The votes are in and the winners of the 2022 LEAP Awards (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) were announced by WTWH Media in a digital ceremony this week with products across several categories, including Fastener Engineering. This year’s winners were chosen by an independent judging panel of engineering and academic professionals.
Global manufacturer, HellermannTyton, took the gold in the Fastener Engineering category for its unique Stud Mount Ratchet Clamp, a one-piece, adjustable wire harness and tube clamp designed to bundle and fasten a routing to an existing threaded stud in an installation.
The judges commented: “Good design and practical for applications throughout several fields. This would be a great product to see in the aerospace segment. Congratulations!”
In applications where threaded studs already exist, the Stud Mount Ratchet Clamp is easily pushed on, requiring no additional hardware or drilling. Installation is instant and reliable. The ratcheting closure allows one clamp to secure a range of diameters, so three clamps cover bundle widths from 0.5 to 2 inches.
Unlike metal clamps, there’s nothing to bend or get in the way of inserting a bundle or closing the clamp.
The Stud Mount Ratchet Clamp has an inline design, which means it attaches to a stud directly beneath the clamp as opposed to an offset like a P-clamp. This results in a smaller footprint, which is desirable for applications where space is constrained. Once the stud is inserted into the clamp’s base, it can only travel up to a built-in stopper, which keeps the stud from touching the bundle, preventing damage.
One of the most significant values to the end user is installation efficiency. For example, the clamp can be pre-installed on a harness, hose, or cable before it reaches the customer. The less labor on the assembly line, the better. Also, installing it onto the bundle is easier than rigid metal clamps because of its living hinge and easy-to-operate ratchet closure. Fastening to a stud requires a low-effort push. No twisting is needed, and the design requires no secondary fasteners.
The Stud Mount Ratchet Clamp is made of heat and UV-resistant materials, so it will withstand extreme weather in outdoor applications, which are typical in the automotive, truck, heavy equipment, and rail industries.
Filed Under: LEAP Awards, Clamps • locks • latches
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