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GPX4000LZ Glass Processor

 

Chapter 5: Operation

 

Rev I, September 15, 2021 

Page 17

 

 

Figure 17 

FFS3 GUI Main Screen 

The following sections will explain each of these components in detail. 

 

Содержание Vytran GPX4000LZ

Страница 1: ...GPX4000LZ Glass Processor User Guide ...

Страница 2: ......

Страница 3: ... System Power 15 5 2 Control Panel 15 5 3 Back Panel 16 5 4 Software Interface 16 5 5 Graphical User Interface 16 5 5 1 Main Menu 18 5 5 2 Command Bar 26 5 5 3 Camera Bar 27 5 5 4 Process Bar 28 5 5 5 Macro Bar 28 5 5 6 Quick Open File Bar 29 5 5 7 Main Toolbar 29 5 5 8 Splice Process List 31 5 5 9 Camera Image 31 5 5 10 Movement Control Bar 32 5 5 11 Status Bar 34 5 6 Initialization and Shutdown ...

Страница 4: ...nsion Monitor 52 5 14 11 Thermal Core Expansion 53 5 14 12 Fiber Lensing 53 5 14 13 Mode Adaptors 53 5 14 14 Taper Tension Process 54 5 14 15 Pre Tension Process 54 5 14 16 Tension Hold Process 54 Chapter 6 Maintenance 55 6 1 General Care 55 6 2 Keep the System Clean 55 6 3 Fiber Handler Maintenance 55 6 3 1 Changing Transfer Inserts 55 6 3 2 Cleaning the Fiber Holding Block Insert 56 6 3 3 Adjust...

Страница 5: ...mbol Description Direct Current Alternating Current Both Direct and Alternating Current Earth Ground Terminal Protective Conductor Terminal Frame or Chassis Terminal Equipotentiality On Supply Off Supply In Position of a Bi Stable Push Control Out Position of a Bi Stable Push Control Caution Risk of Electric Shock Caution Hot Surface Caution Risk of Danger Warning Laser Radiation Caution Spinning ...

Страница 6: ...ngers between them or between the fiber handlers and the slot end walls while the machine is in operation DANGER The camera tower on the glass processors can generate a fair amount of force as it moves forward and backward and up and down Do not put fingers between it and the furnace or mirror tower while the machine is in operation CAUTION Be sure your electrical power and gas supplies meet the c...

Страница 7: ... 3 WARNING Do not stand or climb upon the unit or on shelves attached to the unit WARNING After moving the unit into position lock two of the wheels by pressing down on the black levers Before attempting to move the unit unlock the wheels by pulling up on the black levers ...

Страница 8: ...on splicing and tapering of standard and specialty fibers The system consists of a heating source CO2 laser or filament precision stages with multi axis control microscopic high resolution CCD imaging system and a personal computer The fusion area can heat optical fiber to temperatures up to 3000 C which makes it possible to fuse and process various fiber types and sizes The multi axis stages prec...

Страница 9: ...tor May be Required in other Areas or Countries Gas Line 1 8 PTFE Line for Argon Gas RS 232 Communication Cable 9 pin D sub Cable for RS 232 Communication Camera Cable 6 pin IEEE 1394 Fire Wire Cable Tool Kit Hex Wrenches Optical Targets and Inserts Replacement Fiber Holding Block Inserts Top and Bottom Inserts for Fiber Holding Blocks Filament Assemblies For Filament Fusion Only Set of Filament A...

Страница 10: ...The glass processing systems are powered from a dual voltage supply enclosed in the cart The GPX4000LZ can accommodate line cords of all types for different regions of the world The appropriate power cord must be selected at time of purchase The system connects directly to any 110 220 V wall outlet Communications The GPX4000LZ has an Ethernet connection and two analog outputs Ethernet A 15 cable a...

Страница 11: ...rs for aligning the cores of eccentric core fiber and for aligning surface features of non circular fiber or multicore fibers GPX4000LZ Fiber Holding Blocks The GPX4000LZ FHBs are capable of rotating each fiber up to 200 They can also move up and down and front and back for fiber centering Figure 3 Rotary Fiber Holding Block Fiber Holding Block FHB Inserts Multiple sizes and style bottom V grooves...

