METHOD OF DIRECTLY MOLDING FERRULE ON FIBER OPTIC CABLE

摘要

A method of directly molding a fiber optic ferrule on an end of a fiber optic cable is disclosed. The method preferably includes stripping a cable jacket and/or a buffer layer from optical fibers of the fiber optic cable and trimming the optical fibers with a laser thereby creating trimmed ends on the optical fibers. The optical fibers and preferably a pin assembly are held near the end of the fiber optic cable by an optical fiber and pin locator. The optical fiber and pin locator can statically or dynamically hold and position the optical fibers and pin assembly. After the optical fibers and/or the pin assembly are positioned, a fixture is attached to the trimmed ends of the optical fibers and/or the pin assembly thereby preserving their relative position to each other. After the fixture is attached, the optical fiber and pin locator is removed, and the end of the fiber optic cable with the attached fixture is placed into a mold cavity. A molding material is injected into the mold cavity thereby overmolding a substantial portion of the end of the fiber optic cable and thereby creating a molded body of the fiber optic ferrule. After molding, the fixture is removed. The fixture preferably includes a thin film that is hardened on the trimmed ends of the optical fibers while the optical fiber and pin locator is attached.