they need—when they need it.