Cure Speed Measurements of UV-LED Curable Optical Fiber Coatings

Xiaosong Wu, DSM Functional Materials

Abstract:Thanks to its tremendous potential of energy savings, UV-LED cure is rapidly gaining popularity in optical fiber manufacturing. In addition, to meet ever growing demands, many manufacturers are making efforts to increase draw speed. Therefore, there is a need to develop cure speed tests in the laboratory, to characterize optical fiber coatings, to ensure they have sufficient cure response to UV-LED light sources. In this paper, preliminary results of such tests are reported.