Fibre Optic Cable Assembly Components & Accessories

We offer all of the individual components needed to assemble your own fibre optic cable assemblies.
Fibre core sizes of 100, 200, 400, 600 & 1000μm are available with either polyimide or aluminium buffers.
Premium stainless steel SMA 905 connectors and UHV compatible epoxy used in conjunction with our polishing supplies and consumables allow custom configurations of cable assemblies to be manufactured at your own facilities.

UHV Multimode Step-Index Polyimide Buffer Fibre

Polyimide buffer fiber is ideally suited for UHV environments and made with step index high-OH silica core for UV/VIS and low-OH silica core for VIS/NIR, doped silica cladding, and a polyimide buffer with a concentricity of ±3μm. Fibre is step-index and has a numerical aperture of 0.22 ± 0.02 and a full acceptance  cone angle of 24.8°. This fiber is supplied non-terminated. Each fiber end is cleaved and NOT polished.
Optical fiber has been proof tested to 100 kpsi.

UHV Multimode Step-Index Aluminium Buffer Fibre

Aluminium buffer fibre is ideally suited for UHV environments and made with step index high-OH silica core for UV/VIS and low-OH silica core for VIS/NIR, doped silica cladding, and an aluminium buffer. Fibre is stepindex and has a numerical aperture of 0.22 ± 0.02 and a full acceptance cone angle of 24.8°.
Aluminium buffered silica/doped silica fibres are the latest technology to enable fibre optics to be used in some of the most harsh and extreme environments known, including UHV applications. This metalized fibre technology has the strongest adhesion of all fibre optic cables. It creates a hermetically sealed fibre and  can withstand the highest temperatures of any fibre.
This fibre is supplied non-terminated. Each fibre end is cleaved and NOT polished.

SMA 905 Fibre Optic Connectors

SMA 905 fibre optic connectors are used to terminate UHV and air service fiber optic cables. These connectors mate with corresponding buffer/fibre type as detailed previously. Use of a coupler is required to mate with fibre optic feedthroughs found previously in this catalogue.
SMA 905 connectors are made with stainless steel ferrules and bodies for UHV environments.

Fibre Optic Jacketing

PEEK, stainless steel and silver-plated copper braid are ideally suited for use as fibre optic cable jacketing for UHV and other applications.

The braided design facilitates ease of pump down. All materials used in manufacturing these braids are UHV compatible.
PEEK & PTFE cable wraps for bundling cables together are also available, please see Section 9.1 of this catalogue, Vacuum Accessories.

Polishing & Lapping Equipment

We can supply a range of polishing and lapping equipment for those who wish to manufacture their own fibre optic cables. Please contact our sales office for further details.

Polishing Plate : Made from safety glass with all corners and edges rounded. A hard flat surface is required for polishing fibre optic connectors.
SMA Polishing Puck : Holds an SMA 905 connector in place for polishing. The puck is factiory set to produce the correct ferrule length after polishing.
Fibre Scribe : Is a professional tool utilizing a carbide tipped 30° wedge and is ideal for scribing fibres to produce a clean cleave on the fibre.
Inspection Scope : Is a 100x magnification scope that features a low cost design that is perfect for inspecting fibre optic terminations during and after the polishing process.
Bare Fibre Chuck : Is ideally suited to hold an SMA bare fibre holder in place during the polishing proceedure.
Bare Fibre Polishing Holder : Is substituted for an actual connector during the polishing process. Choose from 4 sizes to correspond with the fibre size that you are polishing.
Bare Fibre Polishing Complete Kit : Is offered for users who wish to have a complete set of holders and chuck.
Plastic Safety Glasses : A must when cutting or scribing fibre.
Fibre Optic Trash Can : Is a small desktop trash can used for the disposal of small fibre scraps. This is the safest method of disposing of fibre scraps.
Vinyl Polishing Work Mat : Is black in colour to help locate loose fibre scraps that can become lodged in ones skin if not disposed of properly.
Fibre Optic Tweezers : Have a low slip resin coated tip to help hold and pick up fibre optic scraps, etc. May also be used for splinter removal.
High Temperature UHV Compatible Epoxy : Is supplied in single, two part, 4g packs eliminating the need for measuring and cup mixing. Ideally suited for UHV environments to 1×10-10 Torr and operating temperatures of 250°C and up to 400°C for brief periods.
Piano Wire : Is ideally suited to push into connectors where a fibre has broken off inside of the connector during the polishing process.