Shrink Tubes
2008
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 3 32 Electric Heat Shrink Tubing white $1.00 Time Remaining: 23d 4h 20m Buy It Now for only: $1.00 |
 1 NIB ALPHA WIRE FIT 260 FIT260 100 FT 1 GREEN YELLOW SHRINK TUBE $95.00 Time Remaining: 28d 5h 7m Buy It Now for only: $95.00 |
 THOMAS BETTS HEATGUN FOR SHRINK KON R TUBING WT1400 NEW IN BOX $140.00 Time Remaining: 8d 23h 30m Buy It Now for only: $140.00 |
 BAG OF 5 NOS THOMAS BETTS HEAVY DUTY SHRINK TUBING HS40400LG $26.95 Time Remaining: 4d 22h 19m Buy It Now for only: $26.95 |
 NEW PANDUIT BLACK 1 2 HEAT SHRINK TUBING 25 $25.00 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 30m Buy It Now for only: $25.00 |
 ALPHA FIT 621 1 1 4 SHRINK TUBING 6 BOX OF 10 NIB $170.00 Time Remaining: 18d 23h 6m Buy It Now for only: $170.00 |
 Panduit 1 4 Heat Shrink Tube 250 HSTT25 D NEW $150.00 Time Remaining: 13d 17m Buy It Now for only: $150.00 |
Shrink Tubes
The Inner Workings of Heat Shrink Tubing
Hollywood has shown us this scenario a thousand times. A frazzled man or woman with beads of sweat collecting above their eyebrow, hands trembling as they hold on to a pair of wire cutters. It's the red one. No, no, it's the blue one. Snip the wrong colored wire and pay dire consequences.
In all my years of movie watching, I don't think I've ever seen a character cut the wrong wire. At least not off the top of my head. But, today, I'm not here to talk about cliché Hollywood endings. No, I'm actually here to talk about those red, blue, green, and other colored wires. Why are they different colors? What purpose do they serve? What are they made out of? I'm here to talk about heat shrink tubing.
Even if you've never defused a bomb—which I'll assume is a strong possibility—you've probably come across heat shrink tubing before. A number of appliances—computers, stereo systems etc.—utilize heat shrink tubing.
Common applications include:
- Wire Insulation
- Abrasion Resistance
- Protection for conductors, joints, connections, terminals, etc.
- Electrical protection of wires and cables
- Mechanical and Water Protection
- Typical Fluoropolymer properties, including Corrosion Resistance
- Wire Repair and Bundling
- And many more
So why heat shrink tubing? When you buy tubing, you typically buy it "as supplied diameter." Normally, tubing is extruded, heated, and then expanded by infusing air into it. You buy the expanded version. However, fluoropolymer materials have a certain "memory" capability. And applying heat activates that memory.
Once you have your tubing and the piece that requires protection, you simply slide the tubing over it and apply a heat gun, shrinking and sealing the part to the Shrink to Diameter. The materials used for heat shrink tubing—typically PTFE, FEP, and PFA—combined with its high upper temperature, prevents corrosion, protecting covered parts from chemical attack and mechanical damage.
Simply put, heat shrink tubing is an effective and practical way to protect wires and cables. As for the coloring, most heat shrink tubing is actually clear. However, colors can be utilized for aesthetics as well as simple electronic color coding—i.e. your bomb scenario. So, while you might not rig or defuse a bomb in the near future, you most certainly will encounter heat shrink tubing.
About the Author
how much can rubber shrink when heated?
thinking of artificial muscles i would melt down a tire and make it into a tube feed through a tungsten plated copper wire to heat the rubber tube it would then shrink pulling on your forearm as if it where a muscle i would follow the skeletal muscle system.
more than 200% for some of them
Heat Shrink Tubing Breakout Boots
