At Cesar-Scott, we absolutely love our heat shrink tubing. For decades, we have provided heat shrink tubing for all kinds of industries, and we have perfected our manufacturing techniques to meet demands. But among the public, heat shrink tubing simply does not get the credit it deserves, despite being all around us.
In this blog, we’ll provide a quick background on the history, uses, and benefits of heat shrink tubing!
What Is Heat Shrink Tubing?
Heat shrink tubing (also known as heat shrink sleeves) is a special shrinkable tube that does its shrinking when exposed to heat. When the tubing is exposed to heat, it shrinks radially, meaning it is uniform through the whole radius of the sleeve.
Heat shrink tubing is incredibly popular, being used in any number of applications. Since its creation in the late 50s and early 60s, it has become a mainstay of many industries that deal with wiring regularly.
What Is It Made Of?
Heat shrink tubing is made of thermoplastic material, which is a substance that becomes plastic on heating and hardens once cooled. Thermoplastic material comes in forms like neoprene, silicone elastomer, PVC, and more, but polyolefin is most often used for heat shrink tubing.
The Science of Heat Shrink
Okay, so heat shrink tubing is made of special plastic, but how exactly do they work?
In 1957, a man by the name of Paul Cook discovered the properties of heat shrink while working as a scientist at Stanford. He wanted to discover how radiation affects certain materials, and found that certain thermoplastics shrank when exposed to radiation.
When exposed to radiation, the crystalline form of the polymer chains can form crosslinks that essentially allow the polymer to be flexible and malleable. When heated, this material will form back into crystalline form, causing the shrinking effect we know and rely on.
For the next five years, the science was better understood and refined until it was officially invented by Raychem Corporation in 1962. Today, this process can be tailored to the specific amount of shrinking that is needed. For example, if you need a tube that shrinks its diameter in half when heated, a 2:1 heat shrink tube is best. Common types include 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1, but can come in other types as well.
Various Applications of Heat Shrink Tubing
Because of the incredible nature of this material, it comes with benefits like increased mechanical strength, chemical and solvent resistance, and extreme environment protection. With these benefits, heat shrink tubing has been found to be useful for the following applications:
- Reducing strain on wires
- Insulation
- Wire protection/sealing
- Cable bundling
- Rust protection
- Repairing cable jackets
- Color coding
- Cable reinforcement
In addition to these uses, there are many conventional and non-conventional uses for heat shrink tubing. By knowing how they work, you can come up with near-infinite uses for this wonder material.
Using Heat Shrink Tubing Properly
When trying to get heat shrink tubing for your own projects, you will want to make a number of considerations before making a decision. Before anything, measure the cabling or components that will need tubing. Your heat shrink tubing will normally be 20 to 30% larger than that measurement, but this will vary depending on your needs and goals.
Factors you should pay attention to include the following:
- Tubing wall thickness
- Shrink ratio
- Inside diameter of tubing (before and after shrinking)
Order The Best Heat Shrink From Cesar-Scott
Heat shrink tubing is a fantastic and endlessly-useful product. At Cesar-Scott, we pride ourselves on the quality and consistency of our heat shrink tubing, and would love to be your trusted source for heat shrink tubing. Contact us today to learn more!
