New Amphenol Clamp Cuts Weight on the Dreamliner

Examples of new materials applications for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner continue to come to light. Amphenol, a large manufacturer of interconnect products,  developed a high performance wiring, cable, and hydraulic tubing clamp to replace and outperform traditional P-clamps and Saddle clamps. It also wanted to reduce weight, one of the major goals of the composite-bodied Dreamliner.

Amphenol engineers designed a clamp molded from polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polymer and overmolded with a silicone rubber cushion. By using VICTREX PEEK polymer, Amphenol was able to develop a lighter and stronger clamp - one that, unlike metal, is completely non-corrosive and non-conductive for use throughout the aircraft.

Amphenol uses a proprietary silicone over-molding process to produce the high performance clamps, which are also used in a wide range of shipboard, industrial and railway applications. The advantage of Amphenol’s overmold process is that it bonds the silicone rubber cushion to the plastic in the tool. There’s another assembly aspect to the new Amphenol design: the high performance clamps are equipped with a locking feature that makes installation quick and easy. “A “lock-open” feature keeps the clamp open and a second “lock-closed” feature keeps the clamp closed.

Available in single leg (P-clamp) and double leg (Omega) configurations, the new high performance clamps are available in 36 sizes, allowing them to meet most wire bundle and application-specific load requirements. They are also compatible with tubing up to 2-inches in diameter.