Search Results for optical fibers

The optical fiber preform is a long cylinder of glass that contains core and cladding glasses. This article describes the relationship between the peak furnace temperature, fiber draw tension, and fiber draw speed. It focuses on temperature requirements such as product viscosity, hot zone length, temperature profile, and heating cycle to draw the glass. The article provides information on process gases in the draw induction furnace, insulation package for induction heating operations, and furnace design and scalability. It reviews the key factors for the selection of susceptor materials, namely, cost, temperature cycling, and the impact on the product.

The large majority of the commercially important glasses are processed from a carefully calculated batch of raw materials that is then melted in special furnaces. Providing an introduction to melting practices of glass production, this article focuses on various finishing methods of glass products, including forming, grinding and polishing, and explores the advantages, disadvantages and steps involved in sol-gel process. It also discusses the types, processes and properties of annealed, laminated, and tempered glass, and presents the steps involved in glass decoration. The article gives a detailed account of production, properties and application of fiberglass, optical fibers, glass spheres and ceramic glasses, and describes the forms, classification, compositions and properties of glass/metal and glass-ceramic/metal seals.

Properly designed beam-delivery optics is essential to quality of the beam acting on the workpiece and to the economics of the manufacturing process. This article describes the design considerations of laser beam delivery optics. It also reviews the manufacturing economics and presents two case studies of typical economic environments found in laser welding applications.

Visual inspection is a nondestructive testing technique that provides a means to detect and examine a variety of surface flaws, such as corrosion, contamination, surface finish, and surface discontinuities. This article discusses the equipment used to aid visual inspection, including borescopes (rigid and flexible), optical sensors, and magnifying systems. The article discusses the special features of borescopes, the factors that influence the choice of a flexible or rigid borescope for use in a specific application, and some of the image sensors used in visual inspection.