Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line Guide
At defined intervals, an intermittent bonded ribbon production line joins fiber subunits. Fibers remain organized for mass-fusion splicing, while the ribbon can fold 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. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon technology provides one commercial example, and the company dates its original design to 2018. Together, these methods demonstrate the connection between optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding.
Fiber Secondary Coating Line SZ Stranding Line Fiber Draw Tower
Understanding What An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon Is
An intermittent bonded fiber ribbon organizes optical fibers into small subunits. Although they remain organized for splicing, the subunits can change their shape to fit within a cable.
The Arrangement Of Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds
Each neighboring pair or group of fibers is held together by a coating. These optical fiber subunits connect to neighboring subunits at spaced bond points rather than along their full length. Six two-fiber subunits may form 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
Differences Between Rollable Ribbons And Conventional Flat Ribbons
In a conventional flat ribbon, the fibers remain in one fixed plane. Between bonds, a rollable fiber ribbon can curl without losing the fiber alignment needed for mass-fusion splicing. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon uses small bonding points to permit bending and folding.
How Flexible Ribbons Enable Compact, High-Density Cables
Inside a high-density fiber cable, a flexible ribbon can take up less space. Cable designers can therefore accommodate 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. Neighboring subunits are joined at separate points with a second material, leaving flexible sections between bonds.
Organize Adjacent Optical Fibers Into Subunits
Fibers are positioned beside one another according to the planned ribbon layout. The first coating material surrounds each selected group and holds its fibers together as a subunit.
Deposit Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material
The subunits are formed by fiber ribbon coating. Bonding material is deposited by a discrete coating applicator between neighboring subunits at spaced intervals, not continuously along their full length.
Create Diffusion Zones Through Wet-On-Wet Application
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.
Set The Subunit Coating And Bonds In One Cure
A single curing step cures both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds. Although optical fiber ribbon equipment is used for these operations, the complete equipment list, line speed, and production capacity are not provided.
| Process Stage | Material Or Operation | Intended Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Optical fiber arrangement | Arrange fibers next to one another | Set the ribbon layout |
| Formation of subunits | Apply the first coating material around fiber groups | Keep groups of two or more fibers together as subunits |
| Bonding at intervals | Apply the second material between adjacent subunits | Connect subunits at separated bond points |
| Wet-on-wet interface | Apply bonds before the subunit coating cures | Enable formation of a diffusion zone between the materials |
| Combined cure | Set the coating and bonds together in one step | Set the assembled ribbon structure |
Key Production Line Stages And Process Controls
Fiber ribbon production stages take place in a specific sequence. 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.
Example designs specify gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits. Example intermittent bond spacing ranges from 10 to 1,000 millimeters. Bond deposits may have a diamond-like outline with narrow ends and a wider center. The disclosed examples should not be interpreted as fixed settings that apply to every line.
Ribbon manufacturing process control depends on the chosen materials, bond layout, and curing method. The source material does not specify line speeds, curing temperatures, or inspection intervals, so these values must not be assumed.
Materials, Bond Design, And Ribbon Flexibility
Ribbon behavior during cable making and splicing depends on the chosen materials and bond layout. Each fiber is protected by coatings that still allow the subunits to flex as designed.
Choose Compatible Coating And Bonding Materials
Because subunit coatings and ribbon bonding materials serve different roles, they do not have to share the same formula. A gradual interface can be created by resins that intermix or remain at least partly soluble. Lower coating viscosity may also encourage intermixing.
A diffusion zone forms at this interface, with properties that vary gradually. Differences in color, stiffness, surface friction, tear strength, or stretch may occur within this zone. The disclosed thickness range is 2 to 50 micrometers, while 5 to 15 micrometers is given as a narrower range.
Manage Bond Placement, Spacing, And Geometry
Where subunits remain joined or move freely is governed by bond spacing. Intermittent bond geometry leaves unbonded spans between bond points. Some bond surfaces have a saddle shape made by intersecting convex and concave curves.
Balance Ribbon Flexibility With Fiber Organization
Unbonded spans allow the ribbon to shift from a flat layout into a rolled, curled, or folded shape. A flexible fiber ribbon design bends during cable installation while keeping fibers organized for splicing.
Quality Checks For Consistent Ribbon Production
Reliable fiber ribbon quality checks measure defined features rather than relying on assumed pass limits. The patent identifies design factors such as bond spacing, subunit gaps, diffusion-zone thickness, and bond shape. The patent does not, however, provide inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Check Bond Continuity And Subunit Alignment
Check that intermittent bonds join adjacent subunits at planned locations and leave unbonded lengths between connections. Subunit alignment and gaps require checking because shifts may change ribbon shape and bond geometry.
Evaluate Ribbon Flexibility And Rollability
To evaluate ribbon rollability, observe whether it bends and gathers while keeping fibers in their original order. Throughout the ribbon design, evaluate bond spacing and flexibility. Treat these comparisons as design checks rather than general production tolerances.
Verify Fiber Identification And Ribbon Configuration
Confirm each fiber’s position using fiber color coding. Blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose, and aqua make up a common 12-color sequence. The color sequence may repeat when a ribbon has more than 12 fibers.
Cable Applications, Integration, And Splicing Benefits
Intermittently bonded ribbons can roll 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. FusionLink uses dry water blocking and is available with 250 μm or 200 μm ribbon. Under NESC Heavy loading conditions, EcoSpan aerial cable can support spans of up to 300 feet. FlexDrop is a small-diameter outdoor option that accommodates up to two 12-fiber ribbons.
Support Mass-Fusion Splicing And Quicker Deployment
Mass-fusion splicing connects several ribbon fibers in a single operation, often 12 at once. On compatible ribbon routes, this method can reduce splice time. When connecting to loose-tube cable, technicians separate ribbon fibers and individually splice them with a single-fiber splicer.
Consider Indoor, Outdoor, Access, And Broadband Uses
Applications for ribbon cable include point-to-point network links, indoor FTTH systems, MTP wiring-box links, and urban trunk routes. Choosing indoor and outdoor fiber cable to suit the route aligns its construction with building, aerial, and underground requirements.
Final Conclusions
An intermittent bonded ribbon line guide brings together fiber layout, bond placement, curing, and inspection. The process produces a flexible optical fiber ribbon that stays organized for handling while rolling or folding into compact cable designs.
In this process, bonds are applied before the subunit coating cures. Before they cure together, the materials form a diffusion zone. Reliable fiber cable manufacturing is encouraged by careful control at every stage.
Flexible ribbons also facilitate mass-fusion ribbon splicing, allowing crews to join multiple fibers at once. Prysmian describes FlexRibbon in various cable designs, including compact configurations containing up to 6,912 fibers.
For manufacturers and network planners, the priority is to balance fiber alignment, bond strength, and rollability. Achieving that balance can ease cable packaging while keeping ribbons ready for efficient installation and splicing.
