The Specialty Photonics Division of OFS Fitel, LLC (OFS SPD) has announce the launch of a new design tool for engineers. The easy to reference desk chart provides "at a glance" properties of a wide range of materials that OFS SPD offers for optical fiber coatings, buffers and cables. Materials are rated for temperature range, resistance to chemicals, abrasion, radiation, and UV light as well as flame retardance.
"Designing a fiber or cable for harsh environment applications can be a daunting bit of work," explains Cathy Ciardiello, OFS SPD market Manager for Government, Aerospace, Defense. "Many applications require the end product to be able to survive multiple adverse conditions. Starting with a fiber that may have exceptional optical properties, the challenge is to choose the right coatings, buffers and cabling materials and apply them to the correct thickness, to protect the fiber and achieve the required reliability over the lifetime of the product."
RELATED STORY: Specifying the right outdoor communications connectors
Ciardiello continues, "Demand for products which exceed the requirements of standard telecommunications fiber and cable exists across markets, from defense to medical to industrial to windpower to oil and gas. For engineers tasked with working up a design to meet their project's special requirements, reference to this design tool can bring clarity before and during discussion with the OFS SPD technical staff."
The handy reference chart is intended for use with the OFS SPD Coatings, Buffers and Cabling Materials brochure which provides additional information on these materials. Stop by OFS booth #2201 at Photonics West 2011 to pick up a copy of both.
For more information, visit www.ofsoptics.com and www.specialtyphotonics.com.