Guide To The Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
An intermittent bonded ribbon production line joins fiber subunits at set intervals. 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. Diffusion can occur across the shared interface before the materials cure together. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon technology provides one commercial example, and the company dates its original design to 2018. These methods illustrate how optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding operate together.
Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Fiber Secondary Coating Line
What Is An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon?
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.
How Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds Are Arranged
Each neighboring pair or group of fibers is held together by a coating. These optical fiber subunits connect to neighboring subunits at separated bond points rather than along their full length. A 12-fiber design may use six two-fiber subunits. 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
A conventional flat ribbon holds its fibers in a single fixed plane. A rollable fiber ribbon can curl between bonds while retaining fiber alignment for mass-fusion splicing. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon uses compact 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 occupy less space. Cable designers can therefore accommodate more fibers in a compact structure without sacrificing an organized fiber layout.
Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line: Process And Equipment
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. A second material joins neighboring subunits at spaced points and leaves flexible sections between the bonds.
Organize Adjacent Optical Fibers Into Subunits
The planned ribbon layout determines how fibers are positioned next to one another. Each selected group becomes a subunit when the first coating material encases and holds its fibers together.
Apply Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material
The subunits are formed by fiber ribbon coating. A discrete coating applicator places bonding material between neighboring subunits at intervals rather than along their entire length.
Use Wet-On-Wet Application To Form Diffusion Zones
During wet-on-wet bonding, the subunit coating remains uncured when bonding material is applied. A diffusion zone develops as the materials diffuse through their shared interface.
Set The Subunit Coating And Bonds In One Cure
Both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds are set in one curing step. Optical fiber ribbon equipment supports these operations, although a complete equipment list, line speed, and production capacity are not specified.
| Process Stage | Material Or Action | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Optical fiber arrangement | Arrange fibers next to one another | Set the ribbon layout |
| Subunit formation | 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 | 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 | Set the assembled ribbon structure |
Key Production Line Stages And Process Controls
The fiber ribbon production stages follow a defined order. The sequence involves organizing fibers into subunits, applying a subunit coating, placing intermittent bonds between adjacent subunits, and curing the coating and bonds together. The ribbon design must guide both optical fiber coating application and placement of the bonds.
Example designs specify gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits. Example intermittent bond spacing extends from 10 to 1,000 millimeters. Some bond deposits take a diamond-like shape, narrowing at the ends and widening in the center. The disclosed examples should not be treated as fixed settings that apply to every line.
Ribbon manufacturing process control depends on the chosen material selection, bond layout, and curing method. Because the source material provides no line speeds, curing temperatures, or inspection intervals, do not presume any values for them.
Materials, Bond Design, And Ribbon Flexibility
Material selection and bond layout determine how the ribbon behaves during cable making and splicing. 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. Intermixing may also be increased by lower coating viscosity.
This interface forms a diffusion zone in which properties change gradually. The zone may differ in color, stiffness, surface friction, tear strength, or stretch. Disclosed thicknesses range from 2 to 50 micrometers, with 5 to 15 micrometers representing 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 unbonded spans separating the bond points. Intersecting convex and concave curves create the saddle shape used on some bond surfaces.
Balance Ribbon Flexibility With Fiber Organization
Unbonded spans allow the ribbon to change from a flat layout into a rolled, curled, or folded shape. 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 the spacing of bonds, subunit gaps, diffusion-zone thickness, and bond shape. The patent does not, however, define inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Inspect Bond Continuity And Subunit Alignment
Verify that intermittent bonds join adjacent subunits at the planned positions, with unbonded lengths between them. Subunit alignment and gaps require review because shifts may change ribbon shape and bond geometry.
Assess Ribbon Flexibility And Rollability
Assess ribbon rollability by examining how the ribbon bends and gathers without changing fiber order. Throughout the ribbon design, compare bond spacing and flexibility. These comparisons are design checks, not universal production tolerances.
Verify Fiber Identification And Ribbon Configuration
Confirm each fiber’s position through fiber color coding. A common 12-color sequence is blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose, and aqua. The color sequence may start again 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.
Support High-Density Cable Designs And 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 spliced in one operation through mass-fusion splicing. On compatible ribbon routes, this method can reduce splice time. When connecting to loose-tube cable, technicians split 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 covers 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.
The process involves applying bonds while the subunit coating is still uncured. Before they cure together, the materials develop a diffusion zone. Reliable fiber cable manufacturing is encouraged by careful control at every stage.
Mass-fusion ribbon splicing is also enabled by flexible ribbons, helping crews splice many fibers in one operation. 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.