Heat-shrink Tubing FITCOTUBE®

FITCOTUBE® roller coverings

FITCOTUBE® roller coverings are an important component in industrial applications, especially in areas where rollers play a central role. Providing protection, insulation, and improved surface properties for rollers, they increase the efficiency and longevity of machinery and equipment. This article provides a detailed insight into the features, benefits, and applications of FITCOTUBE® shrink tubing for roller coverings and explains their importance in various industries.

Properties of FITCOTUBE® roller coverings

FITCOTUBE® roll coverings are specially designed tubes that shrink by heat activation and wrap tightly around the roll surface. They typically consist of high-quality fluoropolymers such as PTFE, FEP, or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF/Kynar), which ensure excellent resistance to abrasion, chemicals, and environmental influences. The shrink tubing made of PVDF in particular is characterized by outstanding mechanical protection, ideal insulation, and a wide thermal tolerance range of up to 175°C. Upon request, the tubing is available in up to ten basic colors. Detailed information on the thermal capacities of the various shrink sleeves can be found in the following table.

Features and Benefits

These FITCOTUBE® roller coverings provide a variety of benefits, including:

• Protection against abrasion and damage: The shrink tubing forms a robust, resistant layer around the roller surface, protecting it from mechanical abrasion, scratches, and damage. This significantly increases the service life of the coated components.
• Insulation and temperature protection: Thanks to their insulating properties, shrink tubing provides a thermal barrier that protects the rollers from extreme temperatures and supports even heat distribution. This allows the rollers to be used in a wide temperature range.
• Improved surface properties: Thanks to its anti-adhesive properties, the smooth surface of the shrink tubing improves the sliding behavior of the rollers, reduces friction as well as abrasion, and thus contributes to the efficiency and precision of machines.
• Chemical resistance: These shrink tubes are almost universally resistant to a wide range of chemicals, oils, and solvents, making them suitable for use in a wide variety of industrial environments.
• Easy installation: Thanks to their shrinkable design, heat shrink tubing can be easily and quickly installed over rollers, minimizing downtime and increasing productivity. In addition, the tubing is easy to sterilize and provides a tight seal.

Roller coverings made of FITCOTUBE® FEP or PFA shrink tubing in particular are primarily characterized by an extremely smooth surface without microporosity. Accordingly, users benefit from improved anti-adhesion properties during the production process. Unlike conventional coatings, which only allow layer thicknesses of up to 100 µm, roller coverings made from FITCOTUBE® FEP or PFA shrink tubing allow wall thicknesses of between 0.50 mm and 1.50 mm. These enable surface irregularities of the rollers to be effectively compensated for. In addition, these covers are physiologically safe and therefore ideal for use in the food industry. Their outstanding chemical resistance ensures easy cleaning, even when using strong chemicals. In addition, the transparent tubes allow easy inspection. 

Applications of FITCOTUBE® roller coverings

FITCOTUBE® roller covering applications span a wide range of industries, including:

• Paper and printing industry: in printing presses and paper converting equipment, shrink tubing protects rollers from abrasion and ensures even ink distribution.
• Food processing: In food processing plants, shrink sleeves are used to improve hygiene and extend the service life of rollers in conveyor belts and packaging machines.
• Textile industry: In weaving and textile machines, shrink tubing protects the rollers from fiber build-up and ensures smooth material feed.
• Metal processing: In rolling mills and metal processing plants, shrink tubes protect roller surfaces from corrosion and support precise material processing.

Furthermore, the use of FITCOTUBE® roll coverings leads to a significant reduction in cleaning times of production facilities. Overall, shrink tubing for roller coverings plays an indispensable role in a variety of industrial applications by providing protection, insulation, and improved surface properties for rollers. Their versatile benefits and ease of installation make them a cost-effective solution for improving the efficiency and longevity of machinery and equipment in various industries.

Selecting the ideal heat shrink tubing

The selection of the most suitable shrink tubing for industrial applications, especially in areas where sticky and adhesive materials are processed, is of crucial importance for the efficiency and performance of production systems. Here, the key parameters are the roller type, roller length, roller diameter, surface finish, operating temperature, chemical load, linear pressure, and circulation speed. Due to the manufacturing process and the expected longitudinal shrinkage, the length of the roll covering should be at least 10 % longer than the shell length of the roll in question. Shrink tubes for roller coverings are available in unetched and etched versions. The latter enables additive bonding.

FITCOTUBE® roll coverings made of fluoropolymers are outstandingly suitable for so-called banana rollers where punctual loads occur. Especially, PFA shrink tubing provides a much higher flexural fatigue strength and significantly better temperature resistance compared to FEP. Roller covers made of FITCOTUBE®-PFA are therefore particularly recommended for higher operating temperatures. For applications requiring electrical conductivity, we recommend our antistatic roller coverings.

Coverings made of FITCOTUBE®-FEP or -PFA shrink tubing represent an outstanding solution for a wide range of requirements. With a wall thickness of 0.50 mm, they are produced completely seamlessly up to a diameter of 16 ½ inches, while larger diameters are produced with a welded seam. The indicated wall thicknesses are nominal and can vary depending on the intensity of the shrinkage. Thanks to innovative manufacturing processes, we can also provide intermediate sizes. Roller coverings made from FITCOTUBE® FEP or PFA shrink sleeves are available seamless in a special thickness of 1.50 mm up to a size of 17 inches, for example. The optimum combination of operating temperature, circulation speed, and linear pressure should always be carefully considered.