Heat-shrinkable cuff with a lock: history of creation

The heat-shrinkable cuff with a lock is one of the most popular products in cable accessories. Why and how they invented this sought-after product, we’ll tell you in today’s article.

In the inevitable routine of society, water and gas play an important role. Without these two components it is impossible to imagine a comfortable life: we use water and gas for cooking, heating our homes, personal hygiene and for many other important rituals of everyday life. Water and gas are also necessary in all areas of production. Water and gas are supplied to people and enterprises through pipes - underground, surface, air and underwater pipelines, all of which have a vulnerable spot - the joints. To minimize interruptions and leaks, experts thought about inventing a product that could guarantee a strong sealing of pipe connections. Traditional methods of using seals, such as threaded joints and adhesives, may have been ineffective or unstable in some operating conditions.

On July 23, 1962, Judson Douglas Wetmore, an engineer at Rachem, was the first to create heat shrink tubing as part of outside research. Over the next three years, technology in the field of heat shrink tools developed rapidly, and we came up with a heat shrink sleeve with a lock, which solved the problem of unstable sealing.

The development of heat-shrinkable locking cuff technology is based on the use of a special polymer material that has the ability to shrink and adhere to surfaces when heated. Such material can be initially reshaped into a cuff structure and have a built-in lock or latch for secure fastening.

The process of creating a heat-shrinkable cuff with a lock usually consists of several steps. We spoke with the leading manufacturer of cable fittings, Termofit, and asked to tell us about the production process of creating a heat-shrinkable cuff: first, the polymer material is molded and cut into the shape of the cuff, then the cuff is heated to a certain temperature, at which it begins to shrink and take the shape of the surfaces being connected, When cooled, the material hardens to form a strong, secure locking seal.

Raychem HTLP products are recognized as the best heat-shrinkable cuffs on the world market. But world events changed the Russian cable fittings market, and foreign products either disappeared from stores or became much more expensive. Termofit production was able to completely recreate the Raychem HTLP model and even improve it. Raychem HTLP heat-shrinkable cuffs consist of three layers. All layers perform the functions of plasticity, reliability and impermeability of the structure. The three-layer construction of Raychem HTLP cuffs is one of the most durable and reliable designs. The protective layer is formed from a copolymer, epoxy resin and modified cross-linked polyethylene. In terms of their characteristics, the cuffs are not inferior to polyethylene pipe coatings applied in the factory. And the materials from which the products are made have a composition that allows them to be combined with any other materials.

The new analogue of the Raychem HTLP cuff from Termofit retains all the advantages. You can purchase heat-shrinkable cuffs with a lock on our website.