In 1977, several ductile iron pipe fabricators met in Kansas City, Missouri to discuss the materials specified for water and wastewater treatment plants. It was determined at that meeting that there was a need for an organization to promote the quality products that were also available through independent fabricators. The goal was to contact engineers and specification writers throughout the nation to present standards which more accurately reflected current industry practice. Thus, the National Association of Pipe Fabricators (NAPF) was born. Those fabricators also aided each other with technical advice through visits to each other's facilities, producing items needed by those with limited production capabilities and sharing their inventories.
Over the next several years the NAPF continued to grow and added many new members across the United States. In an effort to gain national credibility within the engineering community, the membership decided the NAPF should develop and produce a Standards Catalogue that would not only cover the existing ANSI/AWWA Standards but include additional valuable information not currently available to the industry. Over 1000 of these manuals were distributed. Some of the topics included were welding of ductile pipe, surface preparation prior to painting, glass lining and fabricated wall pipe. Today, this website has replaced those early catalogues as a reference source. Over the past 20 years, representatives of the NAPF have also held positions on various AWWA committees that are responsible for updating existing standards to more appropriately reflect changes within the industry. Many of the recent changes in those standards are directly attributable to the efforts of the NAPF.
In 1993 the NAPF commenced a program requiring all producer members to be in compliance with ANSI/NSF Standard 61 "Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects". That requirement has been revised and now offers our members a choice of conforming to NSF 61. Two additional ductile pipe standards, ANSI/AWWA C115/A21.15 for flanged pipe and C606 for grooved pipe, have been added and are now mandatory.
NSF is an ANSI Certified 3rd party certification organization that oversees and audits this innovative industry program. The addition of NSF to the NAPF Quality Plus! Certification team is your guarantee of the highest quality products.
We are hopeful our website will become your information source for fabricated ductile iron pipe and related products. Please visit us here often.
Ted Wright, President
