The optical glass lies at the backbone of the fiber-optic cables that are widely used today in various digital equipments to transmit data at very high speeds. The fiber optic cables have the capability to transfer light at a fast speed over long distances. This makes them more useful than the copper cables to transfer bigger volumes of data very quickly. The cables are made up of continuous strands of optical glass which is very pure and free from any kind of distortions. This results in a uniform data transfer through the cables at all times. The gravity is utilized in a fiber optic manufacturing unit to draw molten glass into long strands of cables.
As an initial step of glass manufacturing for the cables, a cylinder of very pure glass that is known as preform is melted to create the thin cable. The preform is then fed into the furnace that melts the glass at high temperatures. The glass gets pulled downward due to the gravitational force resulting in the thin strings of the fiber cable. There is a micrometer attached at the end through which the thin strings of fiber pass to ensure uniformity in the thickness and uniform data transfer capabilities of the cable. Once the glass manufacturing is done and thickness of the cable is ensured, the fiber passes through the curing ovens to bring it back to the solid state. Proper care is taken to avoid any sudden cooling and the resulting cracks in the fiber.
After the fiber cables are manufactured, these are placed well on a spool and tested to ensure the quality of the cables. Once it meets the desired quality, the fiber is covered with the protective insulation to prevent the light from falling on it. In addition, in certain cases the multi fibers are even joined to form a multi strand fiber optic cable. Followed by so many steps, the resulting cable is very much capable to transfer huge volumes of data at a very fast speed. These are very popular today due to their usage in the various digital equipments.