Страница 12: ...ps with outer diameters of 1 0 mm 1 5 mm or 2 0 mm Thorlabs offers steel tubes that can hold the end caps in place using vacuum suction For end caps with outer diameters of 4 0 mm 5 0 mm or 8 0 mm Vytran offers holders with flexure clamps that can grab end caps as the clamp screw is tightened Finally for end caps with outer diameters between 7 6 mm and 9 5 mm the ECH8L holder uses a magnetic lid t...

Страница 13: ... can be fitted with the Optical Splice Head the Optical End Cap Head or the Filament assembly After the splice head moves to the correct position the Furnace Tower raises in the Y axis to a predefined height to match the fiber line The Furnace assemblies mechanically mate to the top of the furnace tower and are held in place with screws When using the filament furnace assembly additional clamps ar...

Страница 14: ...aped mirror which focuses the beam on the fibers to be spliced Optical End Cap Head The Optical End cap Head is the assembly used for producing end caps with the CO2 Laser system It consists of a horseshoe mirror to direct the incoming CO2 donut shaped beam to the cone mirror which focuses the beam onto the face of the large fiber rod end cap to be spliced Figure 8 Optical Heads Figure 9 Laser Lig...

Страница 15: ...ft glass fibers and fiber couplers applications Figure 10 Splice Head Outfitted with Filament Assembly Proper filament selection and splice parameters are essential for optimum splice performance For filament selection guidelines see the table on the next page In addition to the standard sizes custom filaments can be designed and fabricated Contact Vytran for more information Figure 11 Filament He...

Страница 16: ...of the fiber They provide the Front View and Back View when using the 5X and 10X objective A second larger Side mirror allows viewing of the Side View when using the 2X objective The other set of mirrors formed as a wedge are used to view the ends of the fibers The LEDs provide backlighting when viewing the fiber directly in Center View for 5X and 10X and Top View and Side View with 2X objectives ...

Страница 17: ...quipped with a ring illuminator that provides backlighting for the front and back views of the fiber when using the 5X and 10X objectives and is not used when using the 2X objective The camera objective is swapped out to change the magnification and or field of view The ring illuminator mounts on the 5X or 10X objective and connects to the underside of the camera tower to provide current to the bu...

Страница 18: ...LZ system installation and setup will be performed at the customer site by a Thorlabs Service Engineer Upon successful uncrating and installation the Service Engineer will commission the system based on the customer s specific applications request as specified on the purchase order An introduction and training session for the customer in the proper usage of the GPX4000LZ will also be provided ...

Страница 19: ...l not emit radiation o A light labelled COVER OPEN that tells the user when the cover is open o A light labelled LASER FAULT that tells the user if the laser is not ready yet o A light labelled TEMPERATURE WARNING that tells the user if the laser is too hot to operate o A light labelled VOLTAGE WARNING that tells the user if the laser cannot lase due to improper input voltage A rocker switch label...

Страница 20: ...n opening for three cables which go to the PC monitor power data USB Figure 16 Ports in the back panel 5 4 Software Interface The GPX4000LZ is controlled with Vytran s FFS3 software package which is used across Vytran s entire range of fusion splicers FFS3 provides a fully integrated graphical user interface GUI for control and analysis together with an SQL database for data collection and perform...

Страница 21: ...GPX4000LZ Glass Processor Chapter 5 Operation Rev I September 15 2021 Page 17 Figure 17 FFS3 GUI Main Screen The following sections will explain each of these components in detail ...

Страница 22: ... the current settings to a new splice data file Data Base Options Enables Disables the Database Reset the Database The database has preconfigured settings that should not be altered Engineer Mode Engineer mode allows full access to the software and customization of the limited GUI used by non engineer technicians Engineer Password Engineer mode is password protected Feature Key Codes Enable softwa...

