Recoating
Encyclopedia
Recoating is the process of restoring the primary coating to stripped optical fiber
sections after fusion splicing
. In the recoating process, the spliced fiber is restored to its original shape and strength, using a recoater. The stripped fiber section is recoated by filling a recoating resin, usually acrylate
into transparent moulds. The resin is then cured with UV
light. It is often desirable to perform a proof-test after recoating, to ensure that the splice is strong enough to survive handling, packaging and extended use.
Recoated splices can usually be coiled into a tight radius because the recoated fiber section is just as flexible as the original polymer
coating
. Recoats are e.g. employed in the assembly of undersea optical fiber cables where high fusion splice
strength is already necessitated by stringent reliability requirements. Another reason optical fiber
recoating is attractive in submarine communications cabling
is that the cross section of recoated fibers matches that of the original fiber.
The first commercial optical fiber recoaters were developed by the Swedish
firms Nyfors Teknologi AB
and LM Ericsson in the late 1980s for the telecommunications industry.
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
sections after fusion splicing
Fusion splicing
Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as...
. In the recoating process, the spliced fiber is restored to its original shape and strength, using a recoater. The stripped fiber section is recoated by filling a recoating resin, usually acrylate
Acrylate
The acrylate ion is the ion of acrylic acid.Acrylates are the salts and esters of acrylic acid. They are also known as propenoates ....
into transparent moulds. The resin is then cured with UV
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
light. It is often desirable to perform a proof-test after recoating, to ensure that the splice is strong enough to survive handling, packaging and extended use.
Recoated splices can usually be coiled into a tight radius because the recoated fiber section is just as flexible as the original polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
coating
Optical coating
An optical coating is one or more thin layers of material deposited on an optical component such as a lens or mirror, which alters the way in which the optic reflects and transmits light. One type of optical coating is an antireflection coating, which reduces unwanted reflections from surfaces, and...
. Recoats are e.g. employed in the assembly of undersea optical fiber cables where high fusion splice
Fusion splicing
Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as...
strength is already necessitated by stringent reliability requirements. Another reason optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
recoating is attractive in submarine communications cabling
Submarine communications cable
A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....
is that the cross section of recoated fibers matches that of the original fiber.
The first commercial optical fiber recoaters were developed by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
firms Nyfors Teknologi AB
Nyfors
Nyfors Teknologi AB is a high-end supplier of advanced optical fiber handling equipment, based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company develops and manufactures equipment used in optical fiber fusion splicing, including products for stripping and preparation, testing and analysing and fiber end-face...
and LM Ericsson in the late 1980s for the telecommunications industry.
See also
- Fusion splicingFusion splicingFusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as...
- Stripping (fiber)Stripping (fiber)Stripping is the act of removing the protective polymer coating around optical fiber in preparation for fusion splicing. The splicing process begins by preparing both fiber ends for fusion, which requires that all protective coating is removed or stripped from the ends of each fiber...
- Optical communicationOptical communicationOptical communication is any form of telecommunication that uses light as the transmission medium.An optical communication system consists of a transmitter, which encodes a message into an optical signal, a channel, which carries the signal to its destination, and a receiver, which reproduces the...
- Optical fiberOptical fiberAn optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
- Cleave (fiber)Cleave (fiber)A cleave in an optical fiber is a deliberate, controlled break, intended to create a perfectly flat endface, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fiber...
- Fiber optic communications