Need a Shrink Tubing Solution? Explore the Advantages of PET

Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is an extremely resilient material choice for a wide variety of applications ranging from electrical devices to wire insulation and components for aerospace and automotive. Whatever your application may be, custom PET tubing can help you achieve the design and performance requirements you need.

While PET tubing can be used for a variety of production purposes, it’s important to use a truly customized solution to achieve the results you’re looking for. Just like other shrink tape and tubing materials, PET is extremely customizable to increase its performance in durability, temperature resistance, electrical insulation, and shrink abilities.

Here, we’ll provide a quick checklist to help you understand what goes into getting the right custom PET tubing for your goals.

Still considering your options? Take a quick run-through of seven benefits of PET shrink tubing.

What to Consider for the Best Custom PET Tubing Product

  • Application — First and foremost, it’ll be important to understand how your custom PET shrink tubing will be used. Are you sleeving a component that needs dielectric protection to prevent current from passing through? Do you need a sleeve for extreme wear resistance to protect the component underneath? Will your application see a great deal of chemical exposure? Understanding your application is the first step toward determining if a custom PET tubing product is right for you.
  • Shrink Percentage — In order to take advantage of the benefits mentioned here, PET tubing must fit your component tightly. Any gaps could result in unwanted materials or debris getting under the sleeving, or an electrical current getting out. Thus, PET tubing typically features an extremely high shrink percentage upward of 70%. This is to ensure that the material not only provides the necessary compression but that it also fits the unique contours of your component while delivering the required performance.
  • Shrink Temperature — Depending on your application and production volume, you might not need to use autoclaves or ovens (such as when sleeving high-performance composites like carbon fiber in which a variety of factors like resin system and FOD elimination must be addressed). PET begins to shrink at a much lower temperature, typically around 60ºC (140ºF). This means you can get the shrink performance you need using only a heat gun operated by a team member, making the process faster than using curing equipment.
  • Component Design — Depending on the design of your component or product, you might need more or less custom PET tubing to get the job done. You might also need a thinner tubing wall depending on how the component will be used and how much shrink is needed. On the length side, custom PET tubing is available on spools of continuous lengths up to 2,000 feet, saving production teams time and effort in having to seam together shorter lengths. PET can also be produced with extremely thin walls, saving you money on the product overall while still delivering results. PET tubing is linear-seamed in production, making it even more flexible to work for your needs.

Work with the Customization Experts for Your PET Tubing

Dunstone is a leading global provider of Hi-Shrink Tapes and Shrink Tubing for multiple markets and applications. Our line of Hi-Shrink Tubing, which includes FEP and PVC for a number of other uses, is designed with your application in mind with each and every order.

While we have these materials in stock and ready to go, our greatest focus is on providing the exact product performance you need to maximize results. Our expert engineers will discuss your application with you upfront to understand limitations and expectations, provide in-depth recommendations, and solve specific production challenges.

Whereas other suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand, we have developed a resilient supply chain that ensures we continue to deliver materials on time to keep our clients’ production processes moving. We can do the same for you. If you’re looking for a solution that will help you meet your own customers’ expectations, we’re ready to work with you.

Get a Complimentary Sample of Our Hi-Shrink Tubing

You can request a complimentary sample of our PET tubing, or any of our other products, to evaluate its effectiveness for your application and environment. Simply let us know what you’re looking to achieve, and we’ll get a sample out to you right away. If you like what you see, our team will be happy to prepare a quote.