Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line Guide

At set intervals, an intermittent bonded ribbon production line joins fiber subunits. Fibers remain organized for mass-fusion splicing, while the ribbon can fold into a compact cable shape. The design enables flexible ribbon cable production without compromising efficient fiber handling.

Some processes apply bonding material before the subunit coating cures. The materials can intermix across their interface and cure together. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon technology provides one commercial example, and the company dates its original design to 2018. Together, these methods demonstrate the connection between optical fiber ribbon manufacturing and fiber optic bonding.

Fiber Secondary Coating Line
Fibers In Stainless Steel Tube
Fiber Ribbone Line

What Is An Intermittent Bonded Fiber Ribbon?

An intermittent bonded fiber ribbon groups optical fibers into small subunits. Although they remain organized for splicing, the subunits can adjust their shape to fit within a cable.

The Arrangement Of Fiber Subunits And Intermittent Bonds

Each neighboring pair or group of fibers is held together by a coating. Instead of joining along their entire length, these optical fiber subunits are connected to neighboring subunits at spaced bond points. A 12-fiber design may use six two-fiber subunits. Configurations can contain 4 to 36 fibers, with bonds spaced from 10 to 1,000 millimeters apart.

Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line

Differences Between Rollable Ribbons And Conventional Flat Ribbons

In a conventional flat ribbon, the fibers remain in one fixed plane. A rollable fiber ribbon can fold between bonds while retaining fiber alignment for mass-fusion splicing. Prysmian’s FlexRibbon uses small bonding points to permit bending and folding.

Why Flexible Ribbons Support Compact, High-Density Cables

Ribbon flexibility reduces the space it occupies inside a high-density fiber cable. This enables cable designers to fit more fibers into a compact structure while maintaining an organized fiber layout.

Intermittent Bonded Ribbon Production Line: Process And Equipment

The intermittent bonded ribbon production process places optical fibers side by side along the ribbon’s length. A first material coats groups of two or more fibers to create subunits. Neighboring subunits are joined at spaced points with a second material, leaving flexible sections between bonds.

Arrange Adjacent Optical Fibers Into Subunits

The planned ribbon layout determines how fibers are arranged next to one another. The first coating material encloses each selected group and holds its fibers together as a subunit.

Deposit Subunit Coating And Intermittent Bonding Material

The subunits are formed by fiber ribbon coating. Bonding material is applied by a discrete coating applicator between neighboring subunits at spaced intervals, not continuously along their full length.

Create Diffusion Zones Through Wet-On-Wet Application

Wet-on-wet bonding involves applying the bonding material before the subunit coating has cured. A diffusion zone develops as the materials diffuse through their shared interface.

Set The Subunit Coating And Bonds In One Cure

Both the subunit coating and the intermittent bonds are set in one curing step. Although optical fiber ribbon equipment is used for these operations, the complete equipment list, line speed, and production capacity are not provided.

Production Stage	Material Or Operation	Intended Purpose
Optical fiber arrangement	Place fibers side by side	Establish the ribbon layout
Subunit formation	Coat fiber groups with the first coating material	Keep groups of two or more fibers together as subunits
Bonding at intervals	Apply the second material between adjacent subunits	Connect subunits at separated bond points
Wet-on-wet bonding interface	Deposit bonds while the subunit coating remains uncured	Allow materials to form a diffusion zone
Joint curing step	Cure coating and bonds in one step	Set the assembled ribbon structure

Key Production Line Stages And Process Controls

The fiber ribbon production stages proceed in a defined order. Workers arrange fibers into subunits, apply a subunit coating, add intermittent bonds between adjacent subunits, and then cure both together. The ribbon design must guide both optical fiber coating application and positioning of the bonds.

Example designs specify gaps of 5 to 100 micrometers between subunits. A range of 10 to 1,000 millimeters is described for intermittent bond spacing in example designs. Some bond deposits take a diamond-like shape, tapering at the ends and widening in the center. These are disclosed examples, not fixed parameters for every production line.

Ribbon manufacturing process control depends on the chosen materials, bond layout, and curing method. Because the source material provides no line speeds, curing temperatures, or inspection intervals, do not presume any values for them.

