Raychem is a leading supplier of heat-shrinkable marker sleeves for wire and cable identification. One of several technologies available to identify wires, heat-shrinkable sleeves provide a number of benefits.
The sleeves can be installed quickly and simply - the sleeve slips over the electrical terminations prior to shrinking. The installed sleeve is low profile (important for large, complex wiring bundles) and light weight. One size of sleeve covers several different wire diameters, so this simplifies inventory. The tubular sleeves cannot fall off during service, and several different sleeve materials are available to suit a variety of applications. The printed marks are permanent and remain legible even after exposure to industrial fluids and abrasion, says Raychem, while additionally, the tubular sleeves provide electrical insulation and strain relief.
Pre-kitted
A particular feature of these products is that the sleeves are pre-organised into a 'ladder' of cut sleeves. This product format provides automatic kitting of the markers: the sleeves are printed in the order required, and retain the correct order even if one is removed from the middle of the sequence. This means that a printed batch of markers can be used both as a work instruction and as a quality assurance measure during wire harness production. This format also allows faster printing, and the finished markers are easier to transport and store. The sleeves can be printed on both sides for greater data content and/or easier readability.
Computer-based printing
All Raychem's marker sleeves are designed for on-site, just-in-time computer-based printing. This makes production of the sleeves rapid and economical: there is no wait for pre-printed markers to be delivered. Raychem provides specialised software that facilitates printing directly from wire list databases, allowing central engineering control of the printed data and hence contributing to quality and accuracy. Last-minute design changes can be readily accommodated via a manual print function.
TMS System Six
All of Raychem's identification products have been integrated into a single family known as 'TMS System Six'. The family comprises the heat-shrinkable sleeves, cable markers and labels, plus the specialised software. Several types of printers are available. In addition to heat-shrinkable sleeves, Raychem also supplies high performance computer-printable tie-on cable markers and specialised computer-printable labels. The latter are especially suited to wraparound and panel marking applications. Raychem also supplies printer ribbons qualified for specific applications, and installation heating tools.
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