OT: Insulating Tape?

rileyesi · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 398

Hi,

I am buying power supplies that are "open framed" meaning that the components are mounted on a piece of metal rather than enclosed in a box. So, the transformer, etc. are exposed. A customer wants me to insulate all exposed electrical connectors, so I put shrink tubing onto the wires before I solder them to the terminals. The problem is with the terminals that are already soldered my the PS manufacturer.

Rather than remove the wires to add shrink tubing then re-soldering, I want to use some sort of tape that I can wrap around the joint and then melt into place (sort of a "shrink tape"). Standard electical tape will not satisfy my customer. They want something more permenant.

I contacted 3M and was told that they stopped making this product about 15 years ago and could not give me a lead on a new source.

Can anyone recommend a product and/or a source?? Or, is there another clever solution that I am not clever enough to think of?!?

By the way, this item will be left outsoors, but will be in a NEMA enclosure. So it will see temperature extremes and condensing humidity but not direct rain/snow.

Thanks and Regards,

Pete

rileyesi · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 398

I think I found a solution

http://www.k1cra.com/catalog/product.aspx?productID=736

Liquid Electrical Tape.

I'll let you all know how it works out.

Pete

rkumetz · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 165 Location: Vermont

The liquid rubber electrical tape stuff is heading in the right direction but it is not really an industry accepted way to do what you are trying to do. What you are actually looking for is called "conformal coating" material. It it is a clear coating which is hard when it dries and will not peel off. It is often used for assemblies in damp areas or for high voltage at very high altitudes where arcing can occur.

Arera · Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 386 Location: Wuppertal, Germany

Hi Pete!

RS-components offers a whole lot of conformal coatings. They are located in GB, with a branch in germany.
Here is a link to the german online catalogue:
http://www.rsonline.de/cgi-bin/bv/rswww/searchBrowseAction.do?N=4294960271&name=SiteStandard&forwardingPage=browse&callingPage=/jsp/line/line.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0799333637.1195407167@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdgaddmigmdidjcefeceeldgondhgh.0&cacheID=denetscape&Nr=avl:de

Google to find RS-components in GB!