SIMULTANEOUS EXTRUSION OF A DUAL-LAYER BUFFER TUBE

摘要

An apparatus and process is provided which enables the simultaneous extrusion of two dissimilar materials into an improved multi-layer buffer tube. Such buffer tubes are typically used to house the optical fibers of a fiber-optic communication cable. The apparatus of the present invention includes a single crosshead assembly (fig 2) for simultaneously forming the plural layers of the buffer tube. As the layers are formed about optical fibers (2) drawn through the crosshead assembly, a thixotropic material is injected (12) into the core of the tube.