Wire Tie Walt Tips – The History Of The Wire Tie

It started with airplanes.  Manufacturers needed a reliable way to secure the thousands of cables that are part of modern aircraft electrics.

Wire ties were invented in the late 1950’s for use in the securing of aircraft cable harnesses. The original manufacturer and inventor, Thomas & Betts, first created a nylon tie that used a metal ratchet, then later improved it to make us of a nylon or plastic closure system using the same material as the rest of the tie.

Thomas & Betts named the original wire tie the Ty-Rap and still uses this brand name for the line of wire ties they manufacture today.

Robert Thomas and Hobart Betts were Princeton University engineers active in the early 20th century. They began manufacturing products under this name in 1911 after acquiring the Standard Electrical Fitting Company.

Today, Thomas & Betts are only one of many manufacturers of the product known as the wire tie. Buywiretie.com wire ties are manufactured by Bay State Manufacturing under the brand name Planet Cable Ties.