Were you aware that heat shrink tubing is designed to resist temperatures as high as +260°C? That, of course, depends on the additives to the tubing.
Heat shrink tubing is arguably the most versatile and commonly utilized product, apart from cable ties. It's available in a wide range of dimensions, types, components, and colors.
You can use heat shrink tubes for various jobs and applications at work, home, and many more places! Let's look at some of the common and surprising uses of heat shrink tubing!
What is Heat Shrink Tubing?
What is heat shrink tubing? Heat shrink tubing is a kind of insulation that you use to insulate and preserve products. It offers superior insulation and resistance to abrasion, as well as moisture and dust.
Heat shrink forms a protective seal and is composed of a material that shrinks in diameter when heated, resulting in secure sealing.
Common Uses for Heat Shrink Tubing
Heat shrink is most commonly used in the electrical industry. Some of the most popular applications of heat shrink tubing include:
- Cable jacketing
- Covers on temperature probes
- Roll covers
- Chafing sleeves
- Light duty bearing surfaces
- Electrical insulation for wire bundles
Why is heat shrink popular in the electrical field? That is because of the properties described above.
Heat Shrink Tubing Unique Uses
Apart from heat shrink being used in the electrical industry, there are some unique uses and various types of tubing. Let's look at some of them below:
Racket, Bat, Club Handle Booster
Do you like playing tennis, golf, or baseball? Fancy yourself the next best sportsman?
Non-slip heat shrink specialty tubing is created especially for pipe grips and wires, but this same innovation may be used in your sports equipment for extra grip, thereby improving your game. In addition, it offers greater shot accuracy and power.
Non-slip heat shrink is manufactured in various colors.
Repairing Broken Eye Glasses
Most people who wear eyeglasses have found themselves with two distinct parts of their former eyeglasses in each hand. That is a frustrating experience.
Don’t worry! Using a little heat shrink tubing placed at the point of breakage, you'll be back to wearing your glasses in style in no time. Make sure to pick a color that complements the color of your frame for a more streamlined look.
Reinforcing of Phone Chargers or Ear Phones Cables
Twisted cables are very annoying! Worse yet, all of the strain and twisting on the wires may lead them to snap. With a little heat shrink, the problem is solved.
Apply a couple of lines of heat shrink tubing to the ends of your headphone wires in equal portions so that you may still fold them while transporting them. Do you know how your cable tends to bend at 45 degrees at the jack? You can prevent damage by adding some heat shrink to the jack.
The same is true for strengthening your charging cords so that they are less likely to break in the first place. Place the heat shrink over any fragile components and apply it.
Repairing Buoys Used in Fishing For Lobster
The fishing industry has repeatedly proved that heat shrink tubing is a reliable option for protecting fish handling equipment and systems. In addition, they have unrivaled insulating qualities compared to their cost, which makes them very attractive.
There is no greater barrier against exposure to the ocean's hazardous weather, or other demanding circumstances than tubing, especially when considering its protection, toughness, and cost-efficiency.
Setting up a buoy system is essential for a lobster fisherman's operation. Open water environments can be harsh, and the elements are known for their destroying components.
Lobster fishers thread a line through a buoy so that it can float and mark the traps. But after prolonged exposure to water and the sun's ultraviolet radiation, the line becomes brittle and eventually breaks at the hole.
The use of heat shrink tubing to strengthen the stick at the hole produces many superior results to those anticipated. In addition, the heat shrink gives some waterproofing protection to the line and buoys, delaying the deterioration.
Repairing of Fishing Rods
If you like fishing, you will know that as a fishing rod gets old, the thread and glue start to unravel and become brittle. Instead of using new thread and glue to repair it, heat shrink tubing makes a great replacement.
Aside from that, if you snap the end of your fishing rod and do not want to replace the whole rod, you can use heat shrink and a little amount of adhesive to keep the tip in position and keep it from coming loose again.
Preventing Fraying on Shoe Laces Ends
Shoes we all use them whether you wear them for hiking, running, work, or just walking around your home. They have the potential to keep for many years if properly cared for.
Those tiny plastic caps that attach to the ends of your shoelaces, on the other hand, don't appear to last nearly as long as they used to. Let's face it most of us have sat there licking the frayed ends together, trying to insert them into the eyelets!
You can use heat shrink wrap to rapidly repair your existing shoelaces instead of going to the shop and purchasing more shoelaces and threading them. There are various heat shrink tubing sizes, with some being as thin as a shoelace, even smaller.
Cut the old plastic wrap off, or cut the lace immediately below the frayed area. Using the shrink tube, thread the lace through the tube and gently heat it until it shrinks and wraps around the end of the shoelace. Voilá, a new shoelace!
Use it As a Silencer
Does the jangling sound of your set of keys rattle your nerves? Cut a piece of transparent tubing big enough to fit over the key or dog tag's head. Watch out for teeth surfaces of the key.
Small, metallic jingling sounds have the ability to cause havoc with your nerves. But heat shrink-wrap may effectively muffle those obnoxious dings and pops. You can also silence other metal items like dog collars or rattling sounds on your vehicle by using shrink covering.
The Versatile Heat Shrink Tubing
The above are some of the most frequent and also some unusual applications for heat shrink tubing.
While shrink tubing may seem unusual at first, once you master the proper heat application, you'll find yourself grabbing for it anytime a fast repair is required.
If you have any queries regarding heat shrink tubing, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
