The word grommet may not be part of your typical day to day vocabulary, but you must have seen these small rings made of metal, rubber, or plastic around small holes in boot eyelets, curtains, and metal plate punch holes alike. So, have you ever wondered what they really are?
Well, these rings are what is normally referred to as Grommets. It is a word highly used and well known by the industry insiders, from shoe companies to the electrical and electronics world. These rings, in particular, Rubber Grommets have varied applications which, in so many ways, go beyond the electrical and electronics industry.
While there are many different types of Grommets, our main focus here is those made of Rubber or Vinyl Based Plastics. We intend to not only find out what they really are but their main application in the industry. So, what are they? And what are they used for?
What Are Grommets?
A Grommet, as we have stated before, simply refers to the protective material or an ‘eyelet’ around a hole made through a surface. These holes could be meant for almost anything and are found anywhere from appliances to furniture. Grommets are made mainly in Rubber, however, can also be found in Plastic / Metal depending on their use. Rubber Grommets specifically are mainly used to reinforce the holes through which cables/wires pass inside Electronic industries.
Basically, Grommets don’t only act as bumpers. They not only protect the surface of holes but also whatever it is that goes through them, simultaneously providing seal-like properties to prevent ingress.
The Main Benefits of Using Rubber Grommets
Rubber grommets have a wider range of applications when compared to other grommet types like metal and plastics. This may be linked to their material characteristics and advantages like:
Ideal weather resistance: When compared to metallic or plastic grommets that are highly brittle or prone to rusting when used externally, Rubber Grommets can be used in almost all weather situations being resistant against Acids & Alkali’s.
High heat resistance: The majority of Rubber type Grommets are produced using high-temperature materials such as EPDM & TPR. This enables their use with circuit boards and similar systems which can get very hot.
Flexible and malleable product: Unlike other types of grommets that have restrictive applications, rubber grommets can be used for varied purposes thanks to their flexibility, enabling them to fit inside a large range of hole shapes and sizes.
The Uses and Application of Rubber Grommets
As we shall see, Rubber Grommets can have several uses which include:
- Electrical Cable/Wire Protection:It begins from a simple premise. Any hole or holes made through metal or any other hard material will have rough surfaces. These surfaces can be sharp sometimes thereby endangering the cables or electrical wires that pass through them. So, what is the remedy?
Electrical cables are made of soft and sometimes vulnerable insulating materials. If they are passed through these holes without any prior protection, they will definitely be cut or abraded. What are the implications of thereof? The one thing that can happen is that the insulation will break due to constant flexing at the entrance and exit points. Or even worse, the circuit can break thereby potentially disrupting the entire connection.
Therefore it is recommended to use Rubber Grommets to cushion the cable insulation from such flexes when exposed to shard panel holes. Instead of going through these naked holes, the wires will go through rubber rings which are comparatively smooth and softer than raw material. Normally, stepped grommets with their tapered design would be used as this allows the cable to easily be threaded through.
These rubber rings or grommets are therefore generally used to protect wires and cables that go through metal punch holes like a steel sheet. But they can also be used, although in a limited capacity, to protect cables from contacting dirt or water when used in an outside setting. It is obvious that electrical wires passing through some tiny hole will be tightly held together.
This can cause an accumulation of dirt and water thereby destroying the cable’s insulation material over time. Hence the need for Rubber Grommets to prevent such accumulation of either water or dirt from occurring.
- Helps in Minimizing Vibrations: Where Rubber Grommets are generally used to seal and protect cable threads passing through holes in panels or metal and plastic
sheets, they can also be used to minimize vibration in electrical appliances, devices or equipment. This works by these rings acting as shock absorbers, thereby reducing vibrations and allowing them to flow through parts of the appliance which aren’t so prone to damage. Placing the Grommet around or over a moving component will help to reduce the vibrations experienced when the Grommet is also in contact with a fixed object.
Other Uses Of Grommets: Grommets, not just those made from rubber in particular, can be used in several fields such as Health care, home decore, machinery, and so on.