Heat shrink moulded shapes for demanding environments

According to Lane’s Nick Wheeler, HellermannTyton’s heat shrink moulded shapes combine high dielectric strength, mechanical toughness and superior chemical and environmental resistance as well as easy installation for those who prefer to assemble their own connector systems.

Heat shrink shapes are first moulded in their original form and are then passed through a controlled expansion process to achieve a larger supplied size. When heat is applied, the moulded form will recover back to its original moulded form and dimensions. In selecting the right size, it is important to consider the “80:20 rule”, where the shape should recover a minimum of 20% and as near to a maximum of 80% as possible. The more complete the recovery, the closer to the original dimensions the shape will form, with a restriction of thelast 20% of recovery providing a mechanical clamp force and environmental seal around the material that the shape is being shrunk over. A range of complementary adhesives can be pre-applied in the shapes which will soften and flow during the same recovery process and add to the mechanical bond and environmental protection.

“By far the most popular heat shrink product that we sell is the HellermannTyton moulded boots which we have available in a wide range of sizes, each with a choice of five different materials and up to 6 different pre-applied adhesive options if required”, says Nick Wheeler. He adds. “With the ease of installation and dimensional versatility provided through the heat shrinking process, we see many uses for these moulded shapes across the industry sectors we serve, including military, aerospace, motorsport, communications, industrial and renewable energies. Heat shrink boots are typically used in external cableharnessing, affixed to the cable ends of our EMC connector backshells or directly on the back of our motorsport connectors which have been specifically designed for this purpose.”

Another good example of HellermannTyton’s heatshrink products it its SE28 Series tubing which is being increasingly specified by designers across the higher-performance sectors. This heat shrink tubing is designed to protect cable and cable harnesses from mechanical damage such as abrasion. It also resists a wide range of destructive fluids including diesel and aviation fuels as well as those found in hydraulic systems. SE28 tubing is made from cross linked elastomer and has a very wide operating temperature range of -75ºC up to +150ºC.

Lane is an ideal source for all heat shrink moulded shapes and key connector types including circular, filtered, RF, coaxial, sub – miniature, backshells and adaptors, D connectors, aerospace, test & measurement, IDC, PCB connectors, edge connectors and connectors for rack and panel applications.