Many people are unaware of what heat shrink tubing is, but in fact, it has become an integral part of our lives. Heat shrink tubing is hidden in many of the items related to clothing, food, shelter, and transportation in our daily lives. Look around, you'll find heat shrink tubing on hatbands, belts, and shoelaces we wear; in refrigerators where we store food, and in electric stoves, induction cookers, and electric ovens where we cook; in the houses we live in; and in cars, trains, planes, and ships we use for transportation. Heat shrink tubing has a wide range of applications, especially in electronic products. So, what should we pay attention to when purchasing heat shrink tubing for electronic products?

The voltage of electronic products is generally not very high. For heat shrinkable tubes used in low-voltage electronic products, almost all of them can meet this voltage resistance requirement. Even ultra-thin heat shrinkable tubes can withstand 300V voltage, fully meeting the voltage resistance performance requirements of low-voltage electronic products. Usually, we refer to heat shrinkable tubes used in electronic products as thin-walled heat shrinkable tubes or single-walled heat shrinkable tubes. These tubes usually have a small diameter, mostly in the range of a few millimeters (1-50mm), with a voltage resistance below 1KV. Of course, there are also larger ones (1-250mm).

Electronic products have high requirements for heat shrink tubing, not just in terms of pressure resistance. When purchasing, apart from considering technical parameters such as caliber and pressure resistance, the first thing to note is that these heat shrink tubing must be environmentally friendly, flame retardant, or halogen-free flame retardant. The material is generally PE (polyethylene), and those for export must also pass relevant UL certification. Secondly, the surface finish is also very important, with consistent color and a certain degree of wear resistance. Additionally, the wall thickness deviation of the tube cannot be too large, with the industry standard being ≤30%. The wall thickness should be as uniform as possible, and the longitudinal shrinkage rate is also highly required, with the industry standard being ≤5%. Otherwise, tubes of varying lengths will look unsightly when fitted onto electronic products, as electronic products have high requirements for appearance. For conventionally produced heat shrink tubing, the temperature resistance is generally divided into two types: 105℃ and 125℃. However, the latter is now more common. High-temperature resistant heat shrink tubing is available in temperatures such as 135℃, 175℃, and 200℃. When purchasing heat shrink tubing for electronic products, you should make requests based on your specific needs regarding the above main parameters, so that you can purchase the heat shrink product you truly want.

Regarding the diameter of heat shrink tubing, it is important to note that the choice of diameter depends on the following three principles. Firstly, it should fit snugly, and the construction process should be relatively labor-saving. Secondly, it should shrink tightly, so that after heating and shrinking, the tube can adhere closely to the enclosed object. If there is any slack, it indicates that the selected specification is too large, which is the principle of economy. Tubes with larger diameters have higher economic costs, so it is necessary to combine the above two principles with other requirements such as wall thickness to determine an appropriate diameter. Generally, heat shrink tubing will be labeled with the diameter before and after shrinking. Friends can select based on the product specifications labeled by the manufacturer.

If the required heat-shrink tubing is of special specifications, special colors, or thicker or thinner walls, or has a higher temperature resistance, it generally needs to be customized. Customization not only incurs special processing fees, but also requires a certain order quantity. If the performance is special, it is necessary to find a manufacturer capable of producing it.