Plastic Optical Fiber

Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) products are a type of large diameter assembly that feature cores and cladding constructed of acrylic and fluorinated polymers. Light is transmitted through the fiber’s core in POF products. In some cases, POF assemblies have a core size 100x larger than glass fiber. The increased core diameter allows 96% of the core to transmit signals from point-to-point, making this material ideal for transmitting very high bandwidth/signal over short distances.

POF products can typically bend to 25 mm with no excessive attenuation, making them ideal for applications that require a very tight bend radius. For visible light laser applications, POF assemblies can transmit the signal so that it is visible to the human eye, making users aware of its attachment to an active laser and allowing them to avoid associated dangers. POF products also very tolerant of scratching and contamination from the field. With this tolerance, POFs can perform at acceptable levels even when they are experiencing a compromised physical condition.

Timbercon’s POF products are used in medical, automotive, home networks, digital audio/video interfaces, signs/illumination and instrumentation applications.