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The key ingredient is the company’s technical skill in assimilating the tooling and processes necessary to produce the parts within the volume amount and timeline contracted. Custom products continually evolve and the need for good problem-solving and troubleshooting skills is important.

With custom cable assemblies look for a supplier with good tooling and termination capabilities because they are essential in this product area. Good cables start and end with good crimps and terminations. Good crimps are not inspected-in; therefore, the manufacturing and quality assurance process controls must be solid. Crimp heights must be measured and pull tests completed. In-process controls need to be audited and monitored.

If you have a broad product range, and an extensive backroom of termination tooling, this prevents you from having to pay for new application tooling amortized into the price for the cable assemblies. The result will be a corresponding increase in quality because correct tooling will be used. The Achilles` heel in this industry is good crimps; they start with properly applied tooling and consistent manufacturing process controls.

The focus for interconnect cable assembly suppliers must be on their core manufacturing competencies, material supply chain and management depth. There needs to be a good fit from “womb to tomb.” As interconnects become smaller and higher performance, there will be an increasing need for strategic partnerships.

Within the electronics industry, discrete wire and custom round cable assemblies are the primary cable assembly types. Material costs for cable assemblies are typically 50 percent of the selling price of the product, and labor costs and gross margins are 25 percent. With this in mind, the primary focus to achieve cost savings and predictable delivery performance should be on material management; labor becomes secondary.

Fiber Optic

Fiber optic connectors have traditionally been the biggest concern in using fiber optic systems. While connectors were once unwieldy and difficult to use, connector manufacturers have standardized and simplified connectors greatly. This increasing user-friendliness has contributed to the increase in the use of fiber optic systems; it has also taken the emphasis off the proper care and handling of optical connectors

Fiber-to-fiber interconnection can consist of a splice, a permanent connection, or a connector, which differs from the splice in its ability to be disconnected and reconnected. Fiber optic connector types are as various as the applications for which they were developed. Different connector types have different characteristics, different advantages and disadvantages, and different performance parameters. But all fiber optic cable connectors have the same four basic components.

• The Ferrule
o The fiber is mounted in a long, thin cylinder, the ferrule, which acts as a fiber alignment mechanism. The ferrule is bored through the center at a diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the fiber cladding. The end of the fiber is located at the end of the ferrule. Ferrules are typically made of metal or ceramic, but they may also be constructed of plastic.
• The Connector Body
o Also called the connector housing, the connector body holds the ferrule. It is usually constructed of metal or plastic and includes one or more assembled pieces which hold the fiber in place. The details of these connector body assemblies vary among connectors, but bonding and/or crimping is commonly used to attach strength members and cable jackets to the connector body. The ferrule extends past the connector body to slip into the coupling device.
• The Cable
o The cable is attached to the connector body. It acts as the point of entry for the fiber. Typically, a strain-relief boot is added over the junction between the cable and the connector body, providing extra strength to the junction.
• The Coupling Device
o Most fiber optic connectors do not use the male-female configuration common to electronic connectors. Instead, a coupling device such as an alignment sleeve is used to mate the connectors. Similar devices may be installed in fiber optic transmitters and receivers to allow these devices to be mated via a connector. These devices are also known as feed-through bulkhead adapters.

Article Source: www.indexed-articles.com

Georgia Silva is an expert of cable assemblies and fiber optics.

Editor’s Note: Our thanks to Georgia Silva for this article.

Fiber Optics In The Real World

by James Croydon -

 Optic fibers are used widely in the medical field for diagnosing and treating a variety of ailments. Because optic fibers can be made extremely thin and made into flexible strands, they can be used for insertion into blood vessels, lungs and other parts of the body. Optic fibers have been enabling physicians to look and work inside the body through tiny incisions with an instrument called an Endoscope. An Endoscope is a medical instrument made to carry two bundles of optic fibers inside one long tube. One bundle of optic fiber directs light at the tissue being examined, while the other bundle of optic fiber transmits light reflected from the tissue, producing a detailed image. Endoscopes may be designed to look into specific areas of the human body. For example, physicians can use the optic fibers in the Endoscope to examine knees, shoulders and other joints in the body.

