Manufacturers of cable lubricants always point out that they provide the least expensive insurance to cable installers. These products offer protection for three critical aspects of cable installations, namely the cable, the conduit and the total cost of installation. The use of cable lubricant during installation reduces friction and stress as a cable is being pulled through the conduit. As such, it minimizes the risk of stickiness in the conduit and melted plastic. Spending a hundred dollars on lubricants can save an installer tens of thousands of dollars. These products have been used for decades already. At first, they were made for the electrical industry but have evolved to suit the requirements of pulling coaxial, copper and fiber optic cables for data and telecommunications industry.
Originally, a cable lubricant is made of clays and talcum powder, then later on became wax and soap-based products used by electricians. However, these lubricants are not suitable for data cabling as they can harm the cable jackets. To address this issue, polymer-based cable lubricants are developed which are water-based and not harmful to cable jacket. With the introduction of fiber optic cable, manufacturers focused on the special requirements of such cable type by creating silicon-based cable lubricant during the late ‘80s.
One crucial factor in using a lubricant is its lubricity or also known as coefficient of friction. The lower the lubricity is, the easier it is to do the pulling job since there is less resistance during a pull. Therefore, consider a low coefficient of friction. Other significant cable lubricant properties to consider include safety, compatibility, adherence and stability. Using an incompatible product can damage the cable or conduit, particularly when it’s made from specialized jacket materials such as low-density polyethylene and semiconducting insulation. Additionally, choosing viscosity of lubricant depends on working and environmental conditions. For instance, water-based product tends to be runny, making it more suitable to use in an underground application but not for overhead cabling pull in a building.
More importantly, always make sure that the product is safe to handle and contains no harmful ingredients or chemicals that can irritate skin. It must also be inflammable. AMAC Equipment Limited fully understand the safety and compatibility associated with the use of cable lubricant. We provides heavy duty, water-based lubricant that works for most cable materials, ensuring safe and durable application.