The manufacture, installation and maintenance of fiber optics systems is an area of striking growth and success for the Vertrel^® products. In most instances, this application requires customized blends of Vertrel^® and special packaging, such as aerosols, pump sprays or presaturated wipes.

Usually the contamination is simple: dust and light oils, such as fingerprints. The big problem comes from the tiny fiber optic filaments themselves. These fibers are typically only 8 microns in diameter, yet along such a small conduit more than 50,000 simulatenous phone conversations can be transmitted. When two cable ends are spliced together, the ends of the fiber must be perfectly clean to properly join with the neightboring cable and to prevent signal loss.

Materials compatibility is the major issue with fiber optics cleaning. Isopropyl alcohol is the cleaner of choice today. But it is a problematic cleaner because (a) it does not dry fast enough, (b) it cleans poorly with even the lightest loading of contamination, and (c) adds as many contaminates as it removes because people frequently buy low-priced alcohols. The effect of sloppy cleaning with alcohol can be dramatic. If a splice is made between two fibers and then cleaned but not rigorously dried, the heat of the lasers pulsing through the cable can boil the IPA residues and cause the splice to explode.

Other cleaners have equally troublesome characteristics. HCFC solvents are usually too aggressive and most of them are being phased out at the end of 2002.

It is important that the ends of optical fiber be perfectly clean in order to assure proper connection when joining cables made of of these tightly bundled tiny (8mm) strands. Even though the contamination is usually simple: dust and light oils such as fingerprints, the need for complete cleaning AND complete drying is essential - a tough order that needs a tough cleaner.

The PFC solvents are serious global warming issues, hydrocarbon solvents are rarely used because of the flammability, drying time and handling issues. The brominated solvents are generally too aggressive, and silicone solvents and acetone are prohibited because of materials compatibility issues. Even acetone is unacceptable, due to materials compatibility issues.

Powerful, fast-drying, residue-free Vertrel^® answers all of the precision cleaning issues. The Vertrel^® products easily mix into different blends and azeotropes, so the solvency can be tailored to the application. The products provide great cleaning because are very dense, so they lift away inorganic contamination and dissolve organic grease, oils and more. They dry quickly, which makes maintenance procedures easier, and they are nonflammable so safety is enhanced. Vertrel^® cleaners also have a much lower surface tension than water and they evaporate quickly, easily, even from deep inside complex connectors.

Special formulations of the Vertrel^® cleaners have been developed under non-disclosure agreemnts and are being marketed by those companies under their own brand names.

Cleaning with Vertrel^® is simple, fast and very cost-effective. When quality counts, the fiber optic industry selects Vertrel^®!

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To date, all our work on fiber optics has been done under non-disclosure agreements so case studies are not available at this time.

All of the current fiber optic applications have used customized blends based on Vertrel^® CF (below):

• Vertrel XF -- For flushing pipes and tubing, cleaning sealed systems

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