Construction of an Automated Fiber Pigtailing Machine for OptoelectronicComponents

摘要

The purpose of this program was to design and evaluate a low cost Automated FiberPigtailing Machine (AFPM). The pigtailing process attaches fibers to optoelectronic devices with submicron alignment accuracy. The process is labor intensive and costly; thus the goal of the program is to replace the operator with an automated machine in order to reduce cost and increase the output. An AFPM was designed, fabricated and delivered to Uniphase Telecommunications Products (UTP) and Ortel and production feasibility demonstrations were conducted. There were some initial problems; this is expected with a new process and machine. With improvements, such as enlarging the field of view of the vision system for fiber alignment, improvement in epoxy dispenser mounting, etc., the AFPM has a lot of potential to serve as a valuable asset to an assembly process. It is possible for the AFPM to repay itself in approximately 6 months when it's met system and component reliability. Thus machine commercialization requires further development of the prototype to provide a robust and reliable platform for production environments. The AFPM at UTP has been transferred to the IFOG Manufacturability (MANTECH) program sponsored by the U. S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) for further improvements and demonstration to insure commercial production feasibility.