Optical fibres are extremely fine threads of flexible, transparent glass with a circular cross section. While optical fibre is employed in a number of industries, its main use is for telecommunication cables. It consists of an inner “core” and an outer “cladding”, both essentially composed of silica (SiO2) which is the main constituent of everyday glass.
UV technology is an essential component in the ultra-high speed production of optical fibres. Since the fibre is so thin (125µm diameter), it requires an external polymer coating before it can be processed. The coating makes the fiber flexible, resistant to mechanical stress, and enables it to be properly inked and cabled.
UV technology has made another fundamental contribution to his field: The use of colour-coded UV inks to mark and identify the finished optical fibre. Since the UV-cured inks are resistant to chemical attack, they are not degraded by the cabling gels used during the production of optical fibre cables.