For the latest episode of The Cabling Podcast, CI&M sat down for a discussion with Mungree Singh, MBA, RCDD, CBRS-CPI, Systems Engineering Manager - West for global network infrastructure provider CommScope. A technical expert in cabling and connectivity physical infrastructure for information communications and technology (ICT) and data center deployments, at work Singh has achieved noteworthy success driving growth and exceeding organizational targets by leveraging her technology acumen and business wisdom in the market. As a manager, she has led cross-functional teams to a shared understanding in achieving business goals, and is conversational in Spanish.
Singh's podcast interview with CI&M probes the value proposition of fiber management via CommScope's flagship FiberGuide fiber cable management system technology, billed by the manufacturer as the industry's oldest and most comprehensive data center optical raceway system.
Time-stamped discussion highlights and interview quotes from Singh include:
(00:49) - Mungree Singh professional background remarks
- "At CommScope, I'm what is considered a bi-functional manager. I basically have two roles: I support a team of sales account managers in the Bay Area in helping to design any of our CommScope solutions in addition to FiberGuide, and then I also manage a team of systems engineers that manage the Western United States. I cover the entire West on my team."
(1:50) - Top data trends and challenges in the data center for fiber-optic cabling and connectivity design and deployment
- "What we're seeing is densification in the network and an expansion in equipment capacity."
(3:16) - CommScope FiberGuide platform history and product line scale and scope
- "Management of fiber cables has a direct impact on network reliability, on performance, and on cost. So we need to make sure that when you deploy fiber into FiberGuide, it's easy to maintain, so it really doesn't impact [data center] operations on a day-to-day basis."
(5:48) - FiberGuide value proposition and competitive advantages
- "I don't know if you know this, but FiberGuide is the original fiber management system. It was first deployed in 1989 and then it was adopted as an industry standard by the carrier market. [Regarding] our patents on the express-exits and the quick-knobs that we utilize for installations -- pretty much, our competitors have been trying to catch up on that sort of technology [which is] patented by CommScope."
- "The make-up of the FiberGuide itself, the material that is used is called acrylonitrile bedidinestyril (ABS). Ours uses a really nice, durable resin, whereas our competitors' product uses PVC. [ABS] makes it really sturdy, supportive for all of the fiber load that's going to be installed in the system. And it's available in black and yellow. "
As noted by Wikipedia:
ABS provides favorable mechanical properties such as impact resistance, toughness, and rigidity when compared with other common polymers.[3] A variety of modifications can be made to improve impact resistance, toughness, and heat resistance. The impact resistance can be amplified by increasing the proportions of polybutadiene in relation to styrene and also acrylonitrile, although this causes changes in other properties. Impact resistance does not fall off rapidly at lower temperatures. Stability under load is excellent with limited loads. Thus, by changing the proportions of its components, ABS can be prepared in different grades. Two major categories could be ABS for extrusion and ABS for injection molding, then high and medium impact resistance. Generally ABS would have useful characteristics within a temperature range from −20 to 80 °C (−4 to 176 °F).[5]
The final properties will be influenced to some extent by the conditions under which the material is processed to the final product. For example, molding at a high temperature improves the gloss and heat resistance of the product whereas the highest impact resistance and strength are obtained by molding at low temperature. Fibers (usually glass fibers) and additives can be mixed in the resin pellets to make the final product strong and raise the maximum operating temperature as high as 80 °C (176 °F). Pigments can also be added, as the raw material's original color is translucent ivory to white.
As further noted by Wikipedia, Lego bricks are made from ABS.
(07:59) - ROI and data center infrastructure partner benefits
- "You're going to have the FiberGuide support infrastructure for a very long time without deflection in product; you won't have bends or warps over the duration of the product, because of the durability of the material that we use to engineer our solution. We also have what we call the Fiber Guide Pro Design Tool, which is a web-based 3D design tool that is available to all of our business partners to utilize when doing a design of Fiber Guide. In addtion we also have training [through] our Infrastructure Academy."
(10:08) - Range of deployment
- "The solution set itself is very vast and broad -- troughs, bends, 90-degree bends - I think anything you could imagine when it comes to a fiber support infrastructure, [we] have a component that could fit your needs. The system is deployed in small enterprise businesses, in small data centers, or medium, multi-tenant data center facilities, and colocation and hyperscale facilities."
(12:52) - Structural integrity
- "We did a controlled test with CommScope's Fiber Guide solution versus our competitors' solution, where it noted how this [product] would perform in an HVAC failure at 65 degrees Celsius what happens to the product. And we saw that with our competitors' product, the product deflected within an hour, a 1.25 inch deflection with failure, whereas CommScope's product retained its shape and form."
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