EoW November 2013

News Technology

Keeping fibre optics totally dry Coats plc, an industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business, has made a unique enhancement to its Ultrabloc S/SC range that protects delicate fibre optic cables against the damaging effects of sea and salt water. Coats Ultrabloc S/SC is a water-swellable yarn, suitable for dry blocking in fibre optic cables. It is appropriate for use in any application that requires no mess processing and soft, uniform surfaces around the cables, such as inside and outside tube blocking, to produce completely dry cable designs. Coats Ultrabloc S is a spun super-absorbent polymer yarn, while Ultrabloc SC incorporates a polyester core for added strength. These yarns have been tested and proven to withstand temperature cycling, heat aging, and freeze/thaw testing. One of the benefits of Coats Ultrabloc is that it eliminates the need for gel inside tubes, allowing for totally dry fibre optic cables. Dry cable designs are preferred by service providers because they are lighter in weight and make installation and repair of cables much easier and more cost efficient. Coats Ultrabloc S/SC yarns have extremely smooth surfaces because they are not coated and are spun on state-of-the-art equipment for precise diameter and quality control. The smooth outer surface provides less chance of signal weakening in the cable, which can lead to loss of signal strength. Since there is no coating on the yarn there is no ‘shedding’ or ‘dusting’ during cable manufacture. Having a much cleaner procedure can save both time and money in cable processing due to reduced machine setup time and increased machine lifetime. Coats Ultrabloc S/SC is used throughout the cable industry for loose tube, ribbon, or central tube optical fibre cables and for energy/power cables. Shantanu Banerjee, managing director, global speciality, Coats plc, said: “The technological enhancements in Coats Ultrabloc S/SC are a world first for the totally dry cable market. “The range can now protect against sea water which has a damaging effect on fibre optic cables. Coats Ultrabloc S/SC is yet another example of Coats’ varied portfolio of apparel, footwear and speciality thread, yarn and zip innovations.” Coats Ultrabloc S/SC yarns are now also available on fibre reels. This allows for easy introduction and processing on existing buffer tube lines with no need for tooling or modifications to existing lines. It also allows for more precise tension control. Coats plc – UK Website : www.coats.com ▲ ▲ Coats Ultrabloc is used to protect delicate fibre optic cables against the damaging effects of sea and salt water

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November 2013