Cable ties, often referred to as zip ties, are a versatile fastening solution that is utilised across almost every major industry in some form or another. The cable tie was first patented as the Ty-Rap in 1958 in Memphis, Tennessee by Marcus C. Logan, a consultant for a Boeing aircraft facility. The idea for the cable tie came to him when he saw workers with calluses and cuts on their hands, caused from tying braided nylon cord around bundles of cables. Since then, the cable tie has evolved into the primary tool for cable and pipe management with other applications for aerospace, waste control, manufacturing and construction. Cable ties are generally single-use devices, however there are alternative re-usable solutions that function with a clasp or release mechanism, such as releasable cable ties and steel cable ties.
Cable ties and fixing elements are used in many industries: for electrical installation, harness making, in the construction industry, for preliminary installation purposes, in the packaging industry or under extreme environmental conditions like offshore oil rigs and drilling ships. There are almost limitless applications for cable ties and in this blog, we take a look at 7 major industries that utilise cable ties.
1. Construction
Cable ties are employed within the construction industries due to their ability to withstand harsh conditions, secure fragile wiring and secure scaffolding. They are often used for attaching netting to the scaffold poles to stop debris falling out onto the street, as well as for attaching safety and advertising signs.
Cable ties are also used for installing temporary fencing and screens while construction is underway on building sites. Nylon 66 cable ties have a high enough tensile strength to secure scaffold netting and sheeting and even the actual scaffolding itself. The steel teeth on the buckle grips the strap permanently while the acetal strap has excellent weatherability.
Stainless steel cable ties (type 316) also provide corrosion and high temperature resistance, as well as being weather and chemical resistant.
