PTR: Every now and then, someone makes a product that seems so obvious and simple that you kind of kick yourself for not thinking of it first. Cable ties have been around for a while, but reusable cable ties are relatively new to the market. It’s one of those improvements that make you wonder why manufacturers didn’t just start with the reusable design.
5 comments:
Waste is possibly the biggest problem that any theater company faces to date. A lot of sets get built, go up for two weeks, and sent to the trash right after the show closes, which is undoubtedly a huge part of the problem. Although reusable cable ties aren’t anything crazy huge in terms of reducing waste, it could have a long-term effect. I know the lighting department at Carnegie Mellon uses zip ties for various things, but one of our tasks is to always have tie line, which requires cutting tie line and then having other departments take some. I wonder if these reusable cable ties would be beneficial for tying up cables on a pipe. If they make them in black, it would be great, and the various sizes would allow for a longer lasting, more versatile, more reliable (possibly) product. I think Carnegie Mellon should really invest in some of these.
The idea of Southwire Releasable Cable ties sounds amazing, however I’m not sure they have a place in theater. For starters, we often use tie line, which is reusable. Also, although they are capable of 50lbs of force, the article does not indicate that they are rated. Furthermore, if someone did not know that these zip ties are reusable, they could easily cut the zip tie, making it no longer reusable. In addition, I would be concerned that the zips would loosen over time, resulting in them no longer be usable after a few uses. However, I think the biggest barrier for theater is the price. On Amazon you can buy 600 zip ties for the same price as 100 reusable. As a result I think many theaters are not willing to transition into using them. Despite how good of an idea this is in theory, I don’t know if I can seriously see them implemented.
Reusable cable ties could reduce so much plastic waste in our industry. I have fallen victim to forgetting a cable in a wrap of them so many times, however instead of cutting open the existing cable and redoing the whole batch, I often just attach the forgotten cable with its own line. I know this does not save you any ties in the long run, but it keeps me from having to rewrap a bulk of cables and hang them against the tent post again. Th one thing this article keeps mentioning in the dissection of the screw holes provided by the Southwire Reusable Cable Ties is that people apparently often use adhesive for supporting ties around the walls. I honestly have only seen adhesive used in the cable tie context when sound was running one cable on the lift. I can’t imagine a group of cables being supported by any kind of adhesive.
Okay, these sound very cool, but come on, the idea of reusable zipties is definitely not a new one, and I don't really think they sre the end-all be-all of cable management. In the first place, I truly believe that zipties themselves have no place in cable management. it is too easy to overtighten them and damage cables, and they are a too-permanent solution for a fickle installation Have you ever had to go down the length of a cable run removing zipties to run a new cable in the package? Nightmare! Zipties have uses for which their permance and tightening capabilities are useful, but cable tying is not one of them! I do see the usefulness of these reusable ties, but then I wonder at their security, and if really they will be as reusable as this article claims.
Reusable zip ties is something that is really late to the party. I feel like this concept should have been available years ago but it seemed like nobody was really interested in trying to figure it out because zip ties have worked for so long. This reusable zip tie, according to Pro Tools, really seems to be able to hold their weight among the traditional zip tie. There is also the speed and cost that this could effect. I can not remember how many times I have walked down a batten in a theatre and sniped hundreds of zip ties during a strike that immediately have to be thrown away. While I feel like these new zip ties may take longer to take apart, the ability to store them and use them again for the next production is a really groundbreaking achievement and helps cut down on single use plastic products.
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