Flexible Mould Technology

Silicone mould technology by NYFORS

Recoating with silicone moulds offers the user flexibility and high-quality results. It enable the creation of specialized recoating shapes for demanding applications such as undersea optical fiber cable production and high power components manufacturing.

NYFORS introduces a family of recoating products based on an innovative solution with interchangeable silicone moulds. Recoating with soft silicone moulds instead of conventional quartz moulds as in many competing solutions, offers important advantages from both a recoating quality and an industrial manufacturing point of view.

Switching between recoating of different fiber diameters is made convenient since the silicone moulds can be interchanged by the operator in less than a minute. This means that the same recoating system can be rapidly reconfigured for different recoating applications and requirements. Realignment of the recoater following a mould change is not needed since the fiber is automatically centered and aligned by the silicone mould itself, which features a fiber cavity that matches the original fiber coating diameter. The result is a perfectly round and concentric recoating with the same outer diameter as the original coating.

Due to their flexibility and extremely precise manufacturing process, silicone moulds offer the ability to control recoating diameter and create specialized recoating shapes for different applications. Standard silicone moulds for NYFORS recoaters produce recoatings with an outer diameter that closely matches the original fiber coating. Additionally, the mould and mould holder design also allow for the creation of undersized recoatings, with a cross section slightly smaller than the original fiber coating, or for overcoatings with a larger diameter that overlaps the original coating at each end of the recoated fiber section.

Undersize recoatings are useful in applications where the spliced and recoated fiber must go through a secondary process, such as colour coating of a long submarine optical fiber. A silicone mould with a reduced size fiber cavity of e.g. 245 µm can be useful here to ensure a smooth and even coating surface that meets a tight diameter specification.

Recoatings with a larger diameter that overlaps the primary coating at each end of the recoated section are useful for other applications, for instance overcoating moulds that match common double clad coating diameters are available.

Finally, recoating with silicone moulds reduces the amount of micro bubbles close to the interface with the original coating, which is a well-known problem with conventional quartz mould recoaters.

Standard mould cavity diameters range from 165 µm to 900 µm and larger diameter moulds are available upon request. Moulds can also be customized upon request. Two different mould lengths, 34 mm and 55 mm, are available with standard manual and automatic recoaters while the extended length recoater accommodates moulds of 110 mm length too.