As we all know, there are many pipelines that need to be protected on the outer layer, especially the wire joints we are familiar with. The usual method is to wrap them with insulating tape, while another beautiful and simple way is to use insulating sleeves. There are two types of insulating sleeves, one is heat shrink tubing and the other is cold shrink tubing. What is the difference between them and how to choose?
 
1. Different materials and performance

Cold shrink tubing

Cold shrink tubing uses mechanical means to vulcanize elastic rubber (such as silicone rubber and EPDM), and then expands the diameter and lines the inner lining with plastic spiral supports to form various cable accessories. During installation, just remove the support tube core, and the elastic rubber will shrink quickly and tighten on the cable body. Use its radial pressure to form a coating, which plays a waterproof and moisture-proof sealing role. Cold shrink tubing also has good resilience at room temperature, so it can shrink by the resilience between material molecules without heating, exert pressure on the cable surface, and thus seal and protect the cable joints.

Heat shrink tubing

Heat shrink tubing is a plastic tubing with heat shrink properties. There are many types of heat shrink tubing according to the material, such as PE (polyethylene) heat shrink tubing, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) heat shrink tubing, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) heat shrink tubing, fluororubber heat shrink tubing, PVDF heat shrink tubing, etc. Heat shrinkable materials are some high polymer materials that have been chemically treated to make them highly elastic. The characteristic of this material is that after heating it, the size will soften and expand to a specific size, and it can be quickly shaped after cooling. So after the heat shrink tubing is put on the cable connector, it will begin to soften and shrink after heating, and finally stick to the substrate. After waiting for cooling, it will be shaped and completely fit together with the protective part to form an insulating protective layer.
 
2. Difference in application scope
 
1. Different use conditions. Relatively speaking, heat shrink tubing is cheap and has a wider range of applications, but it needs to be heated when used. However, under some special conditions and requirements, such as the absence of heating equipment or precision pipelines that cannot be heated, cold shrink tubes can be installed and used normally without heating and tools.
2. Secondly, the working principle. Heat shrink tubes use a chemical reaction that shrinks the material after heating (above 70°C), while cold shrink tubes use a physical reaction that uses elasticity to expand first and then use elasticity to shrink naturally.
3. There are also materials and uses. The materials currently used for heat shrink tubes are still relatively wide, such as PVC, polyethylene, silicone rubber and other materials, and the scope of use is also relatively wide, in electronics, electrical engineering, wires and cables, and telecommunications industries; while cold shrink currently only ethylene propylene rubber and silicone rubber, mainly used for insulation protection of some outdoor cable joints.
4. Selection suggestions
Whether it is heat shrink tubes or cold shrink tubes, although they look inconspicuous and have a simple structure, their functions are not simple at all. Whether they are used on ordinary wires or in high-tech fields such as high-speed rail, automobiles and aviation, they are playing an important role. When choosing cold shrink tubes and heat shrink tubes, factors such as cost, use environment, and performance requirements need to be considered. Generally speaking, heat shrink tubing is slightly cheaper, with diverse raw materials and easy to obtain. Cold shrink tubing has unique advantages in the communications industry, especially in outdoor high-altitude operations, where safety and convenience are more prominent. Therefore, you can choose a more suitable product solution according to the specific usage.

Suzhou Volsun's cold shrink tubing and heat shrink tubing products have been widely recognized by users in the market. User feedback shows that our cold shrink tubing and heat shrink tubing products not only have stable performance, but also perform well in installation and maintenance.

Suzhou Volsun will continue to be committed to innovation and technological progress to provide customers with better cable accessory solutions. We look forward to working with our partners to jointly promote the safety and development of the industry.

• CONTACT TEL: +86-512-66386808
• SALES CONTACT: volsun2006@szvolsun.com