Polymer Fibre
End emitting polymer fibre comes in two configurations - single unsheathed or sheathed strands of 0.75mm, 1mm, 1.5mm or 2mm diameter or as multiple strands of 0.75mm fibre in a low smoke sheathing.
The single strands of fibre give ‘starry’ points of light and do not usually require termination while the multi-stranded fibre is normally terminated in the same manner as end emitting glass. Multi-stranded polymer end emitting fibre is usually specified where very long tail lengths of above 10m are required as there is less colour shift when compared with glass over long distances. As polymer fibre is made up of much thicker fibres it is less flexible than glass and cannot be randomised (see above) to the same extent.
Our end lit polymer fibre can be used in temperatures between -55°C and +70°C or 60°C in highly humid locations. Sideglow fibre can normally be used between 0°C and +70°C. All polymer fibres degrade with age, though the speed of degradation will depend on many environmental considerations, so there is no sure fire way to predict the useful working life of these fibres. In favourable conditions polymer fibre has been found to last more than 10 years, though this cannot be guaranteed.
