by Wayne Kachmar | Jan 16, 2019 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
Looking back at the fiber optic cable industry over two to four decades, I notice the trend, as in everything, is to make each device smaller and more feature-filled. This is true in connectors, cables, transceivers etc. Perusing my collection...
by Wayne Kachmar | Oct 16, 2018 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
Today, fiber optic communications have been firmly established. We install networks both in the switched telephone and CATV networks with industry-standard methods, cables, and sometimes architecture. We have fiber to the home in large-scale implementations (FIOS,...
by Wayne Kachmar | Oct 1, 2018 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
As more colleagues from my generation move toward retirement, I am concerned that the collected knowledge we gained empirically is not fully being preserved for the next generation of fiber optic engineering professionals. Why do I say this? If...
by Wayne Kachmar | May 26, 2017 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
One of the questions I often get from fiber optic cable manufacturers is: “Which specifications do I have to qualify to?” Additionally, I often hear: “Why is it that this particular specification is not good enough? Why can’t one spec...
by Wayne Kachmar | May 16, 2017 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
One of the questions I get asked about regarding optical cable measurements is: “Why don’t my OTDR and jacket length markings agree?” The answer depends on the type of cable being made. In the old days (when...
by Wayne Kachmar | Feb 8, 2017 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
When I was a process engineer at a large cabler, we could reconfigure our fiber optic process lines in about 20 minutes. In a 3-shift day, we could produce 8 different products. Unfortunately, most cablers don’t enjoy this level of...
by Wayne Kachmar | Jan 25, 2017 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
A growing trend in the fiber optic industry is the increasing use of specialty fibers. Clearly, telecommunications and data communications applications are the high-volume users of fiber optics, yet other areas are burgeoning. In fact, many specialty fiber optic...
by Wayne Kachmar | Jan 17, 2017 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
In the “dog-eat-dog” world of raw materials, competition is stiff. Margins are tight. Opportunities are rare. Is your company eying fiber optics as a new market? If you’re a raw material supplier looking to sell to the optical cable industry,...
by Wayne Kachmar | Dec 8, 2016 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
I’m seeing a trend in the fiber optic industry: Cable manufacturers around the world are looking to develop and qualify cable designs in order to enter the US fiber optic market. Unfortunately, I’m witnessing another trend: Many cable manufacturers don’t...
by Wayne Kachmar | Nov 17, 2016 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
Many times I have had the conversation about how to get started in cable manufacture or get a new extrusion line up quickly. Invariably two questions come up: How quick can I be in production and what equipment do I...
by Wayne Kachmar | Oct 20, 2016 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
At the 65th IWCS International Cable & Connectivity Symposium held in Providence, RI on October 2-5, 2016, Technical Horsepower Consulting, LLC. (THC) presented a short talk on Starting a Cable Company and/or Adding a Cable Making Division. The talk, originally...
by Wayne Kachmar | Aug 5, 2016 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
As I was going over thoughts of what is appropriate for a summer blog I noticed that some of my hobbies and my vocation cross in very different ways. For example, I have spent the bulk of my professional career...
by Wayne Kachmar | May 18, 2016 | Optical Cable Expert Blog
As I look at both the tradeshow booths and the poster papers from OFC and reflect back on what I’ve seen this year versus the past few years, I believe that we are ready for disruptive change. Every year there...
