Heat shrink and cold shrink sleeves tubing are tube sleeves used to protect the tubing and improve its performance. There are different sizes available to fit the different tube sizes. The material can vary as well, depending upon the environment of usage.
What is Heat Shrink Sleeve?
Heat Shrink & Cold Shrink Sleeves tubing, also known as heat shrink sleeve, is a type of extruded plastic tube that can reduce in size when heated up to a pre-determined heat ratio to suit a particular application. It is vital to select a more oversized sleeve to fit the wire and components it will use before it shrinks to fit. Once fitted in place, the sleeve will provide you with long-lasting durability.
Materials and Types
Heat shrink sleeves are available in various sizes, materials, colours, and shrink ratios to suit the required applications. Some sleeves come readily with an adhesive lining that helps to bond the tubing with the components and cables.
Polyolefin is the most common material because it is highly durable and can operate in temperatures with a limited shelf-life. Other materials used to manufacture them include PVC, neoprene, fluoropolymer, and elastomeric materials. The material is often cross-linked to help the tube shrink back to its original dimensions.
The pre-determined ratio, such as 2:1 or 3:1, gives us the measurement of how small the sleeve is compared to its expanded size. The shrinkage will be more significant when the number is greater in the shrink ratio. It allows for a precise and accurate fit that takes time to come off.
Applications
Heat shrink tubing is highly versatile and easy to use; therefore, it can be applied in a variety of applications; the most common ones include:
Electrical Insulation
Electrical insulationisused for covering joints and repairs
Strain Relief
Strain reliefis used for relieving pressure from the cable
Wire Bundling
Wire bundling isused in harness building and cable organization
Environmental and Mechanical Protection
It prevents damage from abrasion, dust, moisture, and chemicals.
Identification
The range of colours in which the tubing is manufactured allows it to be used for colour coding and component ID.
What is a Cold Shrink Sleeve?
Cold shrink tubing or sleeving is an open-ended rubber sleeve, mainly manufactured from rubber elastomers with high-performance physical properties. They are factory expanded, in other words, pre-stretched and mounted onto a supporting removable plastic base. When the supporting core of this tubing is removed during the installation process, the electrician can easily slide the tube over the cable to be joined, terminate or unwind the core, which results in the tube contract in place.
Installation
When choosing the correct Heat Shrink & Cold Shrink Sleeves tubing size, it is essential to consider the maximum and minimum diameters of what needs to be covered. You can then use that information to check against the sleeve’s recovered and an expanded diameter. You can cut the tubing to a standard length with the help of scissors. Then slid the unshrunk tubing over the objects it needed to cover. Then with the help of a heat gun or heat shrink oven, the sleeve is shrunk tightly. It is essential to check the recommended heating temperature if you want to avoid uneven shrinkage.