| Within the last 18 months, D�twyler AG Cables+Systems, Switzerland, has built and commissioned a new glass fibre factory in Switzerland. As one of the leading sellers in the field of glass fibre cables for high-quality LANs and carrier networks, the company now possesses its own production location. With an installed capacity for the annual production of several hundred thousand kilometres of fibres, the new building has a production area of 2,500m2 and a tower of 25 metres. With this new factory, D�twyler secures a basic availability of fibres for the production of its own glass fibre product range, while guaranteeing that the products meet the highest market requirements with regard to its mechanical and optical properties. �We are absolutely convinced that glass fibre is the transmission medium of the future. The Internet and also e-business will continue to grow considerably. Even if this process takes longer than everyone thought at first, the demand for transmission capacities will increase�, explained Mr Martin Kohn, managing director of D�twyler (UK) Ltd.
The new production facility includes all steps: the primary preform - a silica tube being coated inside and collapsed, which contains the core of the resulting glass fibre - is manufactured according to the MCVD process (Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition), by means of which all types of fibres can be produced. During the sleeving, the primary preform is guided through a thick silica tube and afterwards induces same to collapse above the primary preform. Out of each preform manufactured this way, up to several hundred kilometres of monomode fibres are drawn and coated in a drawing tower. Regarding diameter, concentricity, tension and vibration, the fibres are subject to a continuous on-line measurement and quality control during production.
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