Heat-shrink Tubing FITCOTUBE®

Polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing

As prototypical shrink tubing, polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing represents core products in GREMCO’s comprehensive product portfolio. In a scientific context, polyolefins are also referred to as polyalkenes, which are polymers composed of saturated hydrocarbons. These semi-crystalline thermoplastics comprise one of the most important groups of plastics (polyolefins account for around 47% of total annual European plastic consumption), are particularly easy to process, and feature good chemical resistance and excellent electrical insulating properties. GREMCO polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing can be divided into three different groups:

• Thin-walled polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing
• Medium-walled polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing
• Thick-walled polyolefin shrink tubing

Thin-walled polyolefin shrink tubing

Reflecting their name, thin-walled polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing designs feature extremely thin walls. Accordingly, these hoses are generally characterized by their high mechanical flexibility. In addition, all GREMCO polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing can be classified as flame retardant and self-extinguishing. A typical application of thin-walled tubing is within cable protection. In particular, they are excellently suited for ensuring reliable insulation, for mechanical relief of sensitive lines and cables, for clear color marking of individual cables, and as a protective element against environmental influences. Lastly, these high-quality and cost-efficient products are particularly easy to process independently. Our classic example of thin-walled polyolefin heat shrink tubing is the FITCOTUBE® FT100 heat shrink tubing. This universally applicable heat shrinkable tubing with temperature resistance within the amplitude of -55 to 135 °C is used, for example, in the aviation sector for mechanical strain and bend relief of cables and wires.

Medium wall polyolefin heat shrink tubing

Our medium wall polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing is available both with and without adhesive-coated material. It features high shrinkability while maintaining high flexibility. Thanks to their medium wall thickness, these provide optimum electrical insulation, a pressure-tight jacket, and excellent corrosion and moisture protection. Consequently, the products are excellently suited both for electrical insulation in all areas of power supply up to 1 kV, for telecommunication technology, and for pipeline construction. The property of electrical insulation is preferably demanded in the low-voltage range up to 1kV. A suitable product example is our GMWA/GMW tubing, which is also available with or without internal adhesive. Medium wall heat shrinkable tubing can also be supplied with a bitumen adhesive, providing excellent corrosion protection.

Thick-walled variants

Our thick-walled polyolefin heat shrinkable tubing is also manufactured with or without adhesive coating. These cover about 3-4 percent of the total market demand for heat-shrinkable tubing and are essentially considered products for use in the medium-voltage range, i.e. in the range between 1 and 36 kV. They are characterized by a high shrinkage capacity. Thick-walled FITCOTUBE® heat shrinkable tubing ensures optimum dielectric strength, pressure-tight sheathing, and excellent protection against corrosion and moisture. Primarily, the tubing is used on joints as a cover sleeve to ensure a moisture-tight connection. A prominent example of thick-walled heat shrink tubing is our GHWA/GHW (GREMCO Heavy Wall Adhesive Tube) products. These can be used in the temperature range between -55 °C and 110 °C. The minimum shrink temperature is 120-140 °C.