Seals allow fast, low-cost installation

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 6, 2008

The Klikseal locking grommet is as quick to fit as a rubber Rutaseal, but provides a high IP rating similar to a dome-top cable gland.

Hylec-APL has introduced three sealing solutions designed to replace traditional cable gland seals in most applications.

The range includes simple inexpensive TSS grommet seals that can be used where locking cable glands would be overkill and rubber Rutaseal glands that have a better IP rating than a standard 'stuffing' type cable gland, yet take moments to fit.

The Klikseal locking grommet is as quick to fit as a rubber Rutaseal, but provides a high IP rating similar to a dome-top cable gland as well as mechanical cable retention and is still competitively priced.

Terry Spriggs of Wellingborough based Hylec-APL explains, "The TSS grommet and the Rutaseal strong positions in the German and the Swedish market where they originate, but have had little exposure in the UK".

"The real innovation however is with the new Klikseal product".

"The Klikseal provides most of the advantages of a cable gland while avoiding some of its disadvantages".

"The main advantage being the fitting time for a Klikseal, this can be as low as ten seconds, compared with minutes for a cable gland".

"The 90% reduction in fitting time amounts to a huge amount of money saved on large installations and OEM assembly lines".

Klikseal is constructed using two materials, a high-integrity plastic cage provides the 'click' push fit, adjusting to wall thicknesses from 1.5 to 5mm automatically and expanding to clamp the seal in place once inserted.

The shape of the cage component also provides strong positive cable anchorage once the cable is inserted, something that previously was only available from traditional cables glands with internal clamping and locknuts.

Temporary blanking plugs are also not required as, once fitted, the Klikseal provides a total seal until the cable is inserted.

The softer sealing material is moulded around the cage material and provides the sealing as well as adding to the anchorage.

The design of the soft sealing material creates a kind of 'sock' that is in contact with a large area of the cable outer sheath, providing flexibility and sealing up to IP67.

Once a hole has been drilled or knocked out of an enclosure wall or a bulkhead, the grommets are assembled by push-fit so no tools are needed to fit any of the grommets in the range, adding to their flexibility and ease of installation.

The pop membrane enables the grommet to act as a blanking plug when not in use and ensures that the IP rating is not compromised once the cable has been inserted.

The majority of other grommets on the market today require some form of piercing with a tool that can compromise the IP rating.

Other advantages offered by all three sealing products include ease of fitting in confined spaces where there is no room to use the spanners needed to effectively tighten a lock-nut.

Where an M25 sized cable gland requires the fitter to reach both sides of an enclosure wall or bulkhead, a grommet can simply be pushed in from either side.

An M25 gland would stand over 30mm proud of the side wall where the Klikseal sits only 5.7mm proud of the surface, reducing the space required and also protecting the seal from knocks and bangs that could break or distort thin enclosure side walls and render the seal useless.

The equivalent Klikseal will also accommodate cable sizes from 4 to 14mm in diameter, a substantially greater range than is available from a standard cable gland and therefore cutting down significantly on inventory in some applications.

All three grommets provide added benefits for IT systems where optical cables can be damaged by cable glands that can be over-tightened.

Other benefits offered by the rubber Rutaseal product include superior protection from UV light, ozone, acids and weathering.

Where some cable glands will deteriorate badly in extreme weather conditions, a Rutaseal will withstand a temperature range of -40 to +110C.

The TSS seal is similar in design to the soft part of a Klikseal and so provides less cable retention force, but is moulded in one material and is therefore suited to less demanding applications.

The TSS also offers an additional price advantage over the other grommets and cable glands.

All these gland products are available in grey (RAL 7035), black (RAL 9005) and white (RAL9010) as standard.

They are also available in a range of other colours, subject to minimum production quantities.