| AutoCoater - Automatic fiber recoater with the lowest cost per recoating |
AutoCoater™ |
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About the AutoCoater™
The AutoCoater is used to protect splices of acrylate coated optical fibers. The emphasis is on high productivity low cost per recoating and operator independence in factory environments. The AutoCoater is designed for High Strength applications.
The mould can be exchanged in seconds; no alignment is required after exchanging the mould. The fiber will be automatically centered when inserted into the mould. Moulds are available in different sizes to cover a range of coating diameters and can be made to customer specification. The mould can typically be used more than 50 times*.
A specially designed halogen lamp is used as light source. The lamp is moveable and scans the portion to be cured. The spot of the lamp is about 6 mm. Any 6 mm length will be cured in about 10 to 20 seconds depending on the properties of the resin. The acrylate is cured through the walls of the transparent mould. The typical curing time is 15 to 60 seconds depending on the type of resin and the length of the recoated part. The automatic tensile strength tester works for forces up to 20 N. The level of strength, pulling rate and time at the maximum force can be preset.
The linear clamps are carefully designed so that the primary coating is not flattened. Two adjustable clamping forces are available. The strongest force will only be applied during the tensile strength test.
The standard clamp is designed for diameters of 250 to 900 µm. No adjustments need to be made to the clamps or the AutoCoater when changing the recoating diameter within this range. The clamps contain an insert that can be exchanged in seconds if a different coating diameter is required. No adjustments will be necessary.
* 25 times per injection point
Technical Data for the AutoCoater™
Power: 12 DC, 7A
Mould length: 40 mm
Curing time: 1 – 120 s
Tensile test: 1 – 20 N
Resolution: 0,1 N
Pulling speed: 10 – 100 mm/min
Weight: 3,5 Kg
Dimensions: 320x200x120 (mm)