CONSULTING SERVICES
Preform Fabrication
Fiber Optic Center, Inc. (FOC) offers preform fabrication consulting services to manufacturers of specialty optical preforms and fibers.
guidance selecting the right MCVD fabrication system for your needs
post-installation troubleshooting to meet exacting product specs
developing custom solutions
training personnel
writing standard operating procedures (SOPs)
A unique and particularly valuable service at FOC is troubleshooting expertise to overcome the many preform fabrication and fiber draw issues manufacturers face when producing specialty optical fibers.
Consultation
Areas
INCLUDE, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- Fiber Process Development Assistance
- Preform fabrication by MCVD
- MCVD Systems for Preform Production
- Fiber Draw
- Fiber Optic Draw Towers for Research & Development
- Polymer Fiber Draw Towers
- Fiber Optic Draw Towers for High Volume Production
- Soft Glass Fiber Draw Towers
- Proof Test Equipment and Rewind Systems
- Gas bulk storage cabinets
- Process gas driers
- Specialized gas handling systems
- Fiber Measurements
- Rare earth doped fibers/process development using MCVD and halide precursors
- Rare earth doped preform measurements
- Rare earth doped fiber measurements
- Optical Fiber Preform
Consultation
Areas
Meet
Larry Donalds
Larry DonaldsSpecialty Optical Fiber Expert, Process Development and Manufacturing Consultant
Mobile: 612-402-5171
Bio
Larry Donalds is Fiber Optic Center Fiber Design and Manufacturing Consultant, Specialty Optical Fiber Expert, bringing more than 35 years of experience from 3M Company in St. Paul, MN, after recently retiring. During his time with 3M Company, he spent 24 years in the development and manufacture of specialty optical fiber utilizing “voice of the customer,” helping 3M design and produce optical fibers to meet specific customer applications and performance criteria.
Projects included the development and production of PM, PZ, EDFA (Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier) fiber, radiation-hardened fiber for gyroscopes, solution doping of preforms, patent development for Oxyfluoride Erbium fiber, organometallic rare earth deposition and a rare earth single mode fiber bend and position sensor.
In his fiber position at 3M, Larry maintained and operated MCVD equipment from SG Controls Ltd of Cambridge, England, whom FOC has represented in North America for over 25 years. Larry has achieved several awards during his career including 3M Golden Step Award, Photonics Circle of Excellence Award, R&D 100 Award, 3M Circle of Technical Excellence Awards in 1983, 2001 and 2008 and the 3M Ideation Challenge award in 2017.
Specific Areas of Expertise
- Fiber Draw
- Fiber Optic Draw Towers for High Volume Production
- Preform fabrication by MCVD
- MCVD Systems for Preform Production
- Proof Test Equipment and Rewind Systems
- Gas bulk storage cabinets
- Process gas driers
- Specialized gas handling systems
- Optical Fiber Preform
Meet
Richard Tumminelli
Richard TumminelliRare Earth Doped Optical Fiber Expert, Process Development and Manufacturing Consultant
Mobile: 508-397-7632
Bio
Richard Tumminelli is Fiber Optic Center Fiber Design and Manufacturing Consultant, Rare Earth Doped Optical Fiber Expert. Rick retired from the position of Director of Engineering at the Coherent fiber site in Salem, NH, and has been working in the field of rare earth doped optical fiber for 40 years. Prior to that position, he managed the specialty fiber group at JDS Uniphase, specializing in double clad fibers for fiber lasers and erbium doped fiber.
Richard also held positions in the optics group at Draper Laboratories, and was a member of the Polaroid fiber optic team under the direction of Dr. Elias Snitzer, which did much of the seminal work in rare earth doped fibers, fiber lasers and amplifiers.
He is a co-inventor of double clad fiber laser pumping, has been granted 22 patents and has 20 publications in fiber lasers and amplifiers.
- Fiber Design Assistance
- Fiber Optic Draw Towers for Research & Development
- Fiber Optic Draw Towers for High Volume Production
- Drawing of Large Diameter Shaped Fibers
- Drawing Fibers with Low Index Coatings
- Soft Glass Fiber Draw Towers
- Fiber Measurements
- Rare earth doped fibers/process development using MCVD with halide or chelate precursors
- Preform Fabrication by MCVD
- Preform Fabrication by Shaping, Assembling and Sleeving
- Rare earth doped preform measurements
- Rare earth doped fiber measurements
View the Fiber Process Development and Manufacturing library
Blog Articles
View the Fiber Process Development and Manufacturing library
Tips, Q&A, News
Explore the Fiber Optic Center Technical Content Library for
Answers to Your Most Pressing Fiber Process Development and Manufacturing Questions
Search a comprehensive database of resources, including technical papers, best practices, tips, FAQs, and more.
technical papers
Download now: Specialty and Polarization-Maintaining Fibers Explained
- Specialty Fiber Explained – “Discusses the wide range of specialty fibers, and special issues encountered in the preform and draw process.”
- Optical Fiber Draw Towers: Procedures For Drawing Specialty Fibers – “Focuses on the second part of the optical fiber manufacturing process.”
- Polarization-Maintaining Fibers Explained – “Discusses polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers and the various approaches used to make them.”
download now: Optical Fiber Preform Preparation, Design and Control
- Controlling the Optical Fiber Preform Deposition Process
- Preparing to Manufacture an Optical Fiber Preform
- Critical Design Goals to Manufacture Optical Fiber Preforms
- Attention specialty fiber manufacturers: Take advantage of FOC’s preform fabrication consulting to troubleshoot your system and achieve reproducibility and high yields
download now: Doped Fiber Technology
- Rare Earth Doped Fibers – “The evolution of the main processes for making doped fiber preforms.”
- Thulium-Doped Fibers – “Using thulium to handle rare-earth dopants during MCVD preform fabrication.”
- Fabricating Doped Fiber Preforms – “Making doped fiber preforms with halide-process MCVD core rods.”
download now: MCVD Comparisons, Options and Tips
- Comparing the 2 types of MCVD gas delivery systems to manufacture optical preforms: Stainless steel and Teflon/glass
- MCVD Options: These add-on features can enhance your optical fiber preform strength, yield, and reproducibility
- MCVD Tips: 14 ideas to enhance preform strength, yield, and reproducibility
Browse our complete product line for cable assembly production, services, additional fiber applications and specialty applications, by clicking links below.
Cable Assembly Production
Additional Fiber Applications
and Specialty Applications
Browse our complete product line for cable assembly production, services, additional fiber applications and specialty applications, by clicking links below.
Cable Assembly Production
Additional Fiber Applications
and Specialty Applications