Страница 23: ...s associated with the camera image such as crosshairs alignment guides and centering guides The Processes Toolbar Macro Toolbar and Quick Open File Toolbar can only be activated if functions are assigned to them see Configuration menu below Typically the user will hide any viewable item that is not necessary for their application making the interface much simpler and maximizing screen space for th...

Страница 24: ...FFS3 s toolbars By selecting Edit Processes Bar the user can choose which processes will be displayed on the Process Bar These processes can be run at any time provided the system is not already executing another process The Process Picker shows a list of all available processes and a list of the items selected to appear on the Process Bar By selecting Edit Macro Bar the user can define which low ...

Страница 25: ...ccess to all properties related to the camera and imaging In the CCD Camera property window the view settings allow the user to control the color and visibility of all the cursors and guides in the image window Camera settings are preset and the user should not change these values Image Processing set up gives the user access to the edge alignment and gap tolerance settings together with the image...

Страница 26: ...ens Setup submenu opens up for two further items Lens Selection and Lens properties Each objective lens has its own group of settings The Lens Select window is used to define the objective setting 2X 5X or 10X The Objective Lens Properties page contains all the relevant settings specific to the chosen objective lens These include image calibration home location splice location and view positions ...

Страница 27: ...to View Distance sets the distance between the splice heads home position and its viewing position The Fiber Holding Block Home Positions determine the final positions the X and Y axis motors move to after being homed Time Delays represent the mechanical settling time constants of the GPXs moving parts and are preset The user should not change these values ...

Страница 28: ...ber prior to performing a splice or taper Returning to the main Configuration menu Argon flow has three rates The purge and background rates are controlled in this window and argon flow rate for the splice is set in the splice property window The system can measure the cleave angle of the fibers before splicing them together The user can set the cleave angle limits to reject a poorly cleaved fiber...

Страница 29: ...ed in the title bar of FFS3s main window The CO2 Splice Normalization values in this window are predefined by Vytran The process is used to calibrate the power and splice position in CO2 GPX Laser Fusion configuration The Filament Normalization values in this window are predefined by Vytran The process is used to calibrate the power and splice position in filament configuration d Splice The Splice...

Страница 30: ... provides information about using the GPX its software and allows the user to save the event log for diagnostics The Reference Views submenu shows the user which direction the fiber moves in each view 5 5 2 Command Bar The Command Bar allows the user to communicate directly with the GPX using its low level command language The command is entered on the left and transmitted by either pressing the e...

Страница 31: ...ar is a row of radio buttons for choosing the view position Home is the position for shipping and when loading and unloading fibers Back and Front are two different side views used to align fibers The Back view is typically used as the referenced view Left and Right views show the fiber end face External illumination may be necessary for certain fiber types In this document and in FFS3 the term pr...

Страница 32: ...processes from the Processes bar 5 5 5 Macro Bar The macro bar contains buttons that execute various macros and low level commands Again in this document and in FFS3 the term macro is used to denote low level machine actions that the user can edit or even create from scratch The macro bar can be edited using a right click on the empty space on the bar or from the Configuration menu clicking on Too...

Страница 33: ...the parameters currently in use to an XML file that can be opened later If a Vytran pre installed file is currently in use it is recommend that the file is saved with a different name using Save As so that the pre installed file can be referenced in the future Purge Increases the argon flow throughout the unit to remove air and impurities that may contaminate the splice Argon should be purged at l...

Страница 34: ...ssistance Load Taper Moves the fiber holding blocks into the predetermined locations for a particular Taper Process and automatically performs anti backlash Taper Executes the taper process See section 5 14 for further information regarding tapering One Button Process This executes the Splice Routine Sequence found under Splice Menu Splice Process Editor which generally includes alignment and gapp...

Страница 35: ...o capable of viewing fibers end on in Left or Right view This too is accomplished with mirrors on the mirror tower but in this case the illumination comes from light injected into the fibers in the fiber holding block lids Sometimes an external light source can be used to better illuminate the end face of a large fiber or rod The camera image resizes to the image window which can change the aspect...

