Common Cable Management Solutions
When implementing numerous electronic systems in a single location, whether for an office or entertainment center, the amount of cables needed for all devices can take up space and quickly necessitate management for proper organization. To best organize cables, three common cable management solutions are commonly used. These include heat shrink tubing, cold shrink tubing, and electrical tape. To help you find which type is best suited for your particular needs, we will discuss each.
Heat Shrink Tubing
With heat shrink tubing, wires and cables are insulated within tubing that helps guard them from extreme environments and physical damage. Additionally, such tubing may also be used to replace lost insulation and to bundle multiple strands together. As a result, heat shrink tubing finds regular implementation within aircraft, automobiles, and rack mount cabinets.
To install a heat shrink tube, wires and cables are first fed into the tubing. With the use of a gas torch or heat gun, heat may be applied to the tubing, causing it to shrink and restrict. Quickly becoming rigid, applying heat to the tubing will cause it to secure the cables with mechanical protection. The benefits of heat shrink tubing is their predefined shrink rates, chemical resistance, and decent temperature resistance. For their materials, such components may be made from polyolefin, polyester, or Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET).
Cold Shrink Tubing
Cold shrink tubing is somewhat similar to heat shrink tubing, albeit benefiting terminations, splicing, and environmental sealing for cables. To install cold shrink tubing, the wires are passed through the component before removing a plastic core that maintains the tube in a stretched form. With active memory, the tube will begin to shrink once the core is removed, expanding and shrinking around cables due to temperature fluctuations. As a result, such tubing is highly beneficial for environments where temperatures may vary, and such components are quite resistant to weather and aging as a result of ultraviolet ray exposure. Due to their various benefits, cold shrink tubing is often employed when cabling has the chance of becoming exposed to the elements.
Electrical Tape
Electrical tape is a more simplistic solution as compared to the other options, coming in the form of an adhesive that is produced from vinyl, rubber, or mastic. Versatile in its use, electrical tape can be stretched and flexed as necessary to efficiently bind cables and wires of different shapes and layouts. Electrical tape may also be procured in a number of colors, each typically being used to convey certain voltages or other characteristics.
While being easy to use, electrical tape is not as robust as other options and will slowly lose adhesion over time. As such, it is important to regularly check bound tape so that aging or loosening adhesives may be replaced before they come apart. Their advantage, however, is that they are very easy to install and remove. Because of this, they are perfect for more temporary cable bundling while heat shrink tubing and cold shrink tubing can be considered more permanent.
Regardless of your cable management solution needs, ASAP Aviation Procurement has everything you require readily in stock and with competitive pricing. ASAP Aviation is a trusted distributor for all kinds of aircraft parts and electronic items, offering customers access to over 2 billion new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find items. As the only independent distributor with a strict NO CHINA SOURCING pledge, we ensure that every product has been stocked from a leading global manufacturer that we trust. Take the time to explore our vast offerings as you see fit, and our team is always ready to assist you throughout the procurement process as necessary. Give us a call or email today and see how ASAP Aviation Procurement can serve as your strategic sourcing partner.