Cable ties are fasteners that serve to bundle together cables and wires in order to prevent them from being damaged and for the purpose of better organisation. Cable ties come in many different colours, lengths, materials and sizes and are generally regarded as the most efficient way of managing cables.
Uses of cable ties
Cable ties are used across a wide array of different industries, including the likes of the aerospace, automotive, equipment manufacturing, consumer electronics and appliances, enclosures and cabinets, and construction and mining industries.
Types of cable ties
Cable ties are also available in a wide variety of different materials, which are suited for use in particular industries and applications. These materials include:
- nylon, which is the most common cable tie material,
- polypropylene, which is more resistant to acids, neutral and basic salts, and polyhydric alcohols
- Low density polyurethane, which is best suited for temporary bundles
- Stainless steel, which can stand withstand very high temperatures
Installing cable ties
The installation of cable ties can seem like a simple enough process to begin with, but using just your bare hands to get the job done can cause an excess of stress on the cables that are being bundled together, while also causing unnecessary wear and tear to your own hands.
The good news is there are ways to install cable ties with tools rather than just your bare hands, most prominently with the aid of cable tie guns.
The benefits of cable tie guns
By making use of cable tie guns, operators can prevent cable ties from being over-tightened, a possibility that may not seem to be particularly hazardous but which can result in damage to the jacket of cables cause the proper signal transmission to be inhibited in certain types of cables.
Using cable tie guns is also of physical benefit to the operator, making certain not only that the task will be completed in a speedy manner but that their hands and wrists will also be protected against the likes of repetitive motion injuries or blisters.
Cable tie guns save both time and money by enabling the efficient tying, tightening, tensioning and trimming of cable ties. Cable tie guns come in a wide range of different types and prices, including more specialised tools for stainless steel cable ties and heavy-duty HVAC wraps.
How to use cable tie guns
The majority of cable tie guns are intended to be simple to use and can usually be adjusted in order to match the particular application. The tie should be placed around the bundle and then pulled tight with the user’s hand. The tool should be attached at the head of the cable tie gun and the trigger squeezed in order to increase tension.
The tension knob should be set to the correct position according to the cable tie width being cut down, and the tie pulled until it has reached the pre-set tension, where it will then be cut off.
Cable tie guns can help to make the process of bundling cables together efficient, quick and painless.
