If you are considering purchasing a fiber optic cable blowing machine, please check the following:
- What materials it is made of and what manufacturing technology is used.
- Whether the equipment has any operating system that controls the blowing process.
- Whether it only has a distance counter, some readouts, and perhaps incomplete parameter recording stored in an inconvenient additional case.
These are no longer the times when a blowing machine only needed a head that provided traction, a feeder that somehow pushed the cable, and a counter that measured meters. There are still many such machines on the market. But is it really worth investing in such outdated solutions?
Working with this type of equipment is difficult. It requires the operator to have a very good feel for the machine, full concentration, and considerable experience. Even so, the best operator can make a mistake that is impossible to predict. For example, with the piston method, the cable is most often damaged when there is not enough carrying force or when the secondary duct is flattened and the piston stops. The operator does not realize this and increases the force feeding the fiber optic cable. As a result, the cable buckles behind the piston. The operator then says: how was I supposed to know?
The cable can also be damaged with the air-jet method if, apart from the counter, the operator does not know what settings the machine is working with.
Of course, price plays an important role, but a machine is not bought for one or two years. It is bought for at least ten years, and not so that you have to keep investing in it. You should pay attention to the consumable parts of the machine, whether the equipment requires servicing, and what costs are involved.