Materials, Bond Design, And Ribbon Flexibility

Material selection and bond layout determine how the ribbon behaves during cable making and splicing. Each fiber is protected by coatings that still allow the subunits to flex as designed.

Choose Compatible Coating And Bonding Materials

Because subunit coatings and ribbon bonding materials serve separate roles, they do not have to share the same formula. A gradual interface can be formed by resins that intermix or remain at least partly soluble. Intermixing may also be increased by lower coating viscosity.

A diffusion zone forms at this interface, with properties that vary gradually. The zone may differ in color, stiffness, surface friction, tear strength, or stretch. The disclosed thickness range is 2 to 50 micrometers, while 5 to 15 micrometers is identified as a narrower range.

Control Bond Placement, Spacing, And Geometry

Bond spacing controls where fiber subunits stay connected and where they can move freely. An intermittent bond layout creates unbonded spans separating the bond points. Some bond surfaces have a saddle shape made by intersecting convex and concave curves.

Balance Ribbon Flexibility With Fiber Organization

Between bonds, unbonded spans let a flat ribbon transform into a rolled, curled, or folded form. A flexible fiber ribbon design bends during cable installation while keeping fibers organized for splicing.

Quality Checks For Consistent Ribbon Production

Instead of using assumed pass limits, dependable fiber ribbon quality checks focus on defined features. The patent identifies design factors such as bond spacing, subunit gaps, diffusion-zone thickness, and bond shape. The patent does not, however, provide inspection methods or acceptance limits.

Check Bond Continuity And Subunit Alignment

Check that intermittent bonds connect adjacent subunits at planned locations and leave unbonded lengths between connections. Subunit alignment and gaps require review because shifts may change ribbon shape and bond geometry.

Evaluate Ribbon Flexibility And Rollability

Assess ribbon rollability by examining how the ribbon bends and gathers without changing fiber order. Throughout the ribbon design, evaluate bond spacing and flexibility. Treat these comparisons as design checks rather than general production tolerances.

Confirm Fiber Identification And Ribbon Configuration

Confirm each fiber’s position through fiber color coding. Blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose, and aqua make up a common 12-color sequence. For ribbons containing more than 12 fibers, this sequence may repeat.

Applications, Cable Integration, And Splicing Benefits

Intermittently bonded ribbons can fold inside a cable, enabling more fibers to fit into a compact design. According to Prysmian, FlexRibbon enables high-density ribbon cable designs with smaller diameters and more effective fiber duct utilization.

Support High-Density Cable Designs And Duct Utilization

Prysmian offers FusionLink and MassLink with FlexRibbon in indoor, outdoor, and indoor/outdoor designs. Dry water blocking is used in FusionLink, which comes with either 250 μm or 200 μm ribbon. EcoSpan aerial cable supports spans of up to 300 feet under NESC Heavy loading conditions. As a small-diameter outdoor option, FlexDrop can hold up to two 12-fiber ribbons.

Enable Mass-Fusion Splicing And Faster Deployment

Multiple ribbon fibers, often 12 at a time, are joined in one operation through mass-fusion splicing. This approach may shorten splice time where ribbon routes are compatible. For loose-tube cable connections, technicians separate the ribbon fibers and splice them one by one using a single-fiber splicer.

Review Indoor, Outdoor, Access, And Broadband Applications

Applications for ribbon cable include point-to-point networks, indoor FTTH systems, MTP wiring-box links, and urban trunk routes. Choosing indoor and outdoor fiber cable to suit the route aligns its construction with building, aerial, and underground requirements.

Final Conclusions

Fiber layout, bond placement, curing, and inspection are addressed in an intermittent bonded ribbon line guide. The process produces a flexible optical fiber ribbon that stays organized for handling while rolling or folding into compact cable designs.

In this process, bonds are placed before the subunit coating cures. Before they cure together, the materials form a diffusion zone. Careful control throughout the process helps maintain reliable fiber cable manufacturing.

Flexible ribbons also support mass-fusion ribbon splicing, allowing crews to join multiple fibers at once. Prysmian describes FlexRibbon in various cable designs, including compact configurations containing up to 6,912 fibers.

Manufacturers and network planners need to manage fiber alignment, bond strength, and rollability. This balance may make cable packaging simpler while ensuring ribbons remain prepared for efficient installation and splicing.