Hose constructions

A spiral-welded hose — like AIRDUC, PROTAPE or NORPLAST — is built by winding a strip or profile of material spirally and welding it together. It has a visible spiral path in the wall and can typically be bent very tightly. An axially extruded hose — like NORFLEX — is pressed out in one length without a weld seam. That gives a perfectly even wall thickness and a smooth surface, but the hose is typically stiffer and bends less flexibly.

Spring steel — used in AIRDUC, PROTAPE and BARDUC — retains its strength at high temperatures and can be grounded for electrical discharge. A hard plastic spiral — used in NORPLAST — is lighter and more chemically inert, but softens at high temperatures and cannot in itself be grounded. The choice depends on operating temperature, weight requirements, and whether the hose is to be used in ATEX zones.

Constructions with a stiff embedded spiral — AIRDUC, NORPLAST or PROTAPE MEMORY in the crush-resistant variant — are best for vacuum and suction because the spiral prevents the hose from collapsing under negative pressure. PROTAPE MEMORY also has a special outer folding geometry that delivers high vacuum performance. NORFLEX without fabric reinforcement is not suited to strong vacuum, but NORFLEX with fabric reinforcement increases pressure resistance.

Pre-PUR® is NORRES BAGGERMAN's own blend of ester- and ether-polyurethane. It is a block copolymer where hard segments deliver mechanical stability and soft segments provide flexibility and dynamic load capacity. It is the internal segment structure that lifts the material's performance above a generic PUR — according to NORRES Baggerman, abrasion resistance is 2.5–5 times higher than many rubber compounds and 3–4 times higher than soft PVC measured at 20 °C. The principle is worth noting: two hoses both labelled simply "PUR" can perform very differently because the specific formulation is not the same. Pre-PUR® is a documented formulation — not generic PUR.

Yes. NORRES BAGGERMAN can adjust virtually every parameter — wall thickness, inner liner, colour (full or partial), dimension, reinforcement at primary wear points, and special antistatic or ATEX-suitable variants. Particulair coordinates the customisation between you and the factory. Read more about custom hoses.

Both are spiral-welded hoses with spring steel. The difference lies in what is welded: AIRDUC uses an extruded profile strip with a reinforced wall at primary wear points, while PROTAPE uses a thinner extruded film tape. The consequence is that AIRDUC has higher axial stiffness and is more robust under wear. PROTAPE is extremely light, compressible and foldable — best for air transport where low weight and flexibility matter most.

Constructions with spring steel — AIRDUC, PROTAPE and BARDUC — can be grounded via the steel spiral and are therefore electrically dischargeable. NORPLAST can be supplied with a stranded earthing wire, providing limited discharge capability. Axially extruded NORFLEX hoses have no built-in metal conductor but can be supplied in antistatic material variants. ATEX zone suitability requires a documented test report — that is found under ATEX & TRGS zones.