Strong Polymer for Optical Fiber Buffer with Appl. in Military

Jan 20, 2005 4 Replies

Hi Everyone,



I would like to know what kind of polymers are used for buffer coatings in optical fibers that meet the stringent conditions/requirements of the military.



thanks, max.



UV-cured urethane acrylate formulations comprise most primary and secondary buffer coatings, including those for mil-spec applications.

Regards R. David Zopf

Thanks.

Could you tell me which companies make these formulations and also where would I be able to find specifications of these materials. regards, max

In the Sates, DSM Desotech has a near-complete merchant-market share (such as it is, these days) on such formulations.

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Borden Chemical also sells into this market. For certain, they're very knowledgable;

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I undersand that some larger fiber optic manufacturers (Corning Cable, Lucent, etc.) have their own internal recipes.

Good luck finding specifications. My company sells a few urethane acrylate oligomers into the market, and its a total "black box" sale. You may have better luck searching for those military specifications, and have a UV formulator work up something from scratch. I never tried that route, myself (I'm quite happy just to sell raws into the business).

Regards, R. David Zopf Bomar Specialties Co.

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Cable,

Thanks David,

That was real good information. To add to that, I was also able to find out that Teflon (its derivatives) are used as buffer coatings on fibers for military applications. They are also called fibers for Harsh Environment Conditions and a company called Verrillon makes fibers for that purpose.

max.

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