Vytran® Fiber Recoaters

• Available Standard for Ø430 µm Coatings
• Recoats Fibers up to 50 mm in Length
• Compatible with High-Index Recoat Material
• Ideal for Medium- to High-Volume Manufacturing

Thorlabs’ Automatic Fiber Recoater completely automates the fiber recoat process; fully programmable, it can be operated either through the tablet controller (which gives full programming capabilities) or via buttons on the top of the machine. 

Our PTR305 Automatic Fiber Recoater uses a pneumatic mold assembly to control the mold plates. This design allows the recoat material to be directly injected into the mold cavity, eliminating any excess material, which would require cleaning after every recoat. Additionally, once the fiber is secured in the fiber holding blocks, the entire recoat process is performed automatically. This clean, automated process makes the PTR305 ideal for high-volume manufacturing. This recoater is designed for fiber coatings of Ø430 µm and requires the purchase of fiber block inserts (sold below). Choose the inserts that match the coating diameter of the fiber being used. It is compatible with high-index recoat material only (sold below). The pneumatic design of the mold assembly requires an external 80 - 120 psi compressed air source (not available from Thorlabs).

A tablet controller, which comes standard with the PTR305, allows the user to control and program the unit. All recoat parameters can be set through this controller. 

Customized mold sizes for recoat diameters up to 900 µm are available; please contact Tech Support for more information.

Click to Enlarge
The PTR304 (shown with mold assembly) has a maximum recoat length of 100 mm, while the PTR303 has a maximum recoat length of 50 mm.

• Compatible with Mold Assemblies with Coating Diameters of 280 µm, 430 µm, or 600 µm
• Recoaters for Fiber Lengths up to 50 mm or 100 mm
• Ideal for Low-Volume Manufacturing and R&D
• Compatible with High-Index Recoat Material

These fiber recoaters use a hinged mold assembly (sold below) to form the mold cavity for recoating. This design allows the recoat material to be injected through a cross-channel in the mold’s top plate. Intended for low-volume manufacturing and R&D applications, the mold assembly can be easily swapped out and the process parameters can be easily changed, providing flexibility and adaptability, but requires cleaning between each recoat process.

These recoaters feature an automated pump to inject the recoat material. The amount of material dispensed by the automatic injector is controlled by hand via the top-mounted “Inject” button or programmed into the machine by the included tablet controller. The automatic injector is only compatible with high-index recoat material (sold below); however, an add-on unit that can use both low- and high-index recoat materials is available. Please contact Tech Support for more information. 

When selecting one of these recoaters, both a mold assembly and appropriately sized fiber holding block inserts (two top and two bottom, sold below) must be chosen. The mold assemblies are available for coating diameters of 280 µm, 430 µm, and 600 µm and maximum recoating lengths of 50 mm (Item # PTR303) or 100 mm (Item # PTR304). Customized recoat diameters up to 900 µm are also available; please contact Tech Support for more information.

The PTR303 and PTR304 recoaters include a tablet controller that both allow the user to program and control the recoater unit (see image to the right). Adjustable settings include the inject rate, inject amount, cure time, lamp power, and programming custom recipes. An injection calculator provides an estimate of recoat parameters that can be refined by the user. The tablet is shipped preloaded with files for common recoat parameters, but can store an unlimited number of files; please see the Tablet Controller tab for details.

Click to Enlarge
The PTR304B (shown with mold assembly) has a maximum recoat length of 100 mm, while the PTR303B has a maximum recoat length of 50 mm.

• Compatible with Mold Assemblies with Coating Diameters of 280 µm, 430 µm, or
  600 µm
• Recoaters for Fiber Lengths up to 50 mm or 100 mm
• Compatible with High- and Low-Index Recoat Material
• Ideal for Low-Volume Manufacturing and R&D

These fiber recoaters use a hinged mold assembly (sold below) to form the mold cavity for recoating. This design allows the recoat material to be injected through a cross-channel in the mold’s top plate. Intended for low-volume manufacturing and R&D applications, the mold assembly can be easily swapped out and the process parameters can be easily changed, providing flexibility and adaptability, but requires cleaning between each recoat process.

These recoaters feature a manual recoat injection system. The user is required to dispense the recoat material into the mold cavity. This manual injection system is compatible with both low- and high-index recoat material (sold below). Additionally, a replacement injector for the PTR303B recoater is available below. 

When selecting one of these recoaters, both a mold assembly and appropriately sized fiber holding block inserts (two top and two bottom, sold below) must be chosen. The mold assemblies are available for coating diameters of 280 µm, 430 µm, and 600 µm and maximum recoating lengths of 50 mm (Item # PTR303B) or 100 mm (Item # PTR304B). Customized recoat diameters up to 900 µm are also available; please contact Tech Support for more information.

The PTR303B and PTR304B recoaters include a tablet controller that both allow the user to program and control the recoater unit (see image to the right). Adjustable settings include the inject rate, inject amount, cure time, lamp power, and programming custom recipes. An injection calculator provides an estimate of recoat parameters that can be refined by the user. The tablet is shipped preloaded with files for common recoat parameters, but can store an unlimited number of files; please see the Tablet Controller tab for details.

