Bookham signs up for further fusion splicers: News from Vytran Corp

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Bookham Technology has purchased additional Vytran FAS systems to expand its automated EDFA production capabilities. The FAS fully automates the labour-intensive operations of optical assembly and measurement, providing significant improvements in yield, quality and cost of optical amplifier production. Bookham Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of components, modules and subsystems for optical networks.

Bookham is currently using a Vytran Fibre Automation System (FAS) at its Paignton, England facility.

The additional automation equipment will be deployed at Bookham's Shenzhen, China facility.

Vytran has developed the FAS as a flexible automation platform that can be configured using various process modules for many different optical manufacturing applications, including fibre Bragg gratings, coupler manufacture, fibre lensing and fibre pigtailing.

One of the primary applications of the FAS is the automation of optical fibre fusion splicing, a fundamental but critical manufacturing process required for most optical assemblies.

Process modules for coating removal, fibre cleaving, fusion splicing, recoating, proof testing, and loss measurement are used to fabricate and qualify splices in under two minutes.

A pallet loading system with auto-feeder allows complete optical amplifier modules to be assembled in a single pass, all without operator involvement.

"It has been recognised for some time that a shift away from manual assembly methods to automated solutions is vital for reducing the cost and improving the yield, quality and flexibility of optoelectronic manufacturing", explained Robert Swain, Technical Director, Vytran UK.

"Bookham has taken the industry lead in making the transition to automated manufacturing, which should give them a tremendous competitive advantage over optical amplifier manufacturers who are still using manual assembly methods."

Michael Bone, Director of Manufacturing Engineering commented: "The Vytran FAS is now integral to the design and manufacture of our optical module and EDFA assemblies and forms a key part of the strategy moving forwards with the deployment of equipment and volume manufacturing in Shenzhen".

"The close working relationship between Bookham and Vytran has allowed us to maximise the potential of the FAS".

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News Release from: Vytran Corp Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 17 August 2004

Bookham signs up for further fusion splicers

Bookham Technology has purchased additional Vytran FAS systems to expand its automated EDFA production capabilities.

Note: Readers of the Editor’s free email newsletter will have read this news when it was announced. . It’s free!

News Release from: Vytran Corp
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 17 August 2004