Medical Heat Shrink Tubing

PET heat shrink tubing combines a very thin wall with high tensile strength, maintaining hoop strength and good bending-fatigue performance. Its 1.5:1 ratio limits large recoveries, but shrinking from 100 °C allows work over heat-sensitive assemblies.

ID

0.3–11 mm

Wall

0.006–0.065 mm

Ratio

1.5:1

Shrink temp.

100–240 °C

Typical use

Thin-wall jacketing

0.3 mm pre-shrink ID recovers to about 0.20 mm (calculated)

FEP heat shrink is widely used to jacket braided or reinforced tubing, transferring heat to reflow the inner layer. It offers the largest recovery at 2:1, the widest diameter coverage and the highest wall ceiling. S-FEP shares the same specification.

ID

1–12.7 mm

Wall

0.08–0.5 mm

Ratio

2:1

Shrink temp.

130–250 °C

Typical use

Braid and reinforcement jacketing

1 mm pre-shrink ID recovers to about 0.50 mm (calculated)

PE heat shrink is a polyolefin-based insulator used across medical, aerospace and telecom. Its published specification matches FEP exactly, so the choice rests on material behaviour rather than dimensions — FEP where chemical resistance and lubricity matter, PE otherwise.

ID

1–12.7 mm

Wall

0.08–0.5 mm

Ratio

2:1

Shrink temp.

130–250 °C

Typical use

General insulation

1 mm pre-shrink ID recovers to about 0.50 mm (calculated)

Medical-grade PEBAX heat shrink is used in interventional catheter manufacture, typically as an outer jacket. It holds a 2:1 ratio with a lower wall ceiling, covering designs that need both large recovery and a thin wall.

ID

1–12.7 mm

Wall

0.08–0.25 mm

Ratio

2:1

Shrink temp.

180–190 °C

Typical use

Catheter outer jacket

1 mm pre-shrink ID recovers to about 0.50 mm (calculated)

PEEK heat shrink has the smallest recovery and the narrowest diameter range, but PEEK itself is a high-temperature, high-stiffness polymer — the choice when in-service heat is the constraint.

ID

2–8 mm

Wall

0.1–0.3 mm

Ratio

1.4:1

Shrink temp.

170–190 °C

Typical use

High-temperature service

2 mm pre-shrink ID recovers to about 1.43 mm (calculated)

PTFE heat shrink sits at the high end of fluoropolymer heat resistance and is used as a high-temperature insulating layer over surgical instrument shafts. Dimensions and shrink ratio are not published — send the specification you need.

Dimensions

Specs on request

Typical use

Instrument shaft jacketing

PFA heat shrink recovers at high temperature and combines flame retardancy, insulation and corrosion resistance for chemically demanding environments.

Dimensions

Specs on request

Typical use

Insulation and corrosion protection

PVDF heat shrink is used mainly for surgical instrument sleeve jacketing and is among the stiffer fluoropolymers.

Dimensions

Specs on request

Typical use

Instrument sleeve