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 roll into a compact cable shape. Flexible ribbon cable production is supported by this design while preserving efficient fiber handling.
In some processes, bonding material is added while the subunit coating is still uncured. The materials can diffuse 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 relationship between optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding.
Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line SZ Stranding Line Fiber Coloring Machine
What Is An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon?
Optical fibers are grouped 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.
How Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds Are Arranged
A coating secures each adjacent fiber pair or group together. These optical fiber subunits connect to neighboring subunits at spaced bond points rather than along their full length. Six two-fiber subunits may make up a 12-fiber design. Configurations can contain 4 to 36 fibers, with bonds spaced from 10 to 1,000 millimeters apart.
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 curl 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
Inside a high-density fiber cable, a flexible ribbon can take up less space. This enables cable designers to fit more fibers into a compact structure while maintaining an organized fiber layout.
Process And Equipment For An Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
Throughout an intermittent bonded ribbon production process, optical fibers are laid side by side along the ribbon’s length. A first material coats groups of two or more fibers to create subunits. Neighboring subunits are joined at separate points with a second material, leaving flexible sections between bonds.
Arrange Adjacent Optical Fibers Into Subunits
Fibers are positioned beside one another according to the planned ribbon layout. The first coating material encloses each selected group and holds its fibers together as a subunit.
Deposit Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material
Fiber ribbon coating creates the subunits. Bonding material is deposited by a discrete coating applicator between neighboring subunits at spaced intervals, not continuously along their full length.
Use Wet-On-Wet Application To Form Diffusion Zones
During wet-on-wet bonding, the subunit coating remains unset when bonding material is applied. The materials intermix across their shared interface to form a diffusion zone.
Cure The Subunit Coating And Bonds Together
A single curing step cures both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds. Optical fiber ribbon equipment performs 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 | Set the ribbon layout |
| Formation of subunits | Coat fiber groups with the first coating material | 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 interface | Apply bonds before the subunit coating cures | Allow materials to form a diffusion zone |
| Combined cure | Cure coating and bonds in one step | Cure the assembled ribbon structure |
Main 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. Optical fiber coating application and bond placement must correspond to the ribbon design.
Gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits are described in example designs. A range of 10 to 1,000 millimeters is described for intermittent bond spacing in example designs. Bond deposits may have a diamond-like outline with narrow ends and a broader center. These are disclosed examples, not fixed settings for every production line.
The selected materials, bond layout, and curing method determine ribbon manufacturing process control. Because the source material provides no line speeds, curing temperatures, or inspection intervals, do not presume any values for them.
Ribbon Flexibility, Bond Design, And Materials
Ribbon behavior during cable making and splicing depends on material choice and bond layout. Coatings shield each fiber while permitting the subunits to flex as intended.
Select Compatible Coating And Bonding Materials
Because subunit coatings and ribbon bonding materials serve separate 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 promote intermixing.
This interface forms a diffusion zone in which properties change 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.
Control Bond Placement, Spacing, And Geometry
Bond spacing controls where fiber subunits stay connected and where they can move freely. An intermittent bond layout creates unconnected spans separating the bond points. Some bond surfaces have a saddle shape made by intersecting convex and concave curves.
Maintain Fiber Organization While Balancing Ribbon Flexibility
Between bonds, unbonded spans let a flat ribbon move into a rolled, curled, or folded form. During cable installation, a flexible fiber ribbon can flex without disrupting the fiber organization needed for splicing.
Quality Checks For Consistent Ribbon Production
Instead of using assumed pass limits, dependable fiber ribbon quality checks focus on defined features. Design factors named in the patent include bond spacing, subunit gaps, diffusion-zone thickness, and bond shape. However, it does not establish inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Check 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 shifts can affect 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. Compare bond spacing and flexibility across the overall ribbon design. Treat these comparisons as design checks rather than universal 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 widely used 12-color sequence. For ribbons containing more than 12 fibers, this sequence may repeat.
Cable Applications, Integration, And Splicing Benefits
Intermittently bonded ribbons can roll inside a cable, enabling more fibers to fit into a compact design. Prysmian says FlexRibbon supports high-density ribbon cable designs, smaller diameters, and better fiber duct utilization.
Enable High-Density Cable Designs And Better Duct Utilization
Prysmian offers FusionLink and MassLink with FlexRibbon in indoor, outdoor, and indoor/outdoor designs. 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. FlexDrop is a small-diameter outdoor option that accommodates up to two 12-fiber ribbons.
Enable Mass-Fusion Splicing And Faster Deployment
Multiple ribbon fibers, often 12 at a time, are joined in one operation through mass-fusion splicing. This approach may shorten splice time where ribbon routes are compatible. When connecting to loose-tube cable, technicians separate ribbon fibers and individually splice them with 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 match cable construction with the needs of buildings, aerial runs, and underground installations.
Final Conclusions
An intermittent bonded ribbon line guide brings together 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.
In this process, bonds are placed before the subunit coating cures. Before they cure together, the materials develop a diffusion zone. Careful control throughout the process helps maintain reliable fiber cable manufacturing.
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 various cable designs, including compact configurations with up to 6,912 fibers.
Manufacturers and network planners need to balance fiber alignment, bond strength, and rollability. Achieving that balance can simplify cable packaging while keeping ribbons ready for efficient installation and splicing.