Uses of Cable Glands
It is needless to mention that machineries in an industry are powered by cables. Cables of various densities are used appropriate to the machine and the ends of the cables are connected to the machinery. Normally, these are cables of higher density or core (as it is technically called) and they also weigh more. On the other hand, these cables have to be securely connected to the machinery and any loose connections could result in short circuit or it may even result in malfunctioning of the machine. At the same time, the weights of these cables are so heavy that they need some support so that they are held properly. This enables the technicians to connect them securely to the machine. In this situation, the technologists have come out with a simple but highly effective device called as 'Cable Glands'.
What is cable gland?
A 'Cable Gland' is a device which securely holds the cable, thus enabling the technicians to connect the wires to the machinery. They hold the cable in the appropriate position and it does not allow them to slip out of its hold and prevent short circuit or breakdown of the machinery. As a result, the wire connected to the machinery stays intact.
Cable Glands are almost cylindrical in shape. Apart from power, cables are also used for control apparatus, instrumentation and telecommunication etc. Appropriate Glands are available to meet the needs of these industries also.
These are also popularly called as termination device or sealing device which helps the technicians to maintain the cables effectively. Cable glands are normally made out of either Brass or Stainless Steel or Plastic or Aluminum.
Brass Cable glands are made out of combination of Copper and Zinc. This variety is comparatively expensive. Even then, some of the industrial houses prefer this variety because they are best suited for holding heavy cables.
Further, these are heat and vibration resistant.Those manufactured using Stainless Steel are corrosion free and they too are most suitable for heavy cables. Therefore this variety is most appropriate for medium and heavy industries.Plastic Cable glands are useful wherever the cables are not heavy. They weigh less and are economical too. They are shock proof and are also corrosion free.
Aluminum is yet another metal widely used in industries for manufacturing this product. These Cable glands weigh less and at the same time they are strong enough to hold the cable. Even these are corrosion free.