WCA July 2013

New glass and processing system

Fujikura Europe, a manufacturer of fibre optic cables and equipment, showcased the first commercially available glass and processing system, the LZM-100 LAZERMaster, in Munich in May. Exclusively developed and manufactured by Fujikura’s global research and development team, the LZM-100 uses a CO 2 laser heat source to perform splicing, adiabatic tapering, end-capping and other glass-shaping operations. It is also involved with fibre laser component development; such as for pump combiners and mode-field adaptors. CO 2 laser heating has been designed to enable cleaner splicing with no contamination, electrode or filament maintenance and instability is eliminated. A typical CO 2 laser has an output power fluctuation of ±5 per cent that produces inconsistent splicing results and may cause irregularity and ripple in a taper profile. The LZM-100 patent-pending laser power stability feature allows stable laser output, enabling highly repeatable processes and very smooth taper profiles. With an integrated closed-loop feedback system and real-time measurement function, both splice loss and peak-to-peak taper ripple are greatly reduced. “The LAZERMaster TM is a unique customised CO 2 laser splicing and glass processing system that will help decrease costs by improving performance and productivity,” said Roy Higgins, deputy managing director. “The specialised CO 2 laser brings many advantages to the market such as clean and stabilised CO 2 laser heat source and advanced feedback control techniques. “With a significant trend in the industry towards the increased use of fibre lasers and high power delivery

systems, the LZM-100 can be adopted into the technically advanced markets such as the fibre laser industry, bio-medical applications, military and defence and more.” The LZM-100 uses a Warm Tapering Imaging (WTI) monitoring system for precise control of heating power. The WTI brightness level is captured in real time during the tapering and the value is used to adjust the CO 2 laser output power to a level appropriate for the decreasing mass of a fibre as it is tapered to a smaller diameter. The LAZERMaster TM has specially designed onboard firmware enabling operations to be performed automatically, manually or remotely through a PC. It has large diameter fibre splicing capabilities up to 2.3mm and long tapering capabilities up to 150mm, and beam size and shape can be customised to meet specific requirements to enable it to be used for fused glass component development and mass scale production. Fujikura Europe – UK Website : www.fujikura.co.uk ❍ ❍ The new LZM-100 LAZERMaster from Fujikura

The September issue of Wire & Cable ASIA features company profiles of exhibitors at wire SE Asia – send your editorial now to david@intras.co.uk

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Wire & Cable ASIA – July/August 2013