Expanded Beam Fibre Connectors for Harsh Environments

EXPANDED BEAM FIBRE CONNECTORS FOR HARSH ENVIRONMENTS

Expanded Beam connectors are specifically designed to meet the stringent requirements outlined in MIL-DTL-83526 Military Specifications. These innovative fibre optic connectors are purposefully engineered to operate in the most challenging conditions, as they utilise non-physical contact fibre optic termini that are securely sealed behind an anti-reflective coated ball lens to an IP68 rating. Expanded Beam connectors ensure optimal protection and performance, making them an ideal choice for harsh environment applications.

A key advantage of the Expanded Beam fibre connector design is that the fibres are protected from the elements and each other. Rather than the traditional butt joint which requires each fibre core to be precisely aligned (to within a micron), expanded beam employs a precision lens to optically expand the light from each core by approximately 40 times its original size, and then refocus back into the mating connector.

Expanded Beam Comparison Table — Expanded Beam Comparison Guide

A small gap is maintained between the lenses, this minimises the effect of dust, debris, temperature variation, vibration and dirt on the lights path. The lens also means it can be easily cleaned without risk of damaging the fibre – if a connector is dropped into mud, it can simply be washed or wiped and reconnected.

Universal Networks has two ranges of Expanded Beam, the F BEAM which is part of our ArmourLux family of deployable fibre products and is available in 2 and 4 fibre channel options and singlemode or multimode fibre. We can also supply the Neutrik FIBERFOX range, a multimode assembly available in 2 and 4 fibre channel options.