• Mold Assemblies Compatible with Thorlabs' Manual Fiber Recoaters
• Three Available Mold Coating Sizes: Ø280 µm, Ø430 µm, and Ø600 µm
• 50 mm or 100 mm Maximum Recoat Length
• Comes Installed from Factory when Purchased with Manual Recoater

The Mold Assemblies are composed of split quartz mold plates which, when closed, form the cylindrical mold cavity around the exposed section of the fiber being recoated. They are available for Ø280 µm, Ø430 µm, or Ø600 µm fiber coatings and in maximum fiber recoat lengths of 50 mm (compatible with Item #s PTR303 and PTR303B) and 100 mm (compatible with Item #s PTR304 and PTR304B). Custom mold sizes up to Ø900 µm are available; please contact Tech Support for more information. Mold assemblies with a 50 mm recoat length feature a lever to assist with opening or closing the mold.

Recoat material (sold below) is injected into the mold assembly by either an automatic or manual injection system. Then, UV light cures the recoat material. Cure times are dependent on the mold size and recoat material, but they range from approximately 12 - 15 seconds for the RM280A mold assembly with high-index AB950200 recoat material to 30 - 60 seconds with the low-index PC373 recoat material. 

When purchasing a manual fiber recoater for the first time, it is necessary to choose a mold assembly that is appropriate for the desired fiber coating diameter. Additional mold assemblies may also be purchased and swapped out by the user. The assembly simply screws to the top of the device, making the removal and install simple and easy. Because of this, our manual recoaters are adaptable and flexible in the field and can be modified to accept varying diameters of fiber quickly. It is also necessary to order the proper inserts (sold below) that best match the fiber diameter being used, whether purchasing a fiber recoater for the first time or updating a current recoater for a different fiber diameter. 

Please note that these mold assemblies are only for the manual recoaters (Item #s PTR303, PTR303B, PTR304, and PTR304B); the automatic recoater (Item # PTR305) is sold with its own assembly already installed.

• Fiber Block Inserts for Thorlabs' Fiber Recoaters
• Compatible with Fiber Coating Diameters from 90 µm to 990 µm
• Choose Two Top Inserts and Two Bottom Inserts

For all the recoaters sold above, the proper set of inserts needs to be selected. A total of four inserts (two top and two bottom) are required for a full unit. The inserts are seated in and secured to the fiber holding blocks. They can easily be swapped out for different sizes, allowing our recoaters to adapt quickly should different fiber coating sizes be desired. These inserts are compatible with fiber coatings ranging from Ø90 µm to Ø990 µm.

Custom sizes are available; please contact Tech Support for additional information.

• AB950200: High-Index Recoat Material
• PC373: Low-Index Recoat Material

Thorlabs offers UV-curable acrylate recoat materials to be used in our PTR series fiber recoaters. We offer both high-index (Item # AB950200) and low-index (Item # PC373) material in 1 oz bottles. The high-index material can be used in all recoaters (except the PRL201), whereas the low-index material can only be used in recoaters with the manual injection pump option.

• Replacement UV Bulbs for Manual Recoaters Listed to the Right
• 10 W Tungsten-Halogen Lamp
• Replacements Sold Individually
  • Four Bulbs Used in 50 mm Length Recoaters
  • Eight Bulbs Used in 100 mm Length Recoaters

The UVRB is a replacement bulb for the Vytran fiber recoaters listed to the right. Recoaters with a 50 mm recoat length are shipped with the four bulbs required for operation and recoaters with a 100 mm recoat length are shipped with eight bulbs.

Based on a schedule of 2000 recoats per month with 15 seconds per recoat, we recommend replacing the bulbs monthly. Instructions for bulb replacement are provided in the manual for each recoater or workstation (available from our website by clicking the red Docs icon next to each base unit Item #).

Please note that any fingerprints on the surface of the bulb will shorten the bulb's life; avoid handling the glass envelope of the bulb. If the envelope is touched, clean with a soft lens tissue wetted with acetone or alcohol.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge
The PTRRRM is mounted to a recoater via two 4-40 mounting screws. 

• Replacement Manual Injector for Dispensing Recoat Material into the Mold
• Compatible with Select Vytran Manual Recoaters and PC373 and AB950200 Recoat Materials

The PTRRRM is a replacement manual injector for the Vytran fiber recoaters listed to the right. Each of these systems is shipped with a manual injector required for operation.

The manual injector can be mounted to compatible fiber recoaters via the 4-40 screws on the recoater housing (see photo to the right). Use a 3/32" hex key to secure the injector prior to use. To connect the PTRRRM to the recoater mold, tighten the connector at the end of the green plastic tubing, then loosen by a 1/4 turn to allow for rotation.

The injector is equipped with a distribution valve and two-position selection lever for directing the flow of recoat material. A knurled dispensing screw with an internal plunger acts as a syringe for the recoat material. To fill the syringe, point the lever downward (i.e., toward the recoat bottle), then rotate the knurled dispensing screw counterclockwise until it spins freely to fill the syringe (shown in the photo to the right). Then, to inject the recoat material into the mold, point the lever horizontally (i.e., facing the knurled screw) and rotate the screw clockwise until near the end of the travel range is reached. Avoid bottoming out the dispenser as this may damage the internal plunger; also take care when re-engaging the threads to avoid cross threading the dispensing screw. Several fill/inject steps may be needed until air is displaced within the system. Use lens tissue and an acetone or alcohol cleaning solution to collect any excess recoat material that flows from the mold.