Fiber Optic Infrastructure Products

 

Air-Blown Fiber is Well Established. 

Air-blown Fiber is a method of installing fiber optic cables that relies on the flow of compressed air easing the fiber all the way to its destination - sometimes 1km away. A set of rollers or caterpillar drive typically feeds the fiber into the tube.

 
Fiberflow in Airports

Ideally suited to the Access Network ('The Last Mile') which compared to trunk routes has traditionally been difficult to plan due to intricacies of route and intermittent customer uptake.
It was difficult to justify 24 fibers down a residential street if only 3 houses needed immediate connection. With blown fiber systems like Fiberflow, a low-cost tube route is installed, and fiber only added as and when it is needed, creating a fiber-lean solution. And when a new connection is required, there is no need to re-dig the street, just select an empty tube and blow fiber in.

 
Fiber To The Home

Fiberflow air-blown systems are replacing traditional optics in access networks around the world.
The benefits include:

• Reduced long term costs           
• Much less splicing
• Less manpower
• Eliminates dead fiber
• Simpler network planning
• Easy quick upgrades in future 

   
Simple Connectors, no splices

Fiberflow Blown fiber takes the form of an ultra-lightweight single bundle of optic fibers designed for the access network ('The Last Mile') or campus.
The fiber bundle is blown into a miniature duct system, using airflow, that takes it all the way to the customer premises without splicing along the way.

 
The access network

Since optical glass cannot survive more than a few percent elongation, it has to be protected from high pulling forces. Even forces that do not cause fiber damage can reduce fiber lifetime significantly, and this makes low tension, low strain fiber installation all the more important if the fibers are not going to fail in their first year or so.

 
Some reinforced optical cables.

 
Fiberflow Bundles are Installed With No Fibers Inside 
Installing 'empty' cables removes the need for tension control, and also the worry about fibers that will not be 'lit' for a long time. A large proportion of fibers in traditional fiber cables are still not active, and so delay investment payback.

Direct Buried bundle

Using just airflow to install fiber into pre-installed tubes exposes fiber to almost zero stress, and so no reinforcement of the fiber is needed. For the multi-branching access network, this is a big technical advance. And fiber lifetime is preserved in full.

 
12 Fiber Unit

A fiber element with individual fibers stripped out. There  is no sticky gel to remove. 

It is clear that such a simple fiber element has many advantages over 'standard' optical cables, and Fiberflow is already sweeping away the idea that fiber To The Home is costly and not viable.

LINK - The Fiberflow System

LINK -  How Does it Work

LINK - Features & Benefits

LINK - Installation Methods

LINK - Success Stories

INNOVATION
Emtelle has introduced many innovative developments during the years of involvement with Blown Fiber Systems.

• 19 way bundles
• Direct Buried range
• Fully Blocked range
• Rodent resistant designs
• Tensile Resistant designs
• Termite Resistant range
• 24 way bundles
• Combo designs (2 or more tube sizes in one bundle)
• Reinforced LFH construction
• Lower Friction tube as standard (greater blowing distance)
• 3mm tube range for FTTH
• Emtelle fiber units
• Metal-free alternatives
• Aerially deployed range
• Steel armoured options
• Dedicated closures for the Fiberflow System

