Heat shrink tubing benefits medical devices and applications in many ways — by serving as a protective covering, as insulation for electrical wires, or by aiding with component bundling and manufacturing. Of the three major types of heat shrink tubing materials, only one, polyolefinbased heat shrink tubing, is capable of high shrink ratios, excellent fit, compliance and thin walls. This paper covers the basics of heat shrink tubing and its use in medical device manufacturing, focusing on the benefits of polyolefin-based heat shrink tubing, and reviewing critical considerations the medical device design engineer needs to evaluate in order to choose the best solution for a specific application.