What is heat-shrink tubing?

Have you ever heard of heat-shrink tubing?
I am going to focus on this product, which is critical for repair personnel.

What is heat-shrink tubing?

Heat-shrink tubing, as the name implies, is a tube that shrinks when heated, and is made of special silicone rubber or vinyl. It is used for binding, waterproofing, and insulating electric wires.

Pass the wire through the tube, which has some leeway in the inner diameter, and heat the tube with a special dryer to make it shrink and stick snugly to the wire to protect it. It can also be used in areas where there are steps, such as at joints with terminals, and the contraction ensures that there are no gaps. The high contraction type is used for areas with bigger grades.

Shrinkage begins at a temperature of about 90°C. A household hair dryer can be used, but the temperature is not hot enough, so it often takes longer and the shrinkage rate can be lower. It might be more expensive, but an industrial dryer called a heat gun is very useful for this.

So it seems to be.

Heat-shrink tubing is mainly used to protect electrical wires.
In audio equipment, broken wires are particularly common, so they are used more frequently. They are indispensable for cutting, tying, and repairing.

Since we are here, let’s try to use heat-shrink tubing in a practical way.

Let’s use heat-shrink tubing!

We just so happen to have a freshly disconnected AC fan here, so we are going to wire it up.

The way to select heat-shrink tubing is basically expressed in terms of size in Φ (phi).
Φ (phi) = diameter, so “Φ10” = “10 mm in diameter”. Buy the size that is just right for you. If you can find a set that includes various sizes, that is also recommended.

That said, when I usually choose, I use about two wires as a guide and match them up to make a decision. This is the most reliable way to do it.

When it comes time to soldering the wires, be careful not to forget to put on the heat-shrink tube!
It’s very common to solder the wires before sliding on the heat-shrink tube!
Be careful.

So, once the wires are soldered, I can then apply warm air to shrink the tube.
This is the most satisfying part of the repair process.

Repair complete!

Heat-shrinking Experiment

Since I was so curious, I experimented to see how much the heat-shrink tubing would shrink with heat.

Results:

Φ10: 10mm→7mm
Φ5: 5mm→3mm
Φ3.5: 3.5mm→2mm

After warming up the heat-shrinking tube, it is roughly two-thirds of its original size.
I hope this will be of some help to you.

That’s all for now, what is heat-shrink tubing?
Thank you very much and come again soon!