HOW TO PREPARE ROLLABLE FIBER RIBBONS FOR SPLICING
Guide To The Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
An intermittent bonded ribbon production line connects fiber subunits at set intervals. This maintains fibers in an organized arrangement for mass-fusion splicing while letting the ribbon roll or fold into a compact cable shape. The design enables flexible ribbon cable production without compromising efficient fiber handling.
Some processes apply bonding material before the subunit coating cures. The materials can diffuse across their interface and cure together. One commercial example is Prysmian’s FlexRibbon technology, whose original design the company says dates to 2018. These methods illustrate how optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding operate together.
Fiber Cable Sheathing Line Fibers In Stainless Steel Tube Fiber Ribbone Line
What Is An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon?
An intermittent bonded fiber ribbon groups optical fibers into small subunits. The subunits stay organized for splicing while remaining able to change shape to sit inside a cable.
How Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds Are Arranged
Each adjacent pair or group of fibers is held together by a coating. Instead of joining along their entire length, these optical fiber subunits are linked to neighboring subunits at spaced bond points. A 12-fiber design may include six two-fiber subunits. Configurations can contain 4 to 36 fibers, with bonds spaced from 10 to 1,000 millimeters apart.
Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
Differences Between Rollable Ribbons And Conventional Flat Ribbons
In a conventional flat ribbon, the fibers remain in a single fixed plane. A rollable fiber ribbon can curl between bonds while retaining fiber alignment 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
Ribbon flexibility limits the space it occupies inside a high-density fiber cable. Cable designers can therefore fit more fibers in a compact structure without sacrificing an organized fiber layout.
Process And Equipment For An Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
Throughout an intermittent bonded ribbon production process, optical fibers are arranged 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.
Arrange 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 surrounds and holds its fibers together.
Deposit Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material
The subunits are formed by fiber ribbon coating. Bonding material is applied 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
Wet-on-wet bonding involves applying the bonding material before the subunit coating has cured. A diffusion zone develops as the materials intermix through their shared interface.
Set The Subunit Coating And Bonds In One Cure
Both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds are cured in one curing step. Optical fiber ribbon equipment performs these operations, although a complete equipment list, line speed, and production capacity are not specified.
| Production Stage | Material Or Action | Intended Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Optical fiber arrangement | Arrange fibers next to one another | Establish the ribbon layout |
| Formation of subunits | Coat fiber groups with the first coating material | Keep groups of two or more fibers together as subunits |
| Bonding at intervals | Deposit the second material between neighboring subunits | Connect subunits at separated bond points |
| Wet-on-wet interface | Apply bonds before the subunit coating cures | Allow materials to form a diffusion zone |
| Combined cure | Set the coating and bonds together in one step | Set the assembled ribbon structure |
Main Production Line Stages And Process Controls
The fiber ribbon production stages follow a defined order. The sequence involves arranging fibers into subunits, applying a subunit coating, placing intermittent bonds between adjacent subunits, and curing the coating and bonds together. Optical fiber coating application and bond placement must match the ribbon design.
Example designs specify gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits. A range of 10 to 1,000 millimeters is specified for intermittent bond spacing in example designs. Bond deposits may have a diamond-like outline with narrow ends and a broader center. The disclosed examples should not be treated as fixed settings that apply to every line.
The selected materials, bond layout, and curing method influence ribbon manufacturing process control. 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 formed by resins that intermix or remain at least partly soluble. Lower coating viscosity may also promote intermixing.
This interface creates a diffusion zone in which properties change gradually. The zone may differ in color, stiffness, surface friction, tear strength, or stretch. The disclosed thickness range is 2 to 50 micrometers, while 5 to 15 micrometers is identified as a narrower range.
Control Bond Placement, Spacing, And Geometry
Where subunits remain linked or move freely is governed by bond spacing. Intermittent bond geometry leaves unbonded spans between bond points. Intersecting convex and concave curves form the saddle shape used on some bond surfaces.
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 flexes during cable installation while keeping fibers organized for splicing.
Quality Checks To Maintain Consistent Ribbon Production
Reliable fiber ribbon quality checks evaluate 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. However, it does not establish inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Inspect Bond Continuity And Subunit Alignment
Verify that intermittent bonds join adjacent subunits at the intended 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
To evaluate ribbon rollability, watch 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
Use fiber color coding to confirm the position of each fiber. 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
For indoor, outdoor, and indoor/outdoor applications, Prysmian offers FusionLink and MassLink with FlexRibbon. 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. As a small-diameter outdoor option, FlexDrop can support up to two 12-fiber ribbons.
Support Mass-Fusion Splicing And Quicker Deployment
Multiple ribbon fibers, often 12 at a time, are joined in one operation through mass-fusion splicing. 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.
Review Indoor, Outdoor, Access, And Broadband Applications
Ribbon cable is used in 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 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 develop a diffusion zone. Careful control throughout the process supports reliable fiber cable manufacturing.
Flexible ribbons also support mass-fusion ribbon splicing, allowing crews to join multiple fibers at once. FlexRibbon is described by Prysmian as suitable for various cable designs, including compact configurations with up to 6,912 fibers.
For manufacturers and network planners, the priority is to coordinate fiber alignment, bond strength, and rollability. This balance may make cable packaging easier while ensuring ribbons remain prepared for efficient installation and splicing.