The perfect addition to our components: Effective December 1, 2013, we will be introducing new product lines into our range of fiber optic products. This includes tools for processing special optical fibers up to 1.2 mm in diameter.
We will be offering products across the entire production chain – from the removal of coatings to the cleaning, cleaving, and polishing of bare fibers to low-attenuation connection via splicing. The corresponding products will be introduced over the course of the next few issues.
One of the most interesting technologies is the Ring of Fire®: Patented by 3SAE, this process is used to gently remove polyimide coatings and splice fibers up to 2.5 mm in diameter. Using the S184PM splicer from our partner FITEL, thick, nonsymmetrical fibers (e.g. octagonal or PM fibers) can also be spliced.
The splicing of PCF fibers can also be carried out using the S183PM. PCF fibers and fibers with different diameters require special splicing programs that are optimized to correspond exactly to the scale, structure, and doping of the fibers to be spliced. Once they have been obtained, they function reproducibly. In the FITEL splicers, many fiber combinations have already been programmed and are continually updated. Especially in the field of laser development, many different dopings and structures are used and the development of fibers is progressing rapidly.
The challenge to splicing a PCF is keeping the thermal impact along the fiber to an absolute minimum. The advantage of a fusion splicer with electrodes compared to splicers with filaments becomes apparent here. The reproducibility is excellent!
Do you have any questions? Contact Dr. Manzke directly and profit from her many years of experience; she will provide efficient support in the search for custom solutions.
Good to Know!
Ring-of-Fire®
In Ring of Fire® technology, three electrodes are used to produce a plasma that has a particularly even temperature distribution. It is used, for example, to melt glass fibers. Compared to conventional designs using two electrodes, this plasma volume is 100 times larger.
Using Ring of Fire® technology, larger volumes of glass can be evenly heated and processed – this is a prerequisite for processing large diameter fibers (LDFs).
This technology does not require the use of a protective gas atmosphere. Therefore, the glass surface remains virtually clean: Undesired deposits do not develop on the surface.
