Archive

In the Turbine, To the Turbine

OFS | Your WINDPOWER Optical
Fiber Solutions Partner

The inquiry arrived through our sales guy on the west coast. A simple request with little detail and no hint at what the future would bear.

“The customer is thinking about using fiber optics as a data link and they don’t have complete control over the operating environment. Can we help them out?”

“Well, we may have a solution but we’ll need to know a bit more about the application before we can make any recommendations. Can you describe the operating conditions with more detail?” Read More…

Materials Science Is At Our Core

OFS | Your Optical
Fiber Solutions Partner

When most people hear the term & “fiber optics” they naturally envision hair-thin strands of glass, the enablers of today’s high speed telecommunication and global internet. While that’s all true, it’s really just the beginning where the technology of fiber optics is concerned. In the Specialty Photonics Division of OFS we work in a world that extends well beyond telecommunications. Read More

Why HCS® 300 µm Low OH Optical Fiber?

HCS® (Hard-Clad Silica) is a problem-solving, polymer coated optical fiber system invented by us in the early years of the optical fiber industry. A proprietary polymer is applied to the pristine surface of pure, fused silica as we draw the glass down to its final, step-index, multimode optical fiber form. We then add additional buffer layers to improve chemical and abrasion resistance. This final step increases the finished diameter to a dimension that is easier for field-technicians to handle. Read More

What are ASOF’s?

Application Specific Optical Fibers

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the Integrated Circuit (IC) industry fragmented as commercial use of these silicon devices grew. Electronics designers rapidly adopted IC’s and volume demands around individual applications grew to such levels that design of IC’s for discrete applications became practical. Thus, the Application Specific Integrated Circuit, or ASIC’s, industry emerged and continues to flourish. Rather than producing standardized integrated circuits that appealed to a broad series of markets, ASIC’s designers ushered in a still-growing era of circuitry that was purpose-built around niche applications. Examples of end products that use these include printers, digital timepieces, automotive controls, PLC’s and today’s tablet computers and smart phones. Read More…