Skip to main content

How to Route Cables on Tricky Surfaces

Modify a machine or vehicle and you are inevitably faced with a challenge: How to safely and securely fasten the cables and wires. If the ideal route involves problematic surfaces that don’t include any natural fixing points, then you have to modify or improvise. Until now.

When product developers at HellermannTyton wanted to fasten a cable snugly around the curved exterior of an electric motor, they came up with an astonishingly simple engineering solution. The resulting FlexTack cable tie mount features ridges that allow it to bend.

This means it will sit flush on curved or moderately angled surfaces. To keep it in place permanently under the toughest conditions they married the heat-resistant plastic mount with an industrial strength acrylate-based adhesive.

FlexTack flexible self-adhesive cable tie mount from HellermannTyton

The clue is in the glue

The high-performance adhesive bonds reliably on plastics, metals, glass, painted and powder-coated surfaces. Just ensure beforehand that these are free of grease and dust.

Peel off the backing and press the mount down firmly for several seconds to get a good bond. Thanks to the excellent initial adhesion characteristics, bundles can be fixed immediately with a cable tie.

As a consequence, the FlexTack mount gives engineers greater design freedom.  Tricky surfaces without a screw hole or mounting bolt no longer have to dictate the wiring plan. Route exactly where you want with this simple-to-use standard part and say goodbye to the hassle and time involved applying layers of epoxy resin.

As the name implies, FlexTack:

  • Fits to curved or moderately angled surfaces.
  • Adheres to high and low energy surfaces.
  • Has an operating temperature range of -40 °C to +105 °C.
  • Avoids surface damage from drilling and screwing.
  • Helps make installation processes more efficient.

Watch the short video clip below to see how FlexTack is the simple answer to attaching cables securely on any surface.

I like making complicated technology topics accessible.
DesignSpark Electrical Logolinkedin