Revolution of Cable Ties
Initially the inventories were tied by friction tapes and lacing cords to protect them while they are moving from one place to another. These methods were unorganized and there was always a danger that the tape may peel off once it gets dry and the cords might get cut. So there was a serious need of such an invention which would help tie the inventories together and reduce the chance of losing them.
Robert Thomas and Hobart Betts, two brilliant engineers, established an electronic company Thomas Betts in 1898. They were graduates from Princeton University. The main reason of establishing the company had always been to educate their customers regarding their products. And also helping the distributors reach the target audience by always keeping their shelves filled with T&B products.
It was in 1958 when CTs got invented at first. It was initially built for the harness of aero planes. They were commenced under a brand name 'Ty Rap' and were copyrighted in the same year. Originally the ratchet was made of metal. They also had steel pawl attached to it which consumed a lot of time as the manufacturing process had to be divided into two stages only so that the cable tie could serve its purpose. It made the CTs less efficient than it was expected to be.
Advancement in industrial sector finally gave birth to nylon cable ties. It bared a quality of being self locked and a two component product. Even though the new nylon cable wire was self adjustable and also had a self locking quality it was still difficult to use it at once. The time of manufacturing process was still the same as the nylon cable tie also needed two stages to perform its operation.
Time passed and finally due to constant innovations in the CTs a self locking and one piece cable tie was introduced. This innovation was done in 1968 by a clamp manufacturer. This company was the first to manufacture nylon cable ties in the whole United States of America. It solved all the problems of the industries as it did not consume much time to tie the inventories and make them safe when they are shipped.
Cable ties got familiar with different names like; zip strap, zip tie, rat belt or mouse belt. It was also used to organize wires and tie them together so that they do not get tangled. After having the perfect cable tie to bind the products together, the period of modifying the outlook of cable wire started. Such modification included different sizes and colors of cable ties, which are easily found today. Along with the different sizes and colors there are different usages of these ties. They can be used in shipment of goods from one place to another and also in retail trade where the supermarkets do not want the customers to carry open bags of goods.
Cable ties is one of the most important invention and even though it goes un noticed as it is not as big a deal for most of the people, it carries considerable weightage for producers who now can't do without it.