Keys To Working With Heat Shrink Tubing When Insulating Wires

Industrial & Manufacturing Blog

Tubing that shrinks under heated conditions is known as heat shrink tubing. It has a lot of purposes but is often a valuable material when insulating wires. Study these tips, and you'll be able to work with heat shrink tubing a lot more effectively.

Understand What Protective Qualities are Warranted

Wires are often insulated with heat shrink tubing to remain more protected. However, the nature of these protective qualities can vary depending on the exact heat shrink tubing you end up with. You want these qualities to be appropriate for where wires are being set up and how they're being used.

For instance, if you're trying to insulate wires that will be exposed to humid conditions, you need heat shrink tubing that's completely waterproof. Or maybe certain chemicals could be a threat to your wires, in which case chemical-resistant tubing should be considered.

Utilize a Wire Gauge Tool

Getting the appropriate size of heat shrink tubing is important for properly protecting wires being insulated, as well as controlling material costs. You'll be able to succeed with this assessment by relying on a wire gauge tool, an instrument that lets you feed wires through to get proper size dimensions.

You'll just insert the selected wire through holes on this gauge tool until you get a secure fit, where you can't move the wire around that much. Then you'll know what size to get in heat shrink tubing. 

Leave Excess Material Behind When Cutting

You'll eventually have to cut some of the heat shrink tubing in order to properly get it around certain wires. However, make sure you leave some excess material behind when performing this adjustment to this material.

You need this excess portion because once the heat is applied to the tubing using a heat gun, it will start to become smaller. You'll still be able to properly fit this tubing around the wiring though if you leave enough tubing behind when cutting it. You might have to heat a couple of sections of tubing before you get more familiar with its specific shrinking ratio.

Wires can receive proper insulation when heat shrink tubing materials are put around them. As long as you select the right tubing in the beginning and use helpful tools when manipulating it around wires, you can get a great fit and great insulation properties that help wires remain protected over the years. 

For more information, contact a supplier like Tef-Cap Industries.

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