Device for heating shrinkable sleeves

Abstract

A resistance element ( ) for a device for shrinking shrinkable sleeves comprises an elongate electrical conductor extending in a zigzag pattern and bent to a tunnel shape. The shrinkable sleeve including for example an optical fiber enclosed therein is placed in that region of the resistance element ( ), which corresponds to approximately the geometric axis of the upper semi-cylindric portion of the tunnel shape. The resistance element ( ) has attachment pins ( ) and contact and attachment pins ( ) at its front and rear sides respectively intended to be placed in corresponding recesses in a lid of the device. The rear contact and attachment pins ( ) have portions ( ) intended for contact with elastic, electrically conducting contact pins with which the resistance element ( ) comes in contact, when the lid is folded down to perform the shrinking operation. The open and freely suspended design of the resistance element ( ) including only small contact areas to the lid result in that the resistance element can be rapidly heated and thereafter rapidly cooled implying that a shrinking operation can be executed in a minimum of time.