Originally developed to fix individual cables or entire cable harnesses, cable ties have long since
become universal fasteners that we encounter in all areas of life and work.
The design and functional principle of cable ties has even been adapted for medical technology.
Samaplast in Switzerland uses ENGEL’s e-victory tie-bar-less injection moulding machines in the clean room
to produce similar connecting elements for closing the sternum after open heart surgery.
If it were not for the needle at the flat end, the injection-moulded part lying on the conference table
at Samaplast’s headquarters in St. Margrethen would at first glance appear to be an or-dinary cable tie.
At the end of the day, doctors are also craftsmen,” says Stefan Okle, CEO of Samaplast, jokingly
and explains that the idea for this product, dubbed ZipFix, actually came from a heart surgeon.
It was finally developed by DePuy Synthes – a Johnson & Johnson Group company –
in collaboration with Samaplast.
Since its launch in 2011, ZipFix fasteners have been used in more than 100,000 thorax operations.
Read more. Download Engel report on Samplast (English version)
Read more. Download Engel report on Samplast (German version)
