Traditional pex piping is installed by slipping a metal ring over the exterior of the pipe, then slipping a union or any other joint inside and crimping the ring to hold it in place. It works, but given that its success lies in the installer doing a good job on crimping, there is room for error even if that is a small chance.

Uponor该公司开发了一种附加管件的不同技术，该技术结合了Pex-a管件的形状记忆能力(Pex-b或c管件无法实现)，因此可以拉伸并恢复原来的形状。一个Uponor pex环在管子上滑动，然后把管子拉伸，这样比管子内径大的配件就可以滑进去。由于内径更大，管子无法完全收缩到原来的形状，因此形成了一个令人难以置信的紧密连接。

What is new here is not the Uponor PEX system, but Milwaukee's expander tool dedicated to it. Uponor originally launched hePEX and AquaPEX with a hand expander tool, and given the effort required to stretch tubes by hand, Uponor did not instantly wipe out the competition.

ProPEX expander tool
Pex expander tool © Milwaukee

Not long after that, Uponor developed a power expander which was a huge improvement over the hand tool, but still required significant effort. With the original power expander you had to remove the tool, rotate it, then put it back in and expand the tube further. Failure to rotate it would potentially leave channels that could cause leaks.

The big evolutionary leap came when Uponor partnered with Milwaukee to offer a better expander tool. While pex (crosslinked polyethylene) is the generic term, only Uponor brand pex tubing can be used with the Milwaukee tool. Uponor’s F1960 style fittings are slightly larger than conventional pex fittings and the tubing has an expansion and shape memory capability.

密尔沃基推出的工具大约是之前扩能器重量的四分之一，价格也是四分之一。它还包括一个自动旋转功能，这使得它的使用速度快了四倍，因为你只需要插入和删除工具一次。下面是一段实际操作的视频。试过一次之后，你就再也不会想回去用卷边机了。