All of this activity demonstrates Emtelle’s commitment to Blown Fiber Solutions

Installation Methods

The first Fiberflow products were designed and made to be installed directly into waiting ducts (DI)
Direct (Duct) Install We soon realised that for countries without ducted networks, Direct Buried products were an obvious alternative. Polyethylene is a superb protective material, so we applied a 'duct-quality' outer layer to the DI to enable it to withstand burial.
Direct Burial The main advantage of DB installations is that they enjoy protection from weather, temperature changes, impact and physical damage.
After many advances in access network design, we now have a portfolio of application methods which is growing year-on-year.
Overhead Blown Fiber Emtelle has a full system of aerial deployment, with catenary blown-fiber cables, grips, closures, fittings and building connections	.
Slot Cutting An alternative way to lay cables to customers along already established road networks is by way of slot cutting. One advantage of cutting a narrow slot in the road is that it makes minimal disturbance to the integrity of the road construction, especially if it is not too deep. A vehicle tyre will straddle the slot and not be supported by the slot itself.   The rotary cutter is brought to the cutting position. The slot width is set by correct selection of diamond wheels The cutter moves steadily down the street . . . . . . leaving neat slots ready to accept the fibreflow. Once the cable is in place, the slot can be filled in and sealed with bitumen. The whole process takes much less time than digging wide trenches and applying full restoration.   A completed slot
Moleploughing For buried routes across 'virgin' ground (where no other services are already present), an economical way to bury cable is by moleplough. These specialist machines 'plough' a slot directly into the ground, and lay the cable into the slot immediately, all in one continuous operation.  The ground then closes over the slot and needs no re-instatement. Emtelle supply both duct for moleploughing, and blown fibre bundles. Installing DB by Moleploughing. These specialist machines dig the trench and lay the DB (and a marker tape) all in one continuous operation. Emtelle supply both duct for moleploughing, and heavy duty blown fiber bundles for moleplough deployment.   Aerial (Overhead) Emtelle has many customers who have extensive aerial fibre networks, especially Fibre to the Home. This method avoids costly new-dig programmes.   Fibre blows well along pole-to-pole (catenary) routes and can be blown via poles directly into the building. The pole-top fittings are simple to use and widely accepted around the world.                                                                    'Figure-8', a simple yet strong overhead design   The main features of aerial bundles are: Figure-8 design, keeps the strength member and tube bundle separate. Cable sheath materials combine toughness, flexibility and low weight. High UV resistance for outdoor use Both metal strength member and metal-free ('all-dielectric') versions available. We also manufacture overhead metal-free product with added resistance to electrical arc-tracking. This for deployment adjacent to overhead electrical power cables. Self-supporting constructions support their own weight, but can also be lashed. Strength members are bonded into the sheath assemblies, the cables being externally gripped, to support rated tensile loads and overloads. The strength members are normally high tensile steel, with compact and effective grips to suit. Higher strength versions are also available for longer spans when required.  Compatible with the Emtelle overhead closure. An aerial fibreflow route being completed.                      Click to open schematic Drops to Customer The standard Emtelle single tube drops are very compact, circular and lightweight, having a minimal visual effect on the location. Their low weight means they can be strung with minimal sag yet low tension. Each contains tiny steel strength members, brass-protected for long life. Like the Figure-8 cables, these 'dropwires' can withstand many times their stringing tension before breaking, and so  resist serious overloads due to high wind or bad weather. By using simple push-fit connectors at the branch closure, fibre can be blown from the PoP all the way to the customer's building in one quick blowing operation, with no splice at the branch closure. 5mm Drop: A single 5mm tube, in an OD of 7.5mm. MHT 1470  3mm Drop: A single 3mm tube, in an OD of 5mm.   'Partly-Overhead? Combinations of the installation technology are also popular, such as using DB routes to street corners, then poles to reach houses over streets and gardens. With fibreflow, this is simple, as all these products are inter-connectable, and both underground and over-ground portions benefit from the blown fibre advantages of stress-free fibre installation and minimal splicing.   Fiber Blowing Equipment The standard fibre unit blowing head is smaller than one might imagine, just 120mm long. Here is a blowing head (lower unit) fed by air hose from its dispenser (top left).   It can be used almost anywhere. It connects to the tube to be blown, feeding in both fibre and air. Fibre is fed in under control by the tiny feed rollers on the left. The speed is set from a portable control box. The same rollers measure the installed fibre length. Fibre enters the air chamber and then the tube route. The blowing head can be opened to permit the fibre to be removed. This does not have to be at the free end of the fibre; the blowing head can be removed at any point along a fibre.  The blowing device is automatic. If a restriction is encountered, the drive slows accordingly, applying no stress to the fibre.  With a suitable porous end cap in place, the fibre will stop automatically when it reaches the far end.    Blowing Larger Fibre bundles   There is a range of blowing heads for large fibre bundles or mini-cables.     EM25 for microcables 0.7mm to 3mm                   PR140 for minicables 3mm to 8mm   Breeze for minicables 2.5mm to 8mm