 |
The dirty little secret that chemists know about chemicals is that they interact with materials, sometimes in destructive ways. When the chemical is a lubricant and the affected material is a cable jacket, expensive problems can result. Thus, compatibility is an important part of what constitutes a "specification grade" cable pulling lubricant. Cable system designers tend to be electrical, communications, or mechanical engineers. As such, they intuitively understand the mechanical forces at work in cable installation, and can readily appreciate a premium lubricant's impact on friction reduction. This is why Polywater J, Polywater F, and Polywater LZ--and the Pull-Planner Software--are so popular, and why lubricant specification has been such a successful strategy for us. But rarely are these designers chemical engineers. Often, they're woefully unaware of the potential harm awaiting their systems if lubricant compatibility is not considered. Unfortunately, many of our competitors seem to have no chemical engineers on staff either. Some manufacturers erroneously claim universal cable compatibility for their lubes out of ignorance ... or for sales expediency. They haven't done the necessary testing, and may not even know what tests to conduct. This causes a classic "buyer beware" situation. Engineers spend a lot of time and money earning their degrees, and they don't appreciate being patronized by manufacturers who dismiss their efforts to enforce quality cabling systems. Part of the sales process for specification grade Polywater Lubricants is to respect the important role of cable system engineers and present them with the facts they need to make good decisions. A simple concept to promote is that lubricant should be specified whenever cable is specified. Why? Several reasons, but none more important than compatibility with jacket materials. |
