Guide To The Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
An intermittent bonded ribbon production line connects fiber subunits at set intervals. This keeps fibers in an organized arrangement for mass-fusion splicing while letting the ribbon roll or fold into a compact cable shape. Flexible ribbon cable production is supported by this design while preserving efficient fiber handling.
In some processes, bonding material is added while the subunit coating is still uncured. The materials can diffuse across their interface and cure together. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon technology provides one commercial example, and the company dates its original design to 2018. These methods illustrate how optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding operate together.
Fiber Coloring Machine Fibers In Stainless Steel Tube Fiber Ribbone Line
Understanding What An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon Is
Optical fibers are arranged into small subunits in an intermittent bonded fiber ribbon. Although they remain organized for splicing, the subunits can adjust their shape to fit within a cable.
How Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds Are Arranged
Each neighboring pair or group of fibers is held together by a coating. These optical fiber subunits connect to neighboring subunits at spaced bond points rather than along their full length. Six two-fiber subunits may make up a 12-fiber design. Configurations can contain 4 to 36 fibers, with bonds spaced from 10 to 1,000 millimeters apart.
Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
How Rollable Ribbons Differ From Conventional Flat Ribbons
A conventional flat ribbon keeps its fibers in a single fixed plane. A rollable fiber ribbon can fold between bonds while retaining fiber alignment for mass-fusion splicing. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon uses compact bonding points to permit bending and folding.
How Flexible Ribbons Enable Compact, High-Density Cables
Inside a high-density fiber cable, a flexible ribbon can occupy less space. This enables cable designers to fit more fibers into a compact structure while preserving an organized fiber layout.
Process And Equipment For An Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
The intermittent bonded ribbon production process places optical fibers side by side along the ribbon’s length. Subunits are created when a first material coats groups containing two or more fibers. Neighboring subunits are joined at separate points with a second material, leaving flexible sections between bonds.
Organize Adjacent Optical Fibers Into Subunits
The planned ribbon layout determines how fibers are arranged next to one another. Each selected group becomes a subunit when the first coating material surrounds and holds its fibers together.
Deposit Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material
The subunits are formed by fiber ribbon coating. Bonding material is deposited by a discrete coating applicator between neighboring subunits at spaced intervals, not continuously along their full length.
Use Wet-On-Wet Application To Form Diffusion Zones
Wet-on-wet bonding involves depositing the bonding material before the subunit coating has cured. The materials diffuse across their shared interface to form a diffusion zone.
Set The Subunit Coating And Bonds In One Cure
Both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds are set in one curing step. Although optical fiber ribbon equipment is used for these operations, the complete equipment list, line speed, and production capacity remain unspecified.
| Process Stage | Material Or Operation | Intended Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber arrangement | Arrange fibers next to one another | Establish the ribbon layout |
| Subunit formation | Apply the first coating material around fiber groups | Keep groups of two or more fibers together as subunits |
| Intermittent bonding | Apply the second material between adjacent subunits | Connect subunits at separated bond points |
| Wet-on-wet interface | Apply bonds before the subunit coating cures | Enable formation of a diffusion zone between the materials |
| Joint curing step | Cure coating and bonds in one step | Cure the assembled ribbon structure |
Key Production Line Stages And Process Controls
Fiber ribbon production stages take place in a specific sequence. Workers arrange fibers into subunits, apply a subunit coating, add intermittent bonds between adjacent subunits, and then cure both together. Optical fiber coating application and bond placement must match the ribbon design.
Gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits are given in example designs. Example intermittent bond spacing ranges from 10 to 1,000 millimeters. Bond deposits may have a diamond-like outline with narrow ends and a wider center. These are disclosed examples, not fixed parameters for every production line.
Ribbon manufacturing process control depends on the chosen material selection, bond layout, and curing method. Because the source material provides no line speeds, curing temperatures, or inspection intervals, do not presume any values for them.
Materials, Bond Design, And Ribbon Flexibility
Material selection and bond layout determine how the ribbon behaves during cable making and splicing. Coatings protect each fiber while permitting the subunits to flex as intended.
