Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line Guide
An intermittent bonded ribbon production line joins fiber subunits at set intervals. This keeps 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 work in combination.
SZ Stranding Line FTTH Cable Production Line Fiber Ribbone Line
What Is An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon?
An intermittent bonded fiber ribbon groups optical fibers into small subunits. Although they remain organized for splicing, the subunits can change their shape to fit within a cable.
The Arrangement Of Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds
A coating holds 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 form 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 one fixed plane. A rollable fiber ribbon can fold between bonds while retaining fiber alignment for mass-fusion splicing. Bending and folding are supported by the discrete bonding points used in Prysmian’s FlexRibbon.
Why Flexible Ribbons Support Compact, High-Density Cables
Ribbon flexibility reduces the space it occupies inside a high-density fiber cable. This enables cable designers to fit more fibers into a compact structure while preserving an organized fiber layout.
Process And Equipment For An Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line
The intermittent bonded ribbon production process places optical fibers side by side along the ribbon’s length. Subunits are created 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
Fibers are placed beside one another according to the planned ribbon layout. The first coating material surrounds each selected group and holds its fibers together as a subunit.
Apply 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.
Create Diffusion Zones Through Wet-On-Wet Application
Wet-on-wet bonding involves depositing the bonding material before the subunit coating has cured. A diffusion zone develops as the materials diffuse through their shared interface.
Cure The Subunit Coating And Bonds Together
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.
| Process Stage | Material Or Operation | Intended Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Optical fiber arrangement | Place fibers side by side | Establish the ribbon layout |
| Subunit formation | Apply the first coating material around fiber groups | Hold two or more fibers as subunits |
| Bonding at intervals | Deposit the second material between neighboring subunits | Connect subunits at separated bond points |
| Wet-on-wet bonding interface | Apply bonds before the subunit coating cures | Enable formation of a diffusion zone between the materials |
| Combined cure | Cure coating and bonds in one step | Cure the assembled ribbon structure |
Key Production Line Stages And Process Controls
Fiber ribbon production stages take place in a set sequence. Workers arrange fibers into subunits, apply a subunit coating, add intermittent bonds between adjacent subunits, and then cure both together. The ribbon design must guide both optical fiber coating application and positioning of the bonds.
Gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits are described in example designs. Example intermittent bond spacing ranges from 10 to 1,000 millimeters. Bond deposits may have a diamond-like outline with narrow ends and a wider 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, avoid assuming any values for them.
Materials, Bond Design, And Ribbon Flexibility
Ribbon behavior during cable making and splicing depends on the chosen materials and bond layout. Coatings shield each fiber while permitting the subunits to flex as intended.
Select Compatible Coating And Bonding Materials
Subunit coatings and ribbon bonding materials have different functions, so their formulas need not be identical. Resins that mix or remain at least partly soluble can produce a gradual interface. Lower coating viscosity may also promote intermixing.
A diffusion zone forms at this interface, with properties that 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. An intermittent bond layout creates unbonded spans separating the 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 change 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 For 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. The patent does not, however, define inspection methods or acceptance limits.
Check 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 checking because shifts may change 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. Throughout the ribbon design, evaluate bond spacing and flexibility. These comparisons are design checks, not universal production tolerances.
Confirm Fiber Identification And Ribbon Configuration
Confirm each fiber’s position using fiber color coding. A common 12-color sequence is blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose, and aqua. For ribbons containing more than 12 fibers, this sequence may be repeated.
Applications, Cable Integration, And Splicing Benefits
Intermittently bonded ribbons can fold inside a cable, enabling more fibers to fit into a compact design. Prysmian says FlexRibbon supports high-density ribbon cable designs, smaller diameters, and improved 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. FusionLink uses dry water blocking and is available with 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.
Enable Mass-Fusion Splicing And Faster Deployment
Multiple ribbon fibers, often 12 at a time, are spliced 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
Ribbon cable is used in point-to-point networks, indoor FTTH systems, MTP wiring-box links, and urban trunk routes. Choosing indoor and outdoor fiber cable to suit the route matches its construction with building, aerial, and underground requirements.
Conclusion
Fiber layout, bond placement, curing, and inspection are addressed in an intermittent bonded ribbon line guide. 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 facilitate mass-fusion ribbon splicing, allowing crews to join multiple fibers at once. Prysmian describes FlexRibbon in various cable designs, including compact configurations containing up to 6,912 fibers.
Manufacturers and network planners need to manage fiber alignment, bond strength, and rollability. Achieving that balance can simplify cable packaging while keeping ribbons ready for efficient installation and splicing.