Five Add-Ons That Improve Cord Grip Performance in Industrial Applications

By Contributed Article | May 19, 2017

Cord grip add-ons offer increased protection and reliability in harsh industrial conditions

By Mark Sweeney, President/COO, Remke Industries

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Add-ons for standard cord grips allow designers to quickly and easily improve the performance of industrial electrical connectors in a broad range of applications. Add-ons can address application demands including environmental protection from problems such as dirt or condensation, easier circuit identification, and higher-reliability electrical connections in harsh conditions. The following five add-ons are just a sampling of the possibilities these solutions can provide in industrial applications.

  1. Adding Wire Mesh Grips prevents excessive strain and cable pullout by permanently supporting the weight of vertical or sloping cables in applications where they’re insufficiently supported by the electrical terminations. They’re also useful for preventing cable pullout in applications with bending and flexing properties, and are offered in a wide variety of lengths and sizes. Wide range strain relief grips are used to connect cords or cables to electrical enclosures and equipment, power boxes, portable power tools, panel boards, and machine tools. Well suited for use in dry, indoor locations, these mesh grips help control arc-of-bend and prevent both cable pullout and damage from flexing by distributing strain over the length of the mesh rather than at a single point. They are typically made of single-weave, galvanized steel mesh with aluminum fittings and frequently feature a gasket to seal out dust, filings, and other environmental particles. They can also be insulated to suit application demands.

Figure 1: Remke’s wide range strain relief cord grip with wire mesh added to prevent cable pullout.

  1. Adding Multiple Hole Bushings saves space and reduces equipment and labor costs by allowing users to terminate several cables and conductors into a single cord grip with one simple fitting. These add-ons are available in hundreds of standard configurations, as well as custom designs, and can be made of Neoprene for standard applications, Valox™ for applications that require extreme chemical resistance, and silicone for applications exposed to high temperatures, chemicals, and UV radiation, including automotive, medical, aviation, aerospace, and industrial equipment.
  1. Adding O-Rings allows users to seal out the elements and prevent the ingress of moisture, dirt, and chemicals like coolants in both indoor and outdoor applications. Silicone options are available for high-temperature environments, Viton® options are available for harsh environments that demand both watertight and corrosion-resistant seals, and Neoprene options are available for use in standard environments.
  1. Adding an Anodized Finish to aluminum cord grips provides corrosion- and wear-resistant properties that effectively dissipate heat and prevent galling. Anodized cord grips are non-conductive, won’t delaminate, and have better surface lubricity than untreated cord grips, and are available in several different colors, including: red, blue, black, gold, mil-spec green, and clear, to enable easy circuit identification and environmental approvals. Nickel-plated finishes are also available for applications that require corrosion and wear resistance, but don’t quite justify the higher, and thus costlier, level of protection that stainless steel provides.

Figure 2: Remke offers a variety of protective anodized finishes for aluminum cord grips.

  1. Adding Drain Fittings at the bottom of enclosures or the lower section of conduit systems effectively drains away moisture caused by condensation and provides continuous ventilation to help prevent the accumulation of condensation. Available in several different sizes, drain fittings are precision machined using high-quality stainless steel, steel, or aluminum to ensure a long service life, and are easy to both install and remove for maintenance.

For more information about both these and other cord grip add-ons designed to improve performance in industrial and other demanding environments, visit www.remke.com/add-ons.

 

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