Cable management system specialist HellermannTyton has expanded its range of heat shrink shapes with a new material developed to meet the special standards of the Electric Vehicles (EVs) market.
The new thermal breakout boot is manufactured using a new step process developed by HellermannTyton to support high-voltage volumes, ensuring its suitability for the automotive industry. The new two-way outlet shape’s optimised tool design and material development ensures faster manufacturing times for high-performance automotive vehicles.
Heat shrinkable solutions are a common element in most electrical architecture as it is designed to insulate cables and cable harnesses from external factors such as chemicals, moisture, dust, cuts, or impacts, all of which could cause shorts and failures. The shape has a thermoplastic profile that shrinks when exposed to heat to radically fit the equipment’s contours, creating a protective layer.
Made using its own bespoke polymer blend and to meet the customer’s requirements, HellermannTyton’s new product can withstand operating temperatures as high as 135°C and intermittently even higher. This makes it ideal for manufacturing and mechanical applications with high operating temperatures. It can also be used to bind loose wires, connectors, and joints together to create more organised bundles. The product is created to resist a wide variety of destructive fluids such as diesel, aviation fluids and hydraulic systems.
HellermannTyton identified that its automotive customers required a replacement for its previous over-moulded solution. Therefore, the new material was developed to ensure the insulation and environmental sealing of cable joints. Material developments include environmental sealing and insulation of transition points within architecture cables and an adhesive lining to stop water ingress. These improvements ensure the thermal breakout boots’ reliability for use within any Mild Hybrid EV platform including trucks and buses.
Every piece of heat shrink shape must match its specific area of work to the highest degree of accuracy. Consequently, HellermannTyton is also launching a range of orange heat shrinkable shapes to meet manufacturers’ requirements to colour code high voltage wiring and cables. High voltage cable insulation and connecting components in electric and hybrid vehicles are orange to signal to mechanics the sources of high voltage risk in these new vehicles, which is why HellermannTyton’s new offering is particularly suited to use in EVs.
As well as its distinct colour, it also offers an optimal combination of electrical and mechanical protection along with unique benefits: it shrinks rapidly at relatively low temperatures with a heat shrink ratio of up to 5:1, is highly resistant to chemicals, and can easily cope with the environmental rigours of everyday use.
As EVs run off direct battery currents up to 400V and alternating currents over 600V, all materials used in this high-voltage system must be suitable for use within the high-voltage environment. Recently, orders for HellermannTyton’s new thermal transition have been rising rapidly due to its suitability for high-voltage cables.
For the first time, the sale of EVs has surpassed that of diesel cars, and with the proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, the automotive market is facing radical disruption as production demand increases for EVs.
Barry Phelps, Commercial Manager at HellermannTyton, explains: “The rapid development of EVs is driving a massive shift in the automotive industry. These developments demand new manufacturing approaches and improved components that go beyond traditional capabilities. We have developed our new thermal range to meet the growing demand and changing requirements of automotive components.”
Always at the forefront of these changes, HellermannTyton’s innovation is continuously evolving to contribute to the next generation of the automotive industry, including plans to produce orange variants for more of its cable management products including the FCT flexible conduit, spiral binding and Helawrap ranges.
SOURCE: HellermannTyton
