ABC Guide on heat shrink tubing!

General Purpose: Heat shrink tubing provides state of the art method for the application of a tight protective covering to items that will be subjected to extremes of heat, corrosion, shock, moisture and other critical evironmental conditions.

Heat shrink tubing is offered in a variety of sizes, dimensions, colors and shrink ratios.  Manufactures provide this unique tubing in the expanded state, and with a brief application of heat the tubing mold itseld around anything it is applied to.

Provided in the expanded state, heat shrinkable tubing or so called "shrink wraps" cover irregular shapes with a simple application of heat.  The result is protective covering that greatly extends life, increases reliability and improves performance of components and parts used in thousands of applications.  Also heat shrink tubing extends the life of such items indefinitely and assures their reliable performance. 

Temperature

Heat shrink tubing requires at least 121 F to start the shrinking process.  This is a liberal and safe range. Please Note:  The shrink temperatures discused here are general giudelines. Actual shrink temperature can be higher or lower depending on the design and the dimensions of heat shrink application techniques and other factors.

Recovery Degree

Heat shrink tubing needs only a small degree of recovery.  You may experience some longitudinal change depending on the amount of recovery.  Even heating and cooling of all sides provides the best results.

Ovens are the most reliable way to recover heat shrink products due to their ability to ensure even heating and reduce the risk of overheating.  Heat guns can also be used to recover shrink tubing.  Using a hair blower will not get you the best results and will not be your best choice to use in the heat shrink recovery process.

Applications

Typical applications using our heat shrink tubing is as diverse as: components covering, water proofing, mechanical protection, shock protection, abrasion protection, corrosoin protection, encapsulation, insulation, dust proofing, sterilization, slpicing, cable binding and tying, strain relief, marking and coding.