We see many Cable Assemblies designed using sleeving and it’s fascinating to see how some design engineers will choose one type over another when either choice is OK for the assembly.
Sometimes there is an obvious choice why you would one type so let’s look at the pros and cons of each type of sleeving:
Heatshrink:
Pros
Easy to use needs only a heat gun
More choice of sizes specifically at the larger sizes
Available in high shrink ratios
When adhesive lined creates a rigid and waterproof seal
Printable
Low cost
Cons
Once applied hard to remove
Heat can damage cable and connectors
Not very flexible
Will not stretch
In small solder connectors difficult to avoid accidental shrinking
Neoprene Sleeving
Pros
Withstands high temperatures
Easy to move into position
Will move
Stretchable
Flexible
Durable and excellent for cables that required thicker sleeve
Cons
Tooling is required and the Lube is messy
Limited on available sizes
Is not waterproof
Not printable
It’s easy to see why the choice is not always straight forward however, the above is helpful in determining if the type of sleeveing you need is met by either Heatshrink or Neoprene.
Heatshrink v Neoprene Sleeving
We see many Cable Assemblies designed using sleeving and it’s fascinating to see how some design engineers will choose one type over another when either choice is OK for the assembly.
Sometimes there is an obvious choice why you would one type so let’s look at the pros and cons of each type of sleeving:
Heatshrink:
Pros
Cons
Neoprene Sleeving
Pros
Cons
It’s easy to see why the choice is not always straight forward however, the above is helpful in determining if the type of sleeveing you need is met by either Heatshrink or Neoprene.
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