Страница 36: ... desired position in the edit box The Left Block box allows the user to move the left fiber handler left and right Z axis The number shown is the position of the left block in microns and the positive direction is defined as right inwards or towards the splice head For the left block 0 is the left most position home The Left X and Left Y boxes enable the user to move the left fiber holding block f...

Страница 37: ...h positive motion The Right X and Right Y boxes enable the user to move the right fiber holding block front to back X axis and up and down Y axis The number shown is the position of the right block in microns the positive direction in X is defined as Front to Back Again the number shown is the position of the right block in microns The Y direction is up and down The positive direction is defined a...

Страница 38: ...s value and the voltage and current are both reported in ADC levels when in Filament mode The maximum for each is 65535 which corresponds to 5V and 80A respectively Cleave angles The cleave angle measured on the left fiber is displayed on the left and the cleave angle measured on the right fiber is displayed on the right To be able to get a reading of the angles the user has to do an automatic ali...

Страница 39: ... the Macro Toolbar If using the machine in CO2 fusion configuration splice or end cap the laser should be warmed up to achieve thermal stability Place the included CO2 laser dump between the output of the 45 degree mirror and the horse shoe mirror see Figure 20 and execute the Laser Warmup process This will typically run the laser at 5 W for 15 minutes Remove the CO2 laser dump when Laser Warmup h...

Страница 40: ...ccording to the procedure described in the previous section If it is open close the cover Remove the network cable from the wall socket coil it and attach it to the cart using the Velcro strip near it Remove the AC power cable from the wall socket coil it and attach it to the cart using the Velcro strip near it If a cleaver is on the drop shelf remove it and stow its power cable behind the cart us...

Страница 41: ... this pull down on both braces at the same time and keep your skin out of the joint area If used turn off the argon supply and disconnect the argon tube from the cart The glass processor workstation can easily be wheeled to a new local location after unlocking the cart wheels However if the system is to be transported a significant distance it will be necessary to crate it Instructions for crating...

Страница 42: ... is complete the user will need to run the Splice Head Home and Focus Home routines to ensure the focus offset and home to view position are correct as these values can change depending on furnace configuration and objective lens selection 5 9 Operating the GPX4000LZ 5 9 1 CO2 Splice Head Configuration Once the user has set the system to be in the Splice Head Configuration with the desired lens ob...

Страница 43: ...ow open the splice file he desires to execute prepare fibers according to desired process and press the blue One Button Process to execute the routine automatically based on the list of processes defined in the file splice process list 5 9 3 Filament Head Configuration When the system is configured to operate in Filament Configuration with the desired lens objective setting and installed the prope...

Страница 44: ... once the fibers are loaded The fusion source should already have been centered Section Figure 48 and where applicable normalized Section 5 9 2 The terms One Button Process and One Button Splice are used interchangeably both refer to the complete sequence of processes required to perform the splice 5 10 1 Basic One Button Splice Select the appropriate splice file from the file directory for the sp...

Страница 45: ...cute the entire process The steps associated to the One Button Process will vary with each splice file The steps for a basic splice are shown in the Splice Process List View Menu Splice Process List The fibers are focused aligned gapped and spliced through an automated succession of processes The final step brings the camera back into view so the user can view the completed splice During the splic...

Страница 46: ... file even if the macro button is removed The Command Script Link button will link the command script so it will update in the routine if the command is modified It is preferred to use this method of inclusion as it is easier to track 5 11 Measurement Tools FFS3 provides a number of measurement tools for directly measuring the fiber in the image window or to capture and post process a fiber image ...

Страница 47: ...ilable are from left to right Rectangle Draws a rectangle overlay with annotated left top and diagonal lengths Circle Draws a circle or ellipse overlay with annotated width and height Auto Locate Determines the position and diameter of a circular fiber Centroid Automatically determines the centroid of a fiber using the Center Of Area method This will work with any fiber geometry Save Image Saves t...

