Heat Shrink Tubing is , in the simplest sense, a shrinkable plastic tube that shrinks when heated. It is used to insulate for the insulation of wires and provide it provides abrasion resistance. It is can also be used to bundle groups of wires, or , in some cases, provide identification. Heat The one great feature of heat shrink tubing will shrink its is that there is little or no shrinkage along the length, only shrinkage along the diameter , when heated to a specific temperature, with little or no shrinkage along its length. <br \>Polyolefin is the most commonly used Some materials for heat shrink tubing material. It is used by militaryare Polyolefin, automotive, railway and aerospace industries. <br \>Other materials include PTFE, Viton, Silicone Rubber and PVC, of which polyolefin is the most commonly used.<ref name = "ref1">http://www.jttproducts.com/jt-t-tech-articles/An-Introduction-to-Heat-Shrink-Tubing</ref>

=== Single v/s Dual Heat Shrink <ref name = "ref1"/> ==='''Single / Thin wall tubing''' is the most common. This tubing provides a good seal thereby providing protection against water and other contaminants. It Connections are also strengthens connectionsstrengthened, reducing decreasing the likelihood they can pull chances of them pulling apart. However it achieves this through friction only and typically does not bond with the material it shrinks to. The strength is increased by friction only. <br \>'''Dual Wall''' or Adhesive adhesive Lined tubing features an adhesive lining. It , which melts as the tubing contracts forming a truly sealed connection. Thus, here a bond is established with the material the tube shrinks to. It also dramatically drastically increases the strength of connections, even making taking it stronger than beyond the strength of the wires themselves.

=== Importance Applications <ref name = "ref1"/> ===

* Seal It protects against water and other contaminants out of wire connections.* Provide It provides electrical insulation. Heat shrink material is an insulator. * Insulate It protects against extreme heat.* Color code wire It can be used for easy identificationif the tubing is color coded.* Bundle It can help to bundle multiple wires together.* Cleanly It helps cleanly terminate ends of braided sleeving* Improve It helps improve the overall look aesthetics of large amounts of wiring

Heat As explained above, heat shrink tubing provides extensive increases strength, providing increased durability , and also improves heat resistance. In Therefore, in most cases, it outperforms performs better than basic insulation. Additionally, heat shrink tubing is built to provide the perfect fit and will does not come off with age or use , and it made to provide perfect fit (the same which cannot be said for electrical tape).Heat shrink tubing is also generally easy to install. Some heat shrink tubing requires costly heat shrink machinery, but some tubing can be installed manually, but some require extra machinery.<ref name = "ref2">http://ramproducts.com/6-things-need-know-heat-shrink-tubing/</ref>

Heat shrink tubing was invented by Raychem Corporation. It is manufactured from a thermoplastic material such as polyolefin, fluoropolymer (such as FEP, PTFE or Kynar), PVC, neoprene, silicone elastomer or Viton. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat-shrink_tubing</ref> <br \>The material is quite often cross-linked through the use of using electron beams, peroxides, or moisture. This cross-linking helps creates the memory in the tubing so that which helps it is able to shrink back to its original extruded dimensions upon after heating.<ref name = "ref1"/>

[[File:HeatShrink4.jpg|thumb|Ring Terminals. Image reproduced from [http://www.tizianoniero.it/projects/focuser/Focuser.aspx here]]]These Heat shrink terminals offer superior better performance over than standard crimp terminals. After crimping, the hot-melt glue lined heat shrink sleeve is heated warmed and shrunk down onto the cable. This increases It is hot metal glue lined. Thus, the mechanical strength of the termination is increased and its resistance to corrosion, rises as the well. The melted glue effectively seals the joint.<ref>https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product_list/9</ref><br \>An image for female insulated terminals can be found [https://www.autoelectricsupplies.fr/product/64/category/9 here].[[File:Female_InsulatedHeatShrink4.pngjpg|framethumb|left|Female Ring Terminals - Fully Insulated. Image reproduced from [http://www.tizianoniero.it/projects/focuser/Focuser.aspx here]]]

== Buying Heat Shrink Tubes <ref name = "ref2" /> ==Heat shrink tubing comes is available in a wide range variety of colors and sizes. It also comes with a variety wide range of protection levels, including heavy wall, multiple wall, and single wall. <br \>Here are some things to parameters you should consider if you’re buying heat shrink tubing:* '''Maximum diameter of your cable bundle:''' This will help you choose the correctly-sized heat shrink right size of your tubing. Remember, your tubinghas to go over your wire before melting.* '''Temperature range of your environment :''' Some heat shrink Depending on this, you will choose tubing is rated to extremely having a high and low temperaturesoperational temperature range, while other tubing is designed for more moderate environmental conditionsor a lower range.* '''Wall thickness:''' Heat Typically, heat shrink tubing is typically categorized by heavy wall, multiple wall, and single wall tubes. Thicker walls have a higher cost and can thicken your cables, but provide enhanced improved durability, rigidity, and abrasion resistance – but come at an extra cost and can unnecessarily thicken your cable arrangementrigidity.* '''Required resistance properties:''' For example, If your wires may be exposed to oils or chemicals , you would require your tubing to have chemical and oilsoil resistance properties.

'''Additional Information''' <ref name = "ref2" /><br \>

'''2:1 ratio:''' These tubes shrink to half its their original size when heat is applied <br \>'''3:1 ratio:''' These tubes shrink to one third of its their original size when heat is applied

 == Types of Heat Shrink Tubes <ref>https://www.engineersedge.com/instrumentation/shrink-tubing-review.htm</ref> ==[[File:HeatShrink.png|thumb|Colored heat shrink tubes. Image reproduced from [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heat-shrink_tubing.jpg here]]]

They These tubes maintain high flexibility even at low temperatures and . They also meet stringent international specifications. Their operating temperature range is -75 to 150 °C, which is sufficiently wide. A common shrink ratio is 2:1.

It is a versatile electrical insulator and is inert to most chemicals and solvents. Additionally, it is highly very resistant to extreme levels of heat, cold, and ultraviolet radiation, thereby making it an excellent material for heat-shrink tubing applications.

The These, as mentioned above, are most commonly used heat shrinktubes and have maximum use for temperatures from -55 to 135 °C, and are used by the military, aerospace and railway industries. They are flexible and fast-shrinking, and manufactured in a wide range of colors (including clear), which can be used for color-coding wires. Polyolefin tubing shrinks at 143°C. Polyolefin heat-shrink tubing typically shrinks 2:1 diametrically, but there are high-grade polyolefin heat-shrink is tubes also available with a 3:1 ratio. Polyolefin Interestingly, polyolefin tubing may withstand survive being touched with a soldering iron.