EOW May 2007

compounds & coatings (for wire, cables & fibre optics)

Coating systems for optical fibres

Medek & Schörner, Austria, developed its concept for coating optical fibres with ultra- violet hardening inks in close cooperation with companies in the cable industry. Each optical fibre coating line is equipped with Medek & Schörner designed M550 high performance SOFT-curing UV irradiators. Advantages include: perfect

and lamination and extrusion are the processes most commonly used in their production. The disadvantage of lamination is its extremely low production speed, while extrusion is unsuitable for the production of micro FFCs due to the high temperatures and pressures

curing results with minimum energy load for fibre and ink; permanent irradiation control; automatic adjustment for the actual curing demand, which compensates bulb aging and quartz tube deterioration; and optimised energy consumption. The modular design allows quick and easy adaptation of the coating system for various applications, with upgrading available as the need arises, eg for ring marking, higher UV curing performance, tight buffering, screen proof test, and fibre ribbon production.

Examples of fibre ribbon applications

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Examples of adaptations of the M&S designed fibre ribbon production system include: ribbon of plastic optical fibre (POF) for automotive pedestrian protection systems; CFU (compact fibre unit): up to 12 colour-coded optical fibres gathered to form a small fibre bundle; designs for air-blown installation applications (eg FTTH); and indoor ‘fibre to the desk’ (FTTD) cables with Kevlar strength member. The M&S coating system can also be used for applications other than optical fibre, such as a new manufacturing concept for precision micro flexible flat cables (FFC). FFCs have found widespread use in the automotive and IT industries,

encountered in the extruder head, which make it impossible to maintain accurate geometrical dimensions and precise positioning. Medek & Schörner has developed a new pressureless cold process for the production of FFCs using UV cured resins, ensuring geometrical accuracy of the cable at high production speeds. The same procedure can also be employed inline with an extruder to position the individual flat cables accurately as they enter the extruder head.

Medek & Schörner GmbH – Austria Fax : +43 1 982 7296

Email : m+s@medek.at Website : www.medek.at

l Ukrainian producer of polymeric compositions

Prominvest, Ukraine, develops and manufactures polymeric compositions for the cable industry, with a product range including PVC, flame-resistant, heat-resistant and cold-resistant compounds. The company has also developed HF compounds for fire-resistant cables. The company’s laboratory is accredited by the National Agency of Accreditation of Ukraine, with conformity to the standard DCTY ISO/ IEC 17025, and has the License of ECM State Department of Ukraine for the right to carry out tests on fire safety indexes of polymeric materials and cable goods. The company actively takes part in the development of national standards of Ukraine, and has patents on in-house design in fire safe polymeric compositions.

Prominvest – Ukraine Fax : +380 57 714 35 25 Email : info@prominvest.com.ua

Website : www.prominvest.com.ua

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EuroWire – May 2007