There can be few people who haven’t used at least one cable tie in their lifetime, whether to tidy up cables in the home or to identify bunches of keys. But, what exactly do we know about this indispensable little item?
Here, we have rounded up ten of the most interesting facts we could find.
1 The cable tie was first patented as the Ty-Rap in 1958 in Memphis, Tennessee.
2 Maurus C. Logan worked for Thomas & Betts, an electrical business and in 1956, was called upon to visit a Boeing aircraft facility. The idea for the cable tie came to him when he saw aircraft workers with thick calluses and bad cuts on their hands, caused from tying knotted, wax-coated, braided nylon cord around bundles of cables.
3 The calloused hands of the aircraft workers were known as ‘hamburger hands’.
4 The first cable ties were made up of two parts, a plastic mould and a metal ‘pawl’ which clasped the teeth of the tie and held it in place.
5 Cable ties can be joined together if you need a longer tie – simply push the pointed end of one tie into the square end of another until the teeth are engaged. Trim off any excess and voilà!
6 Cable ties can be used to stop hubcaps or wheel trims from dropping off when a vehicle is moving!
7 A form of cable tie was developed by biomedical engineering design students at John Hopkins University. The purpose of these cable ties? To be used by cardiothoracic surgeons to rejoin the sternum following open chest surgery.
8 Cable ties are used as handcuffs. Many police forces are increasingly using a type of cable tie as handcuffs for the restraint of prisoners. They are a cost-effective solution to scenarios where large numbers of arrests are anticipated, such as demonstrations and riots. A lighter weight option, the cable tie handcuff is disposable after use, removing the need for sanitisation and the risk of cross contamination from multiple use.
9 In excess of 45 companies manufacture the cable tie, worldwide. Estimates put the annual number of cable ties produced to be 100 billion!
10 Maurus C. Logan died in November 2007 at the age of 86, ending his career at Thomas & Betts as the Vice President of Research and Development.
And to finish off, here’s one for good luck!
11 Depending on where in the world you are, you might refer to a cable tie as any of the following: zip tie, mouse belt, tie wrap, rat belt, hose clip and pipe clip.
So, there you have it! With cable ties being available in a multitude of sizes and colour, they will continue to be one of the most useful items to have in the workshop, home or office. For all your cable tie requirements, our helpful sales and service teams are always happy to help and advise, so give them a call today on 01623 706241.
