Optical fiber cables having improved hermeticity.

摘要

The invention relates to a process and apparatus for fabricating optical fiber cables (11) having improved hermeticity. The optical fiber cables are formed by reducing the water content of the buffer material (12) surrounding each optical fiber (14), for example by heating in an oven (16), and thereafter encapsulating the dried optical fiber(s) in a metal or metal alloy tube (18). After fiber encapsulation, the tube may be sealed to prevent the ingress of moisture and/or water from the surrounding environment.