OMC is now offering a fibre optic link service, tailored for the high voltage market. HV applications such as power distribution networks and power supplies often require optical isolation because of the voltages present, however, achieving consistency of performance has proven a challenge for many providers.
The technology comines the company’s expertise in producing glass and polymer fibre optic cable assemblies with its Active Alignment technology to ensure that its fibre-optic data links perform consistently and reliably from link to link. During manufacture of its housed optical transmitters (Tx) and receivers (Rx), the company powers each active element and tunes the performance of the device to ensure that the electro-optical characteristics of each and every device fall within a customer-specific performance window, exactly matching the required performance specification.
Effectively, when manufacturing the corresponding optical fibre cable assembly to be used between the Tx/Rx, the company’s production techniques can ensure a very high level of consistency of link attenuation which is matched to the Tx/Rx performance window, meaning that each and every link will function regardless of how the transmitters, receivers and cables are paired during assembly/installation.
“Most manufacturers of optical fibre cables don’t touch the transmitter/receiver part of the link – similarly, few Tx/Rx providers produce fibre cable assemblies. In our experience, most customers don’t want to get involved in either area; they simply have an electrical signal at point A and want to procure a link that will convert it to an optical signal, transmit it, and convert it back to an electrical signal at point B safely, reliably and consistently from link to link, explains William Heath, OMC’s commercial director.
“The problem is particularly apparent in high voltage applications where tolerances can be very tight, and a lack of consistency between transmitter, receiver and cable characteristics means that customers often have to go through a lengthy and costly selection process to yield sufficient complete links to satisfy a production demand.
“We specialise in the manufacture of both Tx/Rx devices as well as the fibre optic cable assemblies to link between them. By tailoring one of our existing processes we are now able to supply production quantities of fully-characterised fibre optic links with 100% link consistency to leading producers of HV equipment used in mass transit, medical, power generation and distribution, radar and x-ray applications,” Heath continued.
OMC
