Guide To The Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
At defined intervals, an intermittent bonded ribbon production line joins fiber subunits. Fibers remain organized for mass-fusion splicing, while the ribbon can roll into a compact cable shape. Flexible ribbon cable production is supported by this design while maintaining efficient fiber handling.
Some processes deposit bonding material before the subunit coating cures. The materials can intermix across their interface and cure together. One commercial example is Prysmian’s FlexRibbon technology, whose original design the company says dates to 2018. These methods illustrate how optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding operate together.
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What Is An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon?
Optical fibers are arranged into small subunits in an intermittent bonded fiber ribbon. The subunits stay organized for splicing while remaining able to change shape to fit inside a cable.
The Arrangement Of Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds
A coating secures each adjacent fiber pair or group together. Instead of joining along their entire length, these optical fiber subunits are linked to neighboring subunits at spaced bond points. Six two-fiber subunits may make up a 12-fiber design. The configurations range from 4 to 36 fibers, and bond spacing ranges from 10 to 1,000 millimeters.
Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
How Rollable Ribbons Differ From Conventional Flat Ribbons
In a conventional flat ribbon, the fibers remain in a single fixed plane. Between bonds, a rollable fiber ribbon can fold without losing the fiber alignment needed for mass-fusion splicing. Bending and folding are supported by the small bonding points used in Prysmian’s FlexRibbon.
Why Flexible Ribbons Support Compact, High-Density Cables
Ribbon flexibility reduces the space it occupies inside a high-density fiber cable. Cable designers can therefore fit more fibers in a compact structure without sacrificing an organized fiber layout.
Process And Equipment For An Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
The intermittent bonded ribbon production process aligns optical fibers side by side along the ribbon’s length. Subunits are formed when a first material coats groups containing two or more fibers. A second material joins neighboring subunits at spaced points and leaves flexible sections between the bonds.
Organize Adjacent Optical Fibers Into Subunits
The planned ribbon layout determines how fibers are positioned next to one another. The first coating material encloses each selected group and holds its fibers together as a subunit.
Apply Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material
The subunits are created by fiber ribbon coating. A discrete coating applicator deposits bonding material between neighboring subunits at intervals rather than along their entire length.
Use Wet-On-Wet Application To Form Diffusion Zones
Wet-on-wet bonding involves applying the bonding material before the subunit coating has cured. A diffusion zone develops as the materials diffuse through their shared interface.
Cure The Subunit Coating And Bonds Together
A single curing step cures both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds. Optical fiber ribbon equipment supports these operations, although a complete equipment list, line speed, and production capacity are not specified.
| Process Stage | Material Or Action | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber arrangement | Place fibers side by side | Establish the ribbon layout |
| Subunit formation | Apply the first coating material around fiber groups | Hold two or more fibers as subunits |
| Bonding at intervals | Apply the second material between adjacent subunits | Join subunits at spaced points |
| Wet-on-wet bonding interface | Deposit bonds while the subunit coating remains uncured | Enable formation of a diffusion zone between the materials |
| Joint curing step | Set the coating and bonds together in one step | Cure the assembled ribbon structure |
Main Production Line Stages And Process Controls
The fiber ribbon production stages proceed in a defined order. Workers arrange fibers into subunits, apply a subunit coating, add intermittent bonds between adjacent subunits, and then cure both together. The ribbon design must guide both optical fiber coating application and positioning of the bonds.
Gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits are described in example designs. Example intermittent bond spacing extends from 10 to 1,000 millimeters. Some bond deposits take a diamond-like shape, tapering at the ends and widening in the center. These are disclosed examples, not fixed parameters for every production line.
The selected materials, bond layout, and curing method influence ribbon manufacturing process control. 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 shield each fiber while permitting the subunits to flex as intended.
Select Compatible Coating And Bonding Materials
Subunit coatings and ribbon bonding materials have different functions, so their formulas need not be identical. Resins that mix or remain at least partly soluble can produce a gradual interface. Intermixing may also be increased by lower coating viscosity.
This interface forms a diffusion zone in which properties change gradually. The zone may differ in color, stiffness, surface friction, tear strength, or stretch. The disclosed thickness range is 2 to 50 micrometers, while 5 to 15 micrometers is identified as a narrower range.
Manage Bond Placement, Spacing, And Geometry
Where subunits remain linked or move freely is governed by bond spacing. Intermittent bond geometry provides unbonded spans between bond points. Intersecting convex and concave curves create the saddle shape used on some bond surfaces.
Maintain Fiber Organization While Balancing Ribbon Flexibility
Unbonded spans allow the ribbon to shift from a flat layout into a rolled, curled, or folded shape. During cable installation, a flexible fiber ribbon can bend without disrupting the fiber organization needed for splicing.
Quality Checks To Maintain Consistent Ribbon Production
Reliable fiber ribbon quality checks measure defined features rather than relying on assumed pass limits. Design factors named in the patent include the spacing of bonds, subunit gaps, diffusion-zone thickness, and bond shape. However, it does not specify inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Inspect Bond Continuity And Subunit Alignment
Verify that intermittent bonds join adjacent subunits at the planned positions, with unbonded lengths between them. Review subunit alignment and gaps because movement can affect ribbon shape and bond geometry.
Evaluate Ribbon Flexibility And Rollability
To evaluate ribbon rollability, watch whether it bends and gathers while keeping fibers in their original order. Throughout the ribbon design, compare bond spacing and flexibility. Treat these comparisons as design checks rather than 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 widely used 12-color sequence. The color sequence may start again when a ribbon has more than 12 fibers.
Cable Applications, Integration, And Splicing Benefits
Intermittently bonded ribbons can fold inside a cable, enabling more fibers to fit into a compact design. According to Prysmian, FlexRibbon enables high-density ribbon cable designs with 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. Dry water blocking is used in FusionLink, which comes with either 250 μm or 200 μm ribbon. EcoSpan aerial cable supports spans of up to 300 feet under NESC Heavy loading conditions. As a small-diameter outdoor option, FlexDrop can hold up to two 12-fiber ribbons.
Enable Mass-Fusion Splicing And Faster Deployment
Multiple ribbon fibers, often 12 at a time, are spliced in one operation through mass-fusion splicing. This approach may reduce 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
Applications for ribbon cable include 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 align 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 applying bonds while the subunit coating is still uncured. The materials create a diffusion zone before curing together. Reliable fiber cable manufacturing is encouraged by careful control at every stage.
Mass-fusion ribbon splicing is also enabled by flexible ribbons, helping crews splice many fibers in one operation. 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. This balance may make cable packaging simpler while ensuring ribbons remain prepared for efficient installation and splicing.