Cable rarely fails where it was damaged — it fails later, somewhere else, after the damage has had time to grow. Bend discipline during installation is the cheapest reliability money buys.
Know the two radii
Datasheets state a pulling radius and an installed radius, and the pulling number is always larger. The difference matters at duct mouths, tray drops and the last metre into the panel — exactly the places where crews improvise. Mark both numbers on the pull plan and the argument on site is already settled.
Build the bends before the pull
Corner rollers, sweeping tray bends and generous duct sweeps hold the radius mechanically, so nobody has to hold it by judgement at hour seven of a pull. Where a route cannot respect the radius, the route is wrong — re-plan the route rather than re-educate the cable.
Watch tension and temperature
Sidewall pressure at bends rises with pulling tension, and jackets stiffen in the cold. Long pulls want measured tension and lubricant; winter pulls want cable stored somewhere warm the night before. Both cost minutes and save re-pulls.
Leave slack where service happens
A service loop at panels and junction points lets future maintenance re-terminate without stretching a straightened bend. The neatest installation is not the tightest one — it is the one that can be worked on in ten years without cutting anything.
