Unrolling Plastic Optical Fibres cables
The use of plastic optical fibres (POF) in cable manufacturing has been on the rise. As a result, the competition to provide advanced cable solutions for a variety of applications is high. Companies are thus striving to develop innovative technologies to meet the increasing needs of their customers and secure their share in the market. To this end, efforts have been directed towards achieving exceptional quality characteristics optimised to provide cost-effective solutions. Nexans industry occupies a leading position in the cable market and provides cable solutions meeting infrastructure, building and industrial needs. Its POF products are well known because of their high performance, low cost and easy installation transmission links - desired features pursued by every manufacturer. In the frame of MOTIFES project, Nexans Draveil, operating in the aerospace market, employed its long experience to develop optical cables for on-board equipment. The quality standards for cables are set by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). However, in the case of aeronautical applications specific regulations should be taken into account. In particular, additional security measures in terms of fire/ smoke and toxicity should be clearly defined to ensure that degradation of POF will be prevented and specifications will be maintained. The new products were high-speed PMMA (polymehtyl(methacrylate)) and fluorinated POF cables. Their evaluation process was performed using two cables that had already been produced within the MOTIFES programme. It was shown that the novel fabrications were compliant with avionic and conventional standards and their prospects for further applications were established. More specifically, they were shown that they could be exploited in civil aircrafts, in both multimedia applications and cabin utilities. The innovative results obtained unveil the European industry's great potential to play a pivotal role in increasing competitiveness and promoting economic growth in the aerospace market.
