Are you familiar with grommets? Consisting of a ring-shaped piece of material with a hole in the center, they look like rubber O-rings. While O-rings are used to seal mating surfaces and joints, however, grommets are used for other purposes. Below are five common uses for grommets.
#1) Shoelaces
Grommets are commonly used to protect shoelaces. Hiking boots, sneakers and other types of footwear often have built-in grommets below the tongue. Also known as eyelets, they provide a smooth surface for the shoelaces. Running the shoelaces through these grommets will protect them from fraying.
#2) Tent and Canopy Anchoring
If you’ve ever gone camping, you may recall seeing grommets on your tent or canopy. Tents and canopies often feature grommets as part of their anchoring system. You can typically anchor a tent or canopy by staking it into the ground. There are grommets around the bottom of tents and canopies that are designed specifically for stakes. Rather than driving the stakes directly through a tent or canopy — and therefore damaging it in the process — you can drive the stakes through the grommets.
#3) Wires and Cables
One of the most common uses for grommets is to protect wires and cables from damage. Just like shoelaces can fray if they rub against sharp or hard objects, so can wires and cables. Fortunately, grommets are available to protect wires and cables from damage such as this. You’ll often find them built into computer desks. The back of a typical computer desk may have one or more grommets. Rather than running wires over the back of a computer desk, you can run them through a grommet.
#4) Flags
Grommets are found on flags. Many flags, such as national and state flags, feature a row of grommets. They are designed to protect the flags from damage when hoisted on a flagpole. Flags are typically hoised with a rope connected to the flagpole. You can run this rope through the grommets so that the flag is safe and secure. The grommets will ensure that the flag doesn’t sustain damage from the friction of the rope.
#5) Computer Equipment
Even computers may feature grommets. Hard disk drives (HDDs), for instance, often use grommets to protect their stored from vibrations. HDDs rely on magnetic platters to store and read data. If these platters become damaged, they may lose some of their stored data. Therefore, computer manufacturers will often install HDDs with grommets to absorb vibrations.
