Heat shrink polymers came into being in the late 1950’s and today they have become an indispensable item across all industrial and commercial applications. Made from a varied array of thermoplastics, heat shrink tubes or tubing as the name suggests is tubing that shrinks to its original dimensions on application of heat.
Applications of Heat Shrink in Preventive Maintenance
Shrinkable tubing is used in a wide range of applications. In the context of preventive maintenance, this tubing plays an important role as it helps to relieve strain, seal cables and provide extra insulation.
Connectors or terminals are protected from physical stress that may occur due to incidences of bending and flexing if they have heat shrink tubing applied to them. The chances of the cable’s conductor or insulation getting damaged due to the bending or flexing are reduced to a great extent by the application of this tubing.The tubing offers additional protection by acting as a sealant. All connections, substrates, gaps and joints are protected from chemicals, moisture and dust. Environmental hazards are eliminated as the tubing offers resistance against oxidation, abrasion, UV rays and corrosion.
This shrinkable tubing is most useful whenever you want to fix some damage to the cable jackets, cable splices, connections or insulation, irrespective of whether the repair work is on a temporary or a permanent basis. However, before using it for any repair work it is essential to ensure that the remaining piece of cable is not damaged.
Last but not the least the shrinkable tubing definitely makes work much easier. Cables can be better organized, circuits can be marked and this facilitates identification of the cables to a great deal.
Make the Right Choice
Many factors have to be kept in mind while making the choice of heat shrink. The regular considerations include environmental hazards, voltage and temperature ratings and other factors that determine the choice of cable products. However, there are certain other considerations that have to be carefully considered. First and foremost are the sizing requirements and in this regard, the sleeve diameter occupies a vital role. The original dimensions of the shrinkable tubing should be sufficiently large to cover any irregular or large surface and at the same time, the final dimensions sufficiently small so as to shrink to snugly cover the required surfaces. Here, the shrink ratio becomes a very vital factor. The shrink ratio varies from 2:1 to 6:1. Keeping this ratio in mind, the tubing should be selected in such a way that it effectively seals and fits the application.
Other factors of stiffness and wall thickness of the shrink tubing depend upon the purpose for which it is required.The mode of heating the tubing will also affect the choice-making.
Protection to Heat Shrink
Cable end caps are items that help to protect all kinds of tubing. These come in many varieties with PVC caps being the most commonly used of them all. PVC caps come in bright colors, are very flexible and are rounded so as to offer maximum protection. Several other heavy duty caps are also available to provide total protection to the equipment.