What Exactly Is Heat Shrink Tubing?
Heat shrink tubing, simply put, is a specially designed tubing meant to shrink to fit whatever it is applied to after being subjected to heat. It can be put to a wide variety of uses, and is especially helpful for doing repairs and ordinary maintenance. You may not even be aware of it, but if you use anything electronic, like cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, and the like, you have come into contact with heat shrink tubing.
What is its Primary Use?
Heat Shrink Tubing
The tubing is designed to primarily insulate wires from extreme heat. It is also used to seal and protect wiring found in cable joints from water and dust, prevent any wiring it is used on from abrasions by dirt, wind, and general exposure. It is also used to harness bundles of wires together, and has even been used to repair damaged wires and cables.
What is it made of?
Heat shrink tubing can be made from any thermoplastic material. Polyolefin and polyvinyl chloride are the most popular choices in material to create this form of plastic tubing, and other materials are often added during creation of the heat tube for added capabilities, like weatherproofing.
Most plastic will not shrink down when you apply heat. What makes this type of heat tube different is the process used to expand the plastic during creation. During creation, a process called cross-linking is done to expose the polymers in the mix to radiation. This creates what is known as covalent bonds between the atoms found in the polymers. Often referred to as creating a memory function within the finished plastic, the tube will retain its expanded shape until heat is applied to it. Once the proper temperature change has been achieved, the tube will revert to its original form and diameter. Each tube in a series may have a different heat shrink ratio that will determine its diameter when heat is applied.
Common Uses
Shrinkable tubing can be used in a variety of ways, from preventative maintenance to creating electrical circuits. It is most often used as a way to prevent strain and stress of electrical wiring normally caused by flexing and bending the wire at or near the connectors. Flexing and bending wire connectors not only pose the risk of damaging the wires within the cable, it can also damage the surrounding insulation. Shrinkable tubing is often used to either add additional insulation, or to repair and re-sheath the affected wiring, It can also be added as weatherproofing to connectors and terminals that are regularly exposed to the elements.
Any needed repairs to wire harnesses, cable bundles, or the smallest connecting wire inside of a cell phone can be done easily with shrinkable tubing. Need to splice wires together? Adding shrinkable tubing will help seal the new connection, and help keep the two wires bundled safely together. Another popular use leans more towards simple organization. If you have a construct with a lot of bundles or circuits, you can use varying colors of plastic tubing to mark circuits with function names, or cables with connection uses. Most shrinkable tubing can be ordered with easy to read printing on them that can say anything you want them to.
Choice factors
You have a lot of options available whenever you purchase shrinkable tubing. Not only are regular options applied, like voltage, temperature, and environment ratings, there are sizing requirements involved to ensure a snug fit when shrunk. The sleeve diameter is very important when choosing this type of plastic tubing, because the tubing must be large enough to fit over any large and irregular surfaces without being compromised.
The final diameter after heating is also important, because you will want a secure, snug and even fit around what you are applying it to. Any break, tear or gap will compromise the purpose it was used for, especially in cases where it is insulating or weatherproofing. The shrink ratio will indicate how small it will become after heat is applied. For example, heat shrink tubing that has a 2:1 ratio indicates that the tubing will have a final diameter of exactly half the original diameter.
What Exactly Is Heat Shrink Tubing?
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heat shrink tubing | | 15 April 2011 |
