If you’re tired of dealing with damaged or worn-out cables, you may want to invest in a set of cable grips. Also known as cord grips and cable glands, they can extend the life of your cables. Here’s everything you need to know about cable grips and how they work.
Overview of Cable Grips
Cable grips are devices that secure and protect cables at entry points. Rather than running a cable directly into a piece of equipment or enclosure, you can use a cable grip. Installing a cable grip will protect the cable at this vital point.
Cable grips are commonly used in the following applications:
- Industrial machinery cables
- Aviation control cables
- Solar panel and wind turbine cables
- Automotive cables
- Oil and gas cables
- Food processing cables
How Cable Grips Work
There are many different types of cable grips, but most of them use a similar method of operation to protect the cables with which they are used. They seal the entry point while simultaneously providing strain relief.
All cable grips have a body. The body is the frame or housing unit. It’s typically made of a synthetic material. The cable or cables will run through the body.
In addition to a body, most cable grips have a compression nut. A compression nut is a sealing component. As you turn the compression nut, the cable grip will seal the cable or cables.
You may discover that some cable grips have a clamping mechanism. The clamping mechanism works in conjunction with the compression nut to provide superior sealing. When you tighten the compression nut, the clamping mechanism will apply pressure so that the cable or cables can’t be pulled out and damaged.
Benefits of Cable Grips
Cable grips provide strain relief for cords and cables. When cables are exposed to a pulling or tugging force, they may become damaged. Strain relief systems are designed to protect cables from damage such as this. As their name suggests, they “relieve” the strain on cables. Cable grips function as strain relief systems at entry points to machinery and enclosures.
You can use cable grips to keep dust, moisture and other potentially harmful elements out of machinery and enclosures. Cables must enter machinery and enclosures. These entry points, unfortunately, often allow pollutants to enter unless they are properly sealed. But cable grips offer a solution. Not only to they provide strain relief for cords and cables; they seal the entry points to machinery and enclosures.