Berkeley delivers continuous fiber take-up to major U.S. optical fiber manufacturer

Berkeley Process Control Inc. has delivered its first production FST40 Automatic Fiber Spooling/Transfer System to a major U.S. optical fiber manufacturer. The FST40 take-up delivers faster continuous fiber spooling than any other commercially available product, claim company representatives. This, in turn, enables fiber makers to reduce their cost of drawing optical fiber.

The FST40 take-up is capable of winding up to one million meters of optical fiber per spool at speeds up to 45 meters per second. When a spool is full, patent-pending Berkeley technology instantly cuts the optical fiber and attaches it to an empty precisely rotating spool--which occurs with no interruption or slowdown of the fiber drawing process, resulting in fewer fiber breaks. The FST40 fiber take-up delivers its unique capabilities through precise monitoring and control of all moving components utilizing Berkeley's BX-series motion-and-machine controllers and MachineWorks software.

"Berkeley has produced more than 750 high-performance machine control systems and complete machines for optical fiber manufacturers over the last decade," asserts Paul Sagues, Berkeley president. "Our new FST40 take-up builds on that experience, as well as our advances in motion-and-machine control technology. The FST40 will be a moneymaker for our customers," he adds.

For more information about Berkeley Process Control Inc. (Richmond, CA), visit the company's Web site at www.berkeleyprocess.com.