Select Compatible Coating And Bonding Materials
Because subunit coatings and ribbon bonding materials serve different roles, they do not have to share the same formula. Resins that mix or remain at least partly soluble can form a gradual interface. Lower coating viscosity may also promote intermixing.
A diffusion zone forms at this interface, with properties that vary gradually. Differences in colour, stiffness, surface friction, tear strength, or stretch may occur within this zone. The disclosed thickness range is 2 to 50 micrometers, while 5 to 15 micrometers is given as a narrower range.
Control Bond Placement, Spacing, And Geometry
Where subunits remain joined or move freely is governed by bond spacing. An intermittent bond layout creates unbonded spans separating the bond points. Some bond surfaces have a saddle shape made by intersecting convex and concave curves.
Maintain Fiber Organization While Balancing Ribbon Flexibility
Between bonds, unbonded spans let a flat ribbon transform into a rolled, curled, or folded form. During cable installation, a flexible fiber ribbon can bend without disrupting the fiber organization needed for splicing.
Quality Checks For Consistent Ribbon Production
Reliable fiber ribbon quality checks evaluate defined features rather than relying on assumed pass limits. The patent identifies design factors such as bond spacing, subunit gaps, diffusion-zone thickness, and bond shape. However, it does not establish inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Check Bond Continuity And Subunit Alignment
Verify that intermittent bonds join adjacent subunits at the planned positions, with unbonded lengths between them. Subunit alignment and gaps require review because shifts may change ribbon shape and bond geometry.
Evaluate Ribbon Flexibility And Rollability
To evaluate ribbon rollability, observe whether it bends and gathers while keeping fibers in their original order. Throughout the ribbon design, compare bond spacing and flexibility. These comparisons are checks of the design, not universal production tolerances.
Verify Fiber Identification And Ribbon Configuration
Confirm each fiber’s position through fiber color coding. Blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose, and aqua make up a common 12-color sequence. The color sequence may repeat when a ribbon has more than 12 fibers.
Cable Applications, Integration, And Splicing Benefits
By rolling within a cable, intermittently bonded ribbons allow more fibers in a compact design. Prysmian says FlexRibbon supports high-density ribbon cable designs, smaller diameters, and better fiber duct utilization.
Enable High-Density Cable Designs And Better Duct Utilization
For indoor, outdoor, and indoor/outdoor applications, Prysmian offers FusionLink and MassLink with FlexRibbon. FusionLink uses dry water blocking and is available with 250 μm or 200 μm ribbon. Under NESC Heavy loading conditions, EcoSpan aerial cable can support spans of up to 300 feet. FlexDrop is a small-diameter outdoor option that accommodates up to two 12-fiber ribbons.
Support Mass-Fusion Splicing And Quicker Deployment
Mass-fusion splicing connects several ribbon fibers in a single operation, often 12 at once. This approach may shorten splice time where ribbon routes are compatible. For loose-tube cable connections, technicians separate the ribbon fibers and splice them one by one using a single-fiber splicer.
Review Indoor, Outdoor, Access, And Broadband Applications
Ribbon cable is used in point-to-point networks, indoor FTTH systems, MTP wiring-box links, and urban trunk routes. Selecting indoor and outdoor fiber cable for each route helps match cable construction with the needs of buildings, aerial runs, and underground installations.
Conclusion
An intermittent bonded ribbon line guide covers fiber layout, bond placement, curing, and inspection. The result is a flexible optical fiber ribbon that remains organized during handling yet can roll or fold into compact cable designs.
The process involves depositing bonds while the subunit coating is still uncured. Before they cure together, the materials form a diffusion zone. Careful control throughout the process supports reliable fiber cable manufacturing.
Flexible ribbons also facilitate mass-fusion ribbon splicing, allowing crews to join multiple fibers at once. FlexRibbon is described by Prysmian as suitable for multiple cable designs, including compact configurations with up to 6,912 fibers.
Manufacturers and network planners need to balance fiber alignment, bond strength, and rollability. Achieving that balance can ease cable packaging while keeping ribbons ready for efficient installation and splicing.