How to Choose the Suitable Cable Ties?

Cable ties are designed to secure wire bundles and harness components quickly, without slipping. Multiple types of cable ties can be found on the market today, such as nylon cable ties, and velcro cable ties, etc. And each of them has their own features. So how to choose the suitable cable ties for your cabling systems? This article will list some factors to consider when selecting the proper cable tie for each application.

 

Cable Tie Types

At the very first beginning, let’s have a quick review of several cable ties on the market. From the perspective of making materials, there are the following three kinds of cable ties.

 

Nylon Cable Ties—Nylon possesses an outstanding balance of properties, combined strength, moderate stiffness, high service temperature, and a high level of toughness. Nylon cable ties are particularly resistant to repeated impact. They have a low coefficient of friction, and excellent abrasion resistance. But they should be stored in cool dry areas, out of direct sunlight, and sealed in the original packaging material. These measures will extend cable tie performance levels indefinitely.

 

nylon cable ties

Velcro Cable Ties—Made of strong, low profile hook and loop material, this kind of cable ties is also called “hook and loop cable ties”. They deliver high reliability by protecting against over-tensioning of high performance fiber and copper cables. These ties are adjustable, releasable, and re-usable to effectively support frequent moves, adds, and changes (MACs). They can be used to secure a wide variety of various sizes of cable bundles. Moreover, wide color choice allows for quick and easy color coding of separate cable bundles. The velcro cable ties help maintain the reliable, scalable, and aesthetic requirements of data centers.

 

velcro cable ties

Stainless Steel Cable Ties—The stainless steel cable ties are made of a variety of high-quality stainless steel materials which offer excellent corrosion resistance, high temperature and durability characteristics. Underground, underwater, indoors, outdoors, however hostile the environment, the stainless steel cable ties fasten and identify components and cables quickly and easily. They can stand up the most chemicals, to unclear and ultraviolet radiation, to seawater and direct burial in any soil.

 

stainless steel cable ties

Factors to Consider When Selecting Cable Ties

For long life and dependable service, there are many factors to consider when selecting the proper cable ties for each application.

 

Material

Cable ties are available in different materials, each with its own specific properties. Plastic materials normally undergo property loss due to oxidation caused by exposure to high temperatures. Low temperature exposure will also make most plastics more brittle during the exposure, but little property loss occurs when the material is returned to room temperatures. Nylon ties can offer good resistance to weather and ultraviolet rays in low-temperature environments. For applications in harsher environments that require extra durability in the face of heat, chemicals and other corrosive elements, consider stainless steel cable ties.

 

Design

Once you have determined that you need a certain material to meet your needs, think of the construction needed. Cable ties made of the same material can come in a variety of constructs. Nylon cable ties can be used for various applications such as managing and securing wire harnesses, strain relief and wire management in solar applications, desktop and video cable management, or even temporary child locks on your cabinets. There are also cable ties with a metal barb in the head which reinforces the locking mechanism. These tend to be used in applications that require infinite adjustment positions since it does not use griping teeth. Contour cable ties, which have teeth on the outside of the tie, tend to be much less abrasive to wire insulation under vibration and therefore a product of choice in the aerospace industry.

 

Length

Cable tie length can vary greatly. Think about an application in which you have a wire bundle that is 4” in diameter, but you only have a 1” diameter cable tie. This would not work. You need to match the maximum bundle diameter of the cable tie with the diameter of the wire bundle. Always be cognizant of your application so that you do not purchase a tie that is too short. If they are a little longer, you can always cut off the excess tie length, but from an economical standpoint, choosing the proper length will provide the best value.

 

Environment

Will the cable ties be installed outdoors? Will they have direct exposure to sunlight? Are you working in a hazardous environment like a chemical plant in which the ties might get exposure to various chemicals or acids? Is it a high heat application in which flammability and thermal properties become an issue? All of these questions should be answered before choosing the cable tie. For instance, a standard cable tie is usually made of nylon 6.6. But there are many types of Nylon, and choosing the right one is essential. If your application includes exposure to the elements or high heat exposure, the weather resistant nylon 6.6 material, or a heat stabilized nylon 6.6 material would be ideal. With weather resistant nylon 6.6, you typically have a 7-9 year life expectancy with regards to UV resistance, as opposed to 1-2 years with standard nylon 6.6. Heat stabilized nylon 6.6 has a continuous temperature range of -76°F to 239°F, which is 54 degrees higher than standard nylon 6.6. It is important to know these features and properties of the material you are selecting in order to choose the optimal tie for your application.

 

Strength

Once you understand the environment you are working in, you can then determine the strength of the tie that you will need. The way we measure cable tie strength is by obtaining its tensile strength. Tensile strength is measured in Newton or pounds and is basically the breaking point of a cable tie. The higher the tensile strength, the stronger the tie. This is an important factor to consider when you are securing mission critical wire harnesses.

 

fiber-mart.COM Cable Ties Solution

By carefully evaluating your application, environment and the strength of the tie that is needed, you can choose the right tie for your application. fiber-mart.COM provides various types of cable ties, which can be ideal options for you.