Страница 48: ...n from N points Draws a closed form polygon from a series of points The polygon is considered complete when the last point clicked is on or close to the first point clicked Polygons are not annotated Move Labels With the Move Labels tool selected the user can click on any annotation label and re position it within the tool window Erase Last Erases the last line or shape drawn Graphics Properties A...

Страница 49: ... gain are set to provide adequate brightness Hot View Imaging is enabled in the Power Ramp Filament Ramp tab of the Splice Properties page where the user can adjust the focus offset shutter and gain Figure 28 Splice Properties Filament Ramp Tab Left and Hot View Filters Right When Hot View is turned on the lens tower will not automatically go to the home position before the splice The ideal positi...

Страница 50: ...ners Successive images are analyzed and the fibers repositioned until they are aligned within the specified tolerances 5 14 3 Active XY Alignment The active alignment method should be used for fibers which have a high core eccentricity In such a case and the edge alignment method cannot ensure proper alignment of fiber cores Active alignment is a core to core alignment which uses output from an op...

Страница 51: ...would be inserted to align the fiber If the operator is not satisfied with the alignment the process can be stopped and the fibers can be manually aligned Fiber Type Parameter 1 P1 Parameter 2 P2 Generic OD Ratio N A Panda Core Center to Stress Rod Center Pixels Stress Rod Diameter Pixels Elliptical Core Core Center to edge of ellipse Minor diameter Pixels Core Center to edge of ellipse Major diam...

Страница 52: ...op a custom splice profile in which the furnace motion fusion power and argon flow if applicable can be different to the standard splice process The custom profile is executed as a series of stages and begins after the fusion source has reached the splice power including ramping as defined in the Splice Properties tab Figure 31 Splice Properties Window Users can add or remove multiple pre saved sp...

Страница 53: ...per Properties window which is shown below It is accessed by opening the Splice menu and then clicking on Taper Properties The first tab in this window shown in Figure 36 lets the user determine the geometry of the taper The following are some brief notes regarding taper terminology Figure 34 Taper Dimensions Interface When the glass processor first starts stretching the fiber and tapering it down...

Страница 54: ... Delta This is the percentage of reduction negative value or increase positive value in the furnace power during the tapering process The power varies from P at the beginning of the down taper to P Δ at the beginning of the waist and then varies back from P Δ at the end of the waist to P at the end of the up taper Filament Delay This is the amount of time the furnace is on before fiber holding blo...

Страница 55: ...ce during tapering To avoid such a situation take the overall length of the taper in millimeters and multiply by 1000 to determine the distance in micrometers that the right fiber holding block needs to move This a safe position value because the right fiber holding block moves less than the total taper length The anti backlash mechanism compensates for any fiber holding block movement so the last...

Страница 56: ...ore the taper process and then use the feedback to modify the taper properties as needed The Taper Tension process is available to allow the user to define a target tension to apply prior to the tapering process or any other process As an example a standard 400 µm to 200 um taper should be pre tensioned by approximately 20 g This is typically done by moving the left fiber holding block to the left...

Страница 57: ...nce these changes have been made load the fiber with the stripped region centered at the splice head Click the Splice button and the glass processor will perform the thermal core expansion Figure 38 Editing Fire Polish Parameters in Preparation for Thermal Core Expansion 5 14 12 Fiber Lensing There are many different types of fiber lensing applications Some involve splicing a component onto the en...

Страница 58: ...lso available which allows the user to zero the tension monitoring system while there is no load on the fiber Figure 39 Taper Tension Left and Tension Hold Right Interface Windows 5 14 15 Pre Tension Process The Pre Tension Process allows the user to apply a predefined tension value on the fiber by pulling on both fiber holding blocks at the same time This process is preferred when tension is need...

Страница 59: ...ering on the main panel Acetone will soften and remove the white lettering Ensure that all the fiber ends and coating particles are cleaned off the workstation This type of debris can cause improper operation of the equipment 6 3 Fiber Handler Maintenance Fiber handlers must be cleaned periodically to ensure accurate fiber positioning It is also sometimes necessary to change inserts to accommodate...

Страница 60: ...se If going to a larger fiber one turns