Featured Product: SWFR Single Wall Heat Shrink Tubing

MENLO PARK, California – Oct. 18, 2016 – TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensors, introduces its new single wall, flame retardant (SWFR) product line. These single wall heat shrink tubing products are rated for the UL VW-1 flammability test specified by the UL 224 standard. Because the highly flame-retardant polyolefin jacket is non-halogenated, SWFR tubing can be used in confined-space applications where it is unacceptable for materials containing halogen to burn and potentially emit toxins. SWFR products offer an optimum solution for insulating and mechanically protecting components, connections and terminations across many applications – from industrial controls to home appliances and mass transit vehicles.

“Advances in material technology and manufacturing processes have allowed us to introduce this relatively low-cost, single wall tubing product that is halogen-free and meets the UL VW-1 flammability test,” said John Sandwell, tubing product management director, TE’s Appliances business unit. “As a Zerohal tubing product, it’s particularly suitable for applications in confined spaces that must maintain air quality. With its combination of highly attractive properties, our new SWFR tubing is a key addition to our already broad line of Raychem heat shrink tubing products.”

SWFR tubing products are offered in either thin wall (X2) or very thin wall (X4) versions. The products shrink at a 2:1 ratio and install quickly, due to their relatively low full-recovery temperature of 90 degrees Celsius. Both types of tubing products are very flexible and can be used across operating temperatures ranging from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 125 degrees Celsius.

The SWFR thin wall X2 products are available in 17 sizes ranging from 1.0 to 30mm. The very thin wall X4 tubing products come in 13 sizes ranging from 0.8 to 25mm. (The sizes refer to approximate unrecovered inside diameter.) Thin wall X2 versions afford somewhat better resistance to physical abuse. The very thin wall X4 tubing products enable protected components to be packed more closely together. The X4 versions also shrink more rapidly to reduce application time, which may be helpful in preventing the overheating of temperature-sensitive components.

In addition to insulating and mechanically protecting in-line components and connections, SWFR tubing can be used for bundling wires in very flexible, light-duty harnesses, and for strain-relieving electrical wire connections to enhance reliability.

All TE’s Raychem tubing products can be easily installed using many different types of heating tools, which are also available from TE. These range from basic heat guns for low-volume requirements to conveyor-equipped ovens for high-volume production environments.