Heat shrink products have become an indispensable part of any electrical application due to the many purposes served by them. They offer protection to cables and enhance their life by safeguarding them against heat, water and abrasion. It’s no wonder that heat shrink boot, heat shrink tubing, heat shrink cable end caps etc have found their way into several industries like the marine, military, aerospace, automotive, telecommunications in addition to being used for many other electronic  applications.

Heat shrink products are versatile in terms of the materials that go into their making. Basic materials that are used in their manufacture are:

• Polyolefin
• Chlorinated Polyolefin
• Fluoropolymers – PVC, FEP, PVDF and PTFE

Polyolefin is the commonly used material in the manufacture of heat shrink boot, heat shrink tubing and others. The heat shrink products can be categorised into the following product groups based on the material used:

Single Wall Polyolefin: This type is excellent from the point of offering flexibility, abrasion resistance and safeguarding against flames and heat.

Dual Wall Polyolefin: This type comes with an extra adhesive liner which offers certain extra advantages. It easily bonds with a variety of materials like rubbers, metals and plastics and the dual wall enhances the cables or the wire’s mechanical strength to a great extent. The cable walls also become water proof and weather proof and hence this product category is normally preferred by military applications.

Shrinkable PVC: This form is used for low temperature applications. Endowed with a crystal clear colour this can be easily identified and also fits snugly onto parts of varying sizes.

Speciality Materials: Speciality materials like PVDF, Neoprene, PTFE are also used for heat shrink products. Added features such as chemical and oil resistance, flexibility as well as resistance to bacteria, moisture and UV rays is obtained from such products made from specialty materials.

Heat shrink boot is one among the many heat shrink products that goes into several electrical and mechanical applications. It acts as a medium to bridge sealed cable assemblies and connectors and fulfils the requirements of almost every electrical interconnect design. This heat shrink product is water resistant and provides good protection against electrical and mechanical abuse. Cables and wires are thus effectively sealed and safeguarded with the help of this product. Two varieties namely the bulbous heat shrink boots and the slim-line variety are available in this category.

In this context, a mention has to be made of cable end caps which play a significant role in protecting all sorts of heat shrink. The end caps help in sealing and protecting unused cables which may be left loose and lying around. A wide array of such end caps is available of which the PVC caps are the most commonly used form. The PVC caps are rounded, flexible, can withstand high temperatures and have greater chemical resistance. They are available in vibrant colours and are easy to install. They do not crack and leave residue like hard plastic closures. Being a naturally insulative substance they are an ideal alternative for closures that would be used in varied electrical applications.

Heat shrink products have definitely made life in several electronic, electrical and mechanical applications easier!