Arthroscopy (pronounced ahr-THROS-kuh-pee) is a technique of using another medical instrument called the Arthroscope. This instrument is straight and cylinder-like with a series of lenses and optic fiber bundles that come in sizes of 1/12 to 1/5 inch (2 to 5 millimeters.) The Arthroscope is used to examine a joint in a body, such as knee joints, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. This is done by the Arthroscope being inserted into a joint of the body through a small incision. A light is then transmitted by the use of the optic fibers to the tip of the Arthroscope to illuminate the joint. The use of optic fiber through the Arthroscope enables a physician to thoroughly examine a joint for diagnosis or treatment.

Optic fibers used in the Arthroscope can be used to measure temperature and other bodily attributes as well as being used in performing surgical procedures. The problem most commonly treated by Arthroscopy is torn cartilage in the knee. This is when a small incision is made at the joint for use of the optic fiber in the Arthroscope and then a second incision is made for the use of other surgical instruments to remove the cartilage. The primary advantage of using optic fibers through Arthroscopic surgery is that the operation can be performed through a small incision, resulting in the patient experiencing the least amount of discomfort and a healing time that is much shorter, when compared to the other methods of surgery.

Aside from the uses of the Endoscopes and the Arthroscopes, another widely used function of optic fibers in the medical field is the ability for the optical fibers to be inserted into blood vessels to give a quick and accurate analysis of blood chemistry. Physicians have also found medical use of the optical fibers to direct intense laser light at a wound to stop bleeding or to burn away abnormal tissue. Fiber optic training is necessary in the field of medicine. The use of optic fiber through medical science continues to grow rapidly to everyday to develop more new and advanced medical devices to enable physicians to provide people with better service.

James Croydon: Fiber Network Engineer and Fiber Cable expert - focusing on Fiber Optic Light Source and Fiber Optic Test Equipment

Article Source: http://www.articlegarden.com

Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a series of articles by experts in the field of Fiber Optics.

Fiber optic pool lighting came from the ability of the optics to remove the light source from a possibly hazardous environment.  While there were watertight lights for pools long before fiber optics, they were bulky, and it was always difficult to change a burned-out bulb.  Fiber optics made it possible to not only distance the electricity from the water, but also made changing the bulb a much simpler proposition.

The Future is Here with Fiber Optic Pool Lights

The liquid environment of the swimming pool or spa has always presented certain problems to the designer.  Using electricity near water always does, but that is not the only concern.  All lights generate heat and the brighter the light the higher the heat. 

A Solution For The Heat

The nature of the electricity demands that a bulky fixture be used to separate the light source from the water so that a connection can never be made.  This usually involves some sort of glass lens held by a metal frame, and then the light has to be of a rather high wattage to shine through the water.  It is only natural that a great deal of heat builds up in the lens and frame.  The problem here is that if too much heat builds up anyone using the pool is in danger of burning themselves on the fixture.

Lighting Design Problem

From a design standpoint, the difficult frames also make it difficult to add or change lighting for the pool lights.  The most common method involves changing the bulb with one of the desired colors.

Fiber Optic Pool Lights: The Designer’s Solution

Fiber optic pool lights answer all these problems efficiently.  The nature of the fiber optics allow for the source of the light to be not only centralized, but removed much farther than the sides of the pool.  Fiber optic pool lights can operate off of one light, and that be distanced from the water so not only is less electricity used, but there is much less chance of it coming in contact with the water.  By separating the source fiber optic pool lights automatically separate the heat as well, eliminating the chances for pool patrons to be burned.  Designers like the fiber optics because by changing a simple light filter, the colors of the pool lights can be changed, often done by a color wheel attached to a simple electric motor. The color can often be changed at the push of a button.

