Quartz Tube-Cleaning Process Best Practices

Fiber Process Development and Manufacturing - Ask FOC Ask FOC

Published: November 3, 2017

, Last updated: September 18, 2025

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QUESTION: Do you have any information on quartz tube-cleaning process best practices?

ANSWER:

The tube-cleaning process is a critical part of your preparation. Companies like SG Controls offer tube-cleaning machines with programmable cycles. The first ingredient needed is a high-purity source of deionized water for rinse cycles. Typically, an 18-megohm purity level of deionized (DI) water will ensure there are no impactful impurities.

Update: We cover the quartz tube-cleaning process in the Preparing to Manufacture an Optical Fiber Preform blog including a quick reference checklist.

Answered by AskFOC Technical Team: Nov 3, 2017

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Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment, materials, and supplies known for helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over three decades. Material property consultation is provided by technical experts for lapping film, epoxy, adhesives, optical coatings, and optical plastics during application specific material selection. Technical process expertise is offered in several key technology areas. Specialized expertise includes cable assembly line mastery, fiber broadband field installation best practices, and technical advancements in telecom, datacom, data centers, and hyperscale. Optical cable specification development includes design and quality testing. FOC's impact reaches the network physical capabilities through fiber manufacturing process expertise from preform fabrication and shaping, fiber drawing, and coating requirements for double clad fibers used for high power fiber laser applications to solution doping, vapor phase doping, rare earth chelates and halide recipe consultation. Fiber Optic Center is the preferred choice for the world’s fiber professionals as the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

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