Heat-Shrink Marking Options – a fresh look for a harsh environment
How the application defines the marker technology
Many identification products for wire, cable, physical assets such as industrial equipment and warehousing are currently available. There are also a wide array of materials and print technologies to help create the perfect label to be used in these applications. There are a lot of choices to be made and even handwriting a paper label could be right in some cases, albeit unlikely in a harsh environment.
In the end the most important factor is to select markers that will remain readable and in-place throughout an installation’s lifetime. In fact, an identification marker’s longterm staying power and legibility is how it demonstrates its value, particularly when faced with the conditions of a tough industrial environment. This is where a handwritten paper label may not be suitable.
The reason for a printed marker is to enable technicians and engineers to understand what the wire, or cable, does. Is it an electrical wire powering the display system in an underground train, or maybe it is a data cable that sends the information to that screen? How would you know unless it is identified as such? What would happen if the wrong cable or wire is cut? A simple to print and install marker avoids this problem.
During their life, ID markers must survive as long as the cable and wire does – they are an integral part of the “system in place”. Would a paper label survive hot diesel fumes over the years, or maybe the increased temperatures found in some areas where working machinery creates a very hot environment? The answer, understandably, is no.
Challenges and choices
When choosing the right identification solution, it is important to consider the application, particularly in harsh conditions. Over their lifetime, markers may be put to the test against a combination of environmental factors that can include extreme and rapidly cycling temperatures, strong sunlight, abrasion, mechanical wear and tear, chemicals and moisture.
When a marker fails (e.g. the print rubs away or the material fails), then maintenance work becomes more timeconsuming and costly, which helps highlight the hidden cost of choosing the wrong marker system! With the lifetime of some installations that can extend to several decades the right ID markers can be worth their weight in gold.
Depending on which Industry and application the marker needs to survive in there will be corresponding material certifications and print standards that the printed marker must meet. This is where you may need to turn to a specialist range developed for the specific conditions of a harsh environment such as aerospace, defence, and mass transit.
Over time as wiring systems become more complex installers need to introduce longer, text sequences to identify the cable or wire. This justifies the investment in a printable system that is compatible with an automated approach. For example, the installer can download identification codes or numbers from a CAD system into the print software package and then decide if they wish to print one, two, or hundreds of printed markers. They could also create the texts they need directly in the printing software. Either way these files can be saved and used again and again as needed.
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The last word
There is a choice a customer needs to make and it is based on the application the ID Marker will survive in.
A label to mark a jar of home made strawberry jam is very different to a ‘label’ that needs to survive decades near the working parts of the engine that drives a diesel locomotive.
Good choices may seem to be initially costly but where survival is required the most cost-effective option is to look at specialist polyolefin heat-shrink tubing that is specially formulated to be printed with clear text that will stand the test of time.
Written by Christian Schirrmacher, September 2024