E!2689 OFFULA, Optical fiber fabrication using lasers, Nyfors Teknologi AB

Purpose and goal

We intend to build a compact and energy efficient fiber drawing machine using a laser-based heat source. This method allows us to reduce the size of a traditional drawing tower of several meters, to a table-top device. The tool will significantly reduce power requirements and reduce waste during the fiber fabrication. The procurement costs of this machine will also be significantly reduced.

Expected effects and result

We expect to be able to manufacture and handle completely new soft glass optical fibers and most likely also crystals. This is expected to expand the market of specialty fibers and its many applications. We belive it is important to be able to fabricate optical fibers from different materials than the standard silicate glasses that are fabricated in present drawing towers. We also expect that our method will allow many new industries and users to develop new optical fibers because our method will drastically reduce the procurement and operational costs.

Planned approach and implementation

We intend to replace the furnace of a traditional draw tower with a CO2 laser. This wavelength is absorbed by nearly all glasses. To heat with laser light offers several advantages compared to a draw tower. i) If the heat comes from a flame or a nearby hot filament, it is challenging to keep contaminants away from the delicate fiber. ii) The intensity of a laser can be regulated much quicker and accurately than the temperature of a furnace. iii) The laser can be focused to a much smaller spot compared to the size of a furnace. This will allow us to reduce the size of the draw tower significantly.