Selecting the right epoxies and adhesives and using them properly is essential for ensuring long-term product reliability. In addition to the strong, reliable, and durable bonds they provide, protection of optical fibers, connectors, and components are just as critical...
"How do I know what curing schedule I should use?” This is a common question that fiber optic cable assembly houses ask – and it’s a particularly good question. Why? When our customers ask this question, it tells us they are focusing on a critical aspect of...
When fiber optic cable assembly manufacturers ask us to help troubleshoot their epoxy curing issues, we find that some problems stem from improper mixing of epoxy. Other problems arise from lax cleaning procedures or improper dispensing of epoxy...
Too often, the process of bonding optical fiber to a ferrule – the epoxy step – is treated as an afterthought in fiber optic cable assembly houses. However, this is an extremely critical step in the assembly process, since it is a major factor in determining...
The glass transition, Tg, is the temperature at which cured epoxies go from being rigid and glassy to being rubbery and more flexible. Most of us think of cured epoxies as being pretty hard (Shore D) materials; and they are, due to the crosslinked nature of their...
In the fiber optic cable assembly process, working with epoxy generates a lot of questions. When I visit fabrication facilities, we discuss the finer points of mixing the material, loading syringes, minimizing waste, heat-treating crystallized epoxy, and...
For fiber optic cable assembly manufacturers, bi-packs of 2.5-gram and 4-gram are typical package sizes for epoxy. While these packages contain a very small amount of material, they support the fabrication of quite a few cable connectors and assemblies.
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My foundational advice: Start with the general guidelines, then take time to test and adjust. In the following paragraphs, I present general guidelines to answer the above questions. Use these as starting points. Since everyone’s application is different, the...
Fiber Optic Center has made a change to our epoxy packaging, and I want to inform you of this beneficial change. Plus, as I reflected on this topic, I thought about the fact that I field a lot of “how-to” questions from my customers about using epoxy bi-packs.
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During a recent visit to a customer’s production facility, I was shown two containers of crystallized epoxy: one looked milky, one was nearly solid. My customer was understandably concerned and feared the epoxy had “gone bad.” It may sound strange, but I was...
If we had a nickel for every time we are asked “Why are epoxy bi-packs 2.5 grams?”
Fiber Optic Center provides epoxy in two-part bi-packs that are typically 2.5 grams. While 2.5 grams might seem small, some modern-day applications are very small, and relatively...
