Patchcords and cables. Patchcords are employed whenever light must be transmitted over a certain distance along a convoluted path. In its simplest form, a patchcord consists of a single length of optical fiber, terminated at both ends. Due to the fragility of the fiber itself, protective sheathing is added over the fiber.

A cable is simply a reinforced patchcord.
FiberTech Optica manufactures several grades of patchcords and cables, depending on their intended use and operating conditions. We specialize in extremely rugged cables for large industrial installations. These assemblies have three or more protective layers and can reach lenghts up to 1000 feet (300 meters).

Bundles. A fiber optic bundle is an assembly of multiple optical fibers. Usually, those fibers are held together at one end, and may be separated into branches at the other end. In the simplest case, a bundle is a multi-fiber equivalent of a patchcord.

Due to their multi-fiber construction, bundles offer more flexibility in light management than patchcords. They can be used to:

• split light from a source into several outputs;
• merge light from several sources into a single output;
• reconfigure the shape of light beam to adapt it to particular conditions (from round to rectangular, for example);
• redistribute input light intensity to make it more uniform at the output.

Bundles also offer physical flexibility - a patchcord made of a very large core fiber (over 1mm) is rigid and fragile. A bundle of 19 200um fibers has roughly the same diameter, but is much more flexible.