Reels need marking – cable type, length, job number, owner – and a lot of that happens on site with no printer available. The options are limited by the fact that PP does not take ordinary ink, and by where the mark can physically go without being rubbed off.
Where the mark goes
The outer face of the flange is the obvious place and the wrong one. It is the surface that contacts the ground when a reel is laid down, it rubs against other reels in a stack, and it is the first thing to wear.
The better location is the inner face of the flange – the side facing the cable. It is protected in a stack, it is visible when you look at the reel, and it is where most reels actually carry their marks.
The rim is worse than either. It takes every knock.
Paint marker
A solvent-based paint marker works on PP without any preparation, dries in about a minute, and gives a mark that survives outdoor storage and handling for a reasonable period. It fades in sunlight over a season and it can be removed with solvent.
For temporary job marking it is the right tool and it is what most crews use.
Tags and plates
A stamped or printed metal or plastic tag, screwed or riveted to the flange, is the permanent option. It survives everything the reel survives and it is legible long after a marker has faded.
The caution is where you fix it: a screw into the flange near the hub is fine, one near the rim is a crack starter. Keep fixings well inboard.
Labels
A label works if the flange surface is clean and unworn, and it does not if the reel has been in service. On new reels, labels are fine and cheap. On used reels, expect them to lift, particularly at the edges.
Where labels are used, put them on the inner face and press the edges down firmly. Edges lifting is how labels fail, not centres.
What to write
Less than you think. Cable type and length are genuinely useful. Owner is useful if reels are shared or hired. Job number is useful while the job runs and clutter afterwards – and since it cannot be removed from a marker, think before writing it on permanently.
A useful convention is permanent marks for permanent facts and marker for anything temporary.
When the reel is going back into service
Old marks are a problem: a reel marked with a previous cable length is worse than an unmarked one, because someone will believe it. Either remove old marks or mark them as superseded – crossing out is entirely adequate.
If you do not own the reels
Hired or customer-supplied reels should not be permanently marked. Use a tag or a removable label, and check whether the owner has their own marking convention before adding anything – some hire companies will charge for remarking, and some require their mark to stay visible.
Ask before marking. It is a small thing that becomes an invoice later.
What we can do
We supply custom plastic fiber optic cable reels and can supply them with moulded or printed identification that does not wear off, which removes the whole problem for permanent facts. Tell us what you need on the reel and we will say whether moulding it in is worth it at your quantity.