Lacing Tape is a Longtime Reliable Wire Bundling Product

Lacing Tape has been used as a trusted cable and wire bundling solution for over a century, with it the preferred method of lashing wires and cables before Thomas & Betts invented cable ties in the 1950s. Cable sewing knots were in fact highlighted in a 1905 magazine article, with it recommended in that article that linemen learn to “sew” knots using a needle and “sewing cables.” Binding cables with lacing tape and the “cable lacing” technique have remained prominent in various industries including aviation, aerospace, telecommunications and maritime. It is the preferred method for some applications because cables stay rigid, neat, organized and trackable, which is important as well when wire harnesses are visible. Lacing tape helps to lash wires to conduit, ladder bars and other wire and cable management structures.

While many turned to the convenience of cable ties to secure wiring, one-time-use cable ties have the potential to degrade when plasticizers are exposed to environmental elements. Zip ties additionally tend to develop sharp edges after they are cut, which can injure an installer, especially if working within a tight space. One of the other benefits of lacing tape versus cable ties is it will not crush or damage cable jackets, a phenomenon that can occur if cable ties have been overly tightened. ?Insulation on wires also has a decreased chance of cold flowing (when a material does not return to its original form) or shorting when lacing tape is used to manage cables.

There are a couple of ways to tie lacing tape, one of them with a Marline Hitch. The Marline Hitch is a specialized knotting technique that is comprised of overhand knots along the length of the wire harness (a basic single-strand knot), which ends with a constrictor knot (a binding knot at the end of the lacing tape). The Marline Hitch is continuously tied along the length of the wire bundle. A single knot technique using a Clove Hitch is the second option, a knotting option that both tightens and loosens easily, with this knotting method often used in maritime applications because it can stay anchored temporarily.

Lacing tape was first made of cotton infused with wax and has since expanded to other materials. The Techflex? Lacing Tape category features TechLace? made with components including nylon, polyester (Dacron?), fiberglass, Teflon? and Nomex?. ?A roll of TechLace? can manage any wire bundle whether it is a small one with a few 22AWG wires to a bundle with heavy power cables. It is packaged in a resealable bag that protects it from dust and other contaminants; and can be neatly dispensed through a vent hole in the bag.

DuPont invented the silky and resilient thermoplastic known as nylon in 1935. It was first used in toothbrushes in 1938 but it gained wide recognition when it was introduced in women’s stockings at the 1939 World’s Fair, becoming known for its name “nylon.” During World War II, nylon was used by the military for body armor and tire cords. TechLace? Braided Nylon Lacing Tape is a general purpose tape, with a thermal endurance between -67°F and 250°F. It has a melting point of 478°F and options that include no finish, a wax finish or synthetic rubber finish.

Braided Polyester (Dacron?) Lacing Tape is another TechLace? item. Dacron? is one more DuPont innovation that emerged in 1950. It is a polyester fabric or PET (polyethylene terephthalate), one of the world’s most plentiful thermoplastic polyester resins. PET was invented in the United Kingdom in 1941 by the Calico Printers Association. Polyester TechLace? is especially useful in aerospace applications because of its high temperature performance and knot tying properties that are superior to nylon. It has a thermal endurance between -99°F and 350°F, melting point of 482°F and comes without a finish, with a wax finish or with a synthetic rubber finish.

TechLace? is additionally available in a Braided Fiberglass option. Fiberglass cloth was first patented by Prussian-American inventor Hermann Hammesfahr in 1880 when Hammesfahr blended silk and glass together to create a flame-retardant fabric. It went into mass production in 1933 when Owens-Illinois Glass Company inventors Games Slayter, Dale Kleist and Jack Thomas invented “glass wool,” which they unintentionally discovered in 1932 after aiming compressed air at molten glass. Glass fibers were the result. Slayter, Kleist and Thomas, who helped to form Owens-Corning, first called this product Fiberglas?. They unveiled this invention at the 1939 World’s Fair, where it was shown within appliance insulation, shower curtains, drapes and upholstery. Braided Fiberglass lacing tape, which is produced with continuous filament electrical grade glass, is meant for extremely high temperature performance applications. It has a thermal endurance that ranges between -67°F and 760°F, with a melting point at 2,102°F.

Braided Tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) comes from another polymer recognized by its brand name, Teflon?. The Braided TFE-Fluorocarbon Lacing Tape has a high heat, fluid and solvents resistance, making it suitable for aircraft engine applications. It has a thermal endurance of -99°F to 450°F and a melting point of 620°F. Teflon? is another substance that was created because of an unexpected breakthrough, this time at DuPont. Roy J. Plunkett found that a sample of frozen tetrafluoroethylene became a polymer, solidifying into a lustrous substance. Teflon? has since become recognized as one of the most nonstick man-made materials.

Nomex? is a meta-aramid crystallized fabric that DuPont inventor Wilfred Sweeny created in the 1960s, with it used in the TechLace? Braided Nomex? Lacing Tape. Known for its fire and flame resistance, Nomex? is useful for aircraft harness applications because it is non-flammable and has a high resistance to fluids and lubricants. It has a thermal endurance between -67°F and 500°F, with a melting point at 700°F. Braided Nomex? Lacing Tape comes unfinished or with a synthetic rubber finish.

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