PET Heat Shrink Tubing Datasheet

Nordson MEDICAL’s polyester (PET) heat shrink tubing is engineered as the world’s thinnest, strongest, and most versatile solution for medical device applications. Designed with ultra-thin walls, exceptional tensile strength (exceeding 20,000 psi depending on design), and high dielectric properties (>4,000 V/mil at 60Hz), PET tubing provides unmatched performance in critical applications such as insulation, encapsulation, strain relief, braid termination, balloon bonding, shaft lamination, and variable stiffness catheter construction. Its smooth interior finish ensures reliable processing, while its ability to shrink at relatively low temperatures (185°F–374°F / 85°C–190°C) minimizes risk to sensitive components.

The tubing’s flexibility allows it to be drawn or shrunk onto shaped mandrels, enabling custom conical, triangular, or square geometries. It can also be heat-set for thermal stability, printed for shaft marking, and bonded using adhesives with surface treatments such as plasma etching. PET heat shrink tubing is offered in clear, black, and white, with other colors available upon request. It supports sterilization via ethylene oxide, gamma, e-beam, and autoclaving, though repeated autoclaving is not recommended.

Available diameters range from 0.006" to 0.5" (0.15 mm–12.7 mm) with wall thicknesses as low as 0.0001" (0.0025 mm). Shrink ratios from 1.1:1 up to 3:1 are achievable, with optimal sizing at 15% above the maximum part diameter. Compatible with most thermoplastics, PET tubing offers broad design flexibility but may require caution with some low-durometer urethanes. Meeting USP Class VI and ISO 10993 standards, this tubing is a trusted choice for next-generation medical device innovation.