Optical fibers with melted spherical lenses of a defined size are used in particular in medical technology and laser power transmission. The Lens Forming Station (LFS) from 3SAE reproducibly makes these fiber tips. Operation is easy: Simply enter the desired diameter into the software, the LFS produces the sphere fully automatically and subsequently measures it. The production of the lens can be monitored on the display throughout the entire process.
The fiber is vertically fixed in the LFS and rotated around the longitudinal axis during the melting process: this guarantees an extremely round shape. The “ring-of-fire” melts the fiber in the plasma produced. The alloy of the electrodes ensures that no detectable impurities remain on the surface.
The precise mechanical design, the high-resolution optics, and the complex software make it possible to process fibers with glass diameters between 125 µm and 600 µm and coating diameters up to 900 µm.
Software. The software consists of an engineering mode and a user mode: In the former, programs are created for different fiber materials and diameters; in the latter (user mode), only existing programs can be selected and started.
