THORLABS Vytran FFS2001 Series User Manual page 68

FFS2001 Series
7.4.3 Curing the Coating
The liquid UV acrylate material cures to a solid state when exposed to ultra-violet light. The necessary UV radiation
is provided by fourteen UV LED's located below the bottom mold plate. The optical coating on the bottom plate
ensures that any material which flows between the two plates will not cure and form a flashing on the recoated
section of the fiber.
Cure times are dependent on the mold size, recoat material, and fiber size; they range from approximately 20 -
30 seconds for mold assemblies with well-matched fiber sizes to around 70 seconds for Ø125 - Ø250 µm fibers
using the Thorlabs Item # RM600UV mold assembly with the low-index Thorlabs Item # PC373 recoat material. If
you would like to use the low-index material with your FFS2001 series system, we recommend contacting Thorlabs
for assistance.
To cure the fiber coating, use the following procedures:
1. Press the Recoat button to turn on the UV LEDs. The recoat LEDs will shut off automatically after the set
cure time.
2. To remove the recoated splice, first raise both FHB tops. Next, raise the recoat mold assembly top.
3. Remove the recoated fiber from the mold assembly. The fiber may remain tacked to either the top or
bottom mold plate. In this case, it may be necessary to gently pull on the fiber to release it.
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Do not look directly at the recoat assembly while the recoat LEDs are on. The recoat
LEDs emit ultraviolet radiation which can cause damage to the eyes. The mold top must
be closed during recoat LED operation.
Chapter 7: Recoat
TTN286373-D02