These benefits are working to integrate fiber optic pool lights into the very basics of pool and spa design, so as the future develops the old style of lights will surely be relegated to the past.

The future of our Christmas traditions includes some of the latest fiber optics.  This year we bought a small fiber optics Christmas tree.  It is white with about four different colors of light that it fades through. 

Fiber Optic Sources

Fiber optics are not cheap, so it is hard to fathom how the manufacturer could afford to make a fiber optics Christmas tree that the home user could afford.  The answer lay in the fact that it isn’t the same level of fiber optics as the network lines that are so well known.  When the manufacturer makes this kind of fiber, the have to use a lot of specialized tests to weed all the fibers that have flaws and that won’t allow perfect data transmission out.  These flaws can be as slight as an impurity in the line; light will still pass through, it just loses too much transmission quality to be used for data.

The Manufacturing Seconds Have a Second Possibility At Life

This leads to a completely new line of use.  Rather than just toss these seconds out, they instead go to good uses in everything from fiber optics toys to the fiber optics Christmas tree.  These find their way to the more casual consumer.  The light will still pass through these lines, and since the most detailed data they will need to transmit is the color of that light, they are perfect.

Color, Lights and Action

Just how they get that color into the light is interesting in its simplicity.  The fibers still have to be bundled into a fiber optic package, and then between that and the source a filter of the desired color is placed.  When the light passes through the filter, it takes the color and transmits it to the connector.  For a special magic, manufacturers will put more that one color onto a wheel, usually stored in the base of the fiber optics Christmas tree.  They then attach this wheel to a motor that can rotate the colors before the connector.  Then the light show can begin.

Could This Be A New Tradition?

Traditions should never be stagnant things, most especially around the holidays.  It wasn’t that many years ago that the artificial trees made their debut.  Now most homes have one lurking in the attic.  That will probably be the case with the fiber optics Christmas tree.  A little odd at first, but more common as people circumvent the yearly de-tangling of the christmas lights.  Yet, I don’t expect the verse to change to how shiny are your branches anytime real soon.

There has always been a human curiosity about stars. The way that they cradle us to sleep, or bring about our romantic nature can be seen as the reason why so many people are still and yet to be fascinated by them. There are lamps that are made to create that twinkling star heaven in our own homes.

With this in mind it does not cause much wonder why people would now opt to shop for and purchase a fiber optics ceiling star. The fiber optics ceiling star is not only appealing to the sleepyheads but also the party-goers who find the daze and haze caused by these fiber optics ceiling stars a kind of stimulant.

You Can Get Your Own Optics Ceiling Star Experience

There is no need to worry about your desire for purchasing a fiber optics ceiling star. There are many shops both online and offline that will be more than willing to assist you in your purchase. All you have to do is be willing to shop around in order to get the fiber optics ceiling star that will be just perfect for your intended use.

You Can Get A Kit

The fiber optics ceiling star has been made so that even the average person can put it up in their own home. There is a star kit that comes with instructions so that you too can be able to put up your own fiber optics ceiling star. The truth of the matter is that when you decide to install a fiber optics ceiling star you will need to understand that it can be time consuming. But once the work is done the rewards of having your own piece of heaven will be more than welcoming.

Find a Suitable Place for Your Optics Ceiling Star

Perhaps the best place for a fiber optic ceiling star is in the bedroom. In that case you should aim to place the fiber optics ceiling star in the corner of your ceiling where the light can fall onto the sleeping people without having to disturb them. You also have to choose a fiber optics ceiling star that is not very harsh. Since you might want to use the ceiling star on a regular basis this will be a good way to know what voltage your fiber optics ceiling star should have and how much wattage it uses. 

A Beautiful Lighting Solution

Furthermore, the fiber optics ceiling star is the best way to experience the beauties and privileges that come from technology. By having an optics ceiling star installed in your home it will in a sense mean that you can experience the intensity that comes from the stars without having to catch one yourself.