Researchers at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom are investigating additive manufacturing techniques to fabricate optical fiber.

According to the scientists, this process could pave the way for more complex structures capable of unlocking applications in a wide range of industries, from biotechnology to aerospace and telecommunications.

Slica fibre drawing tower. Source: University of SouthamptonThe method of making optical fiber preforms give it a consistent structure along its length, but also make it hard to control the shape and composition of the fiber in 3D. The researchers say that this quality limits the flexibility that engineers can use when designing fiber offerings.

The technique will allow engineers to manufacture preforms with far more complex structures and different features along their lengths.

“We will develop novel Multiple Materials Additive Manufacturing (MMAM) equipment to make optical fiber preforms both in conventional and microstructured fiber geometries in silica and other host glass materials,” says Professor Jayanta Sahu. “Our proposed process can be utilized to produce complex preforms, which are otherwise too difficult, too time-consuming or currently impossible to be achieved by existing fabrication techniques.”

Making the preform is one of the most challenging stages of optical fiber manufacturing, especially when it has a complex internal structure, such as in photonic bandgap fiber. This is a new type of microstructured fiber, which the researchers say will “revolutionize the telecoms and datacoms industries in particular.”

Current process calls for a more labor-intensive “stack and draw” process, which involves stacking several smaller glass capillaries or canes together by hand to make the preform.

Using a 3D printing technique, researchers expect they will be able to form complex fiber structures from ultra-pure glass powder.