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Optical Cable 101: Handling, Routing, Bend Radius

By Steve Rogers,
And “significantly” lighter is no exaggeration: Between two similar systems cabled with Quadrax and optical fiber, the Quadrax solution would weigh 16.4 lb., and the fiber-based solution a mere 2 lb. Thus, fiber is 12% the weight of Quadrax—not 12% lighter, but 12% of the total weight of the Quadrax solution.

With weight savings like this, it’s easy to see why fiber-based designs have been so widely adopted in airborne applications ahead of others, and why they’re making inroads into naval and ground mobile applications as well.
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Optical Cable 101: Handling, Routing, Bend Radius

However, once it’s decided that the benefits of optical cable are worth the investment, fiber-specific routing and handling expertise is required to ensure that the resulting system enjoys the performance, serviceability, and long-term reliability required by military applications.


Providing strain relief and minimizing chafing for Quadrax, and minimizing bend radius for optical fiber, are of paramount concern.  There’s also a great deal more industry experience with Quadrax, whereas optical fiber is in many cases still a relatively new technology.

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