Heat shrink products have wide ranging applications in automotive, networking, electronic, electrical and almost all other industry segments. They fulfill important functions of offering termination, sealing, insulating, identification and safeguarding cable wires from environmental stress. Varied solutions like heat shrink tubes, heat shrink end caps, heat shrink boot and more are available depending upon the need and requirements of the customers.
Of all the solutions, the heat shrink tubes are a popular option that is used in innumerable applications. Made from a wide variety of thermoplastics like polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin, polytetrafluoroethylene and fluorinated ethylene propylene they also come with an adhesive lining to provide added strength to the bonds formed with the underlying connectors and cables. Additionally, the tubing can also have a thick film of conductive polymer to cater to special requirements.
A typical feature of this tubing is its capacity to shrink when exposed to heat, unlike most other plastics. This attribute is lent to it due to cross-linking, a procedure that involves exposure of polymer to radiation for creation of covalent bonds between the atoms of the polymer. Covalent bonds are responsible for infusing the polymers with plastic memory and this enables the polymer which has been elongated through cross-linking to shrink to its earlier dimensions on application of the requisite heat.
But this shrinkage factor is not common for all the tubes. The heat shrink ratio as it is called differs for each variety and is labeled on each product. This explains how much the tubing will shrink on application of heat. For example, a heat shrink ratio of 3:1 has an elongated diameter that is three times of its original diameter and when heat is applied the tubing will shrink to that extent and fit tightly to the application it has to enclose. Tubing with wide variety of heat shrink ratios are available in the market to cater to the requirements of every customer.
However, an important component that is involved in this process is that of the heat gun. It performs the vital function of shrinking the product to its crucial original size and offer a snug fit to the application. The heat gun comes in temperatures ranging from moderate to fixed heat for standard use as well as variable heat models with digitized readouts are also available. The other option in this regard is use of the heat shrink oven but this is an expensive and less portable alternative though it offers greater energy efficiency.
Heat shrink products are a highly versatile item that offers protective as well as cosmetic enhancing advantages. Cable spices are safeguarded from dust and moisture, wires and cables are insulated against high temperatures in boats, aircrafts and military vehicles, color coding is provided to cables for easy identification, multiple wires are harnessed together, braided sleeves ends are deftly terminated and many more advantages are obtained in their varied applications.
The only important factor to bear in mind in this context is to source all your requirements in this context from reputed dealers and manufacturers if you want to assure top notch quality and longevity of your product.