Epoxy De-gassing:
When a two-part epoxy is mixed, it is very likely now filled with many small air bubbles. These bubbles MUST be removed prior to injection into a ferrule (production lines commonly use centrifuges or vacuum chambers to remove gasses / bubbles trapped within the epoxy after mixing). Any air-bubbles or voids trapped within the cured epoxy may cause excessive stresses on the fiber during the product’s life cycle (most commonly due to changes in temperature, which will cause the gasses trapped in the bubbles to expand much more than the surrounding epoxy). Such stresses can lead to significantly reduced performance or even product failure. And once again—it is IMPOSSIBLE to detect the presence of such bubbles inside the ferrule after the product has been cured.
READ THE BLOG: The processes involved in Termination play a CRITICAL role in determining the long-term reliability of the product
- Additional resources from the FOC team include:
- Category Resource FOC Epoxy Page
- View the Glossary, Acronyms, Military Specifications for Connectors
- Q&A Resource: email technical questions to AskFOC@focenter.com
Have questions about this FOC Tip?
Contact FOC with questions at: (800) 473-4237 / 508-992-6464 or email: FiberOpticCenter@focenter.com and we will respond ASAP.