UK led team to '3D print' optical fibre

It’s claimed the technique, which is being developed at the University’s Zepler Institute, could enable the production of a range of complex structures and unlock a host of fresh applications for fibre optics.

Current techniques used to produce optical fibre preforms - the piece of glass from which an optical fibre is drawn - give a consistent structure along the length of the preform but make it difficult to control the shape and composition of the fibre in 3D.

This limits the degree of flexibility that engineers can exercise in the design of the fibre and as a consequence, the capabilities that the fibres can offer.

However the new technique, being developed by Professor Jayanta Sahu, could allow engineers to manufacture preforms with far more complex structures and different features along their lengths.

“We will design, fabricate and employ novel Multiple Materials Additive Manufacturing (MMAM) equipment to enable us to make optical fibre preforms (both in conventional and microstructured fibre geometries) in silica and other host glass materials,” said Sahu.