PBT Material for Fiber Optic Cable

Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is a highly crystalline engineering plastic. It has excellent processability, stable size, good surface finish, excellent heat resistance, aging resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, so it is extremely versatile. In the communication optical cable industry, it is mainly used for the secondary coating of optical fibers to protect and buffer the optical fibers.

The importance of PBT material in fiber optic cable structure

The loose tube is directly used to protect the optical fiber, so its performance is very important. Some optic cable manufacturers list PBT materials as the procurement scope of Class A materials. Since the optical fiber is light, thin and brittle, a loose tube is required to combine the optical fiber in the optical cable structure. According to the use conditions, processability, mechanical properties, chemical properties, thermal properties and hydrolysis properties, the following requirements are put forward for PBT loose tubes.

1. High flexural modulus and good bending resistance to meet the mechanical protection function.
2. Low thermal expansion coefficient and low water absorption to meet the temperature change and long-term reliability of the fiber optic cable after laying.
3. In order to facilitate the connection operation, good solvent resistance is required.
4. Good hydrolysis resistance to meet the service life requirements of optical cables.
5. Good process fluidity, can adapt to high-speed extrusion manufacturing, and must have good dimensional stability.

Prospects of PBT materials

Optical cable manufacturers all over the world generally use it as the secondary coating material for optical fibers due to its superior cost performance.
In the process of production and application of PBT materials for optical cables, various Chinese company have continuously improved the production process and perfected the test methods, so that China’s optical fiber secondary coating PBT materials have gradually been recognized by the world.
With mature production technology, large production scale, excellent product quality and affordable product prices, it has made certain contributions to the world’s optical cable manufacturers to reduce procurement and manufacturing costs and obtain better economic benefits.
If any manufacturers in cable industry have relevant demand, please contact us for further discussion.