WCA March 2018

Measuring devices for quality control of optical fibres in the drawing tower for a perfect fit in subsea cables By Katja Giersch, Sikora AG, Bremen, Germany

Introduction Recent studies show a growth of undersea optical fibre connections for the future. “Optical fibre is considered to be a good option to carry higher data rates over longer distances than copper cables. By 2020, an increase in subsea processing will generate more data, which will make the high bandwidth and longer transmission distances of optical fibres more attractive,” said ResearchandMarkets in its report on ‘Global Fibre Optic Connectors Market 2016-2020’. [1] We are currently observing two developments in manufacturing optical fibres. On one hand, there are countries such as China and the USA advancing further into the optical fibre market as copper cables are exchanged by optical fibres to meet the increasing demand for data transfer of more than one terabit per second. These countries have a backlog for drawing towers and are investing in new lines. On the other hand, there are manufacturers who have been producing high-quality optical fibres for many years, but who cannot keep up with the speed of modern lines. These run the optical fibre at 1,200m/min whereas state-of-the-art towers achieve 3,000m/min. Measuring devices for quality control in the drawing tower For both applications, independent of the drawing speed, there are technologies available for measuring and controlling optical fibre parameters online in the drawing tower. Continuous quality control in the drawing tower is essential to ensure high-quality optical fibres for attaining a transfer of data over long distances without losses.

❍ ❍ At different positions in the drawing tower, Sikora online measuring devices are used for quality control and process optimisation

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Wire & Cable ASIA – March/April 2018