The Advantages of Velcro
Velcro is a name brand of hook and loop fasteners used since 1948. There are many practical and workplace-oriented applications for these fasteners. Velcro is sold in a variety of lengths and colors, and its uses are only limited by your imagination.
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Strength
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Velcro is a very strong material that is able to hold a lot of weight. For example, a two inch strip is able to hold up to 175 pounds. This strength is determined by amount of contact between the hooks and the loops, the amount of force pulling the two pieces of fabric apart, and the amount of surface area in contact with the hooks. Velcro is sometimes used to secure auto body panels, as vibration strengthens the bond between the two pieces and increases the strength of the fastening.
Ease of Use
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Velcro is also very easy to use. Once the two sides of the Velcro fabric have been pressed together, the Velcro will stay together with no continued work or effort. It's also relatively easy to pull open as force is only being applied to a few hooks at a time. This makes Velcro beneficial, for example, when used in children's shoes and jeans, as children can easily learn to put on and take off their shoes. Velcro is very easily adhered onto almost any surface, as it typically comes with an adhesive backing. Additional uses could include home crafts projects, clothing repair, and other various uses in the workplace.
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Low Maintenance
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Velcro is a very low maintenance fastener, as it does not require replacement very often. Overall, there is very little loss of efficiency between each removal of the hooks from the loop fabrics. This means that you are able to seal and rip apart the fabric as many times as you like without having to worry that you will have to replace the fasteners. The only maintenance that you will have to do may be removing stray thread and lint from the hook side of the fabric, which can quickly gather.
Variety of Uses
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Another benefit to Velcro is that there are a variety of uses for it. Incredibly, Velcro was used to hold together the human heart during the first artificial heart surgery. NASA also uses a lot of Velcro to hold objects in place while the space shuttles are in zero-gravity zones. Velcro is also used to hold patches onto flight suits for the United States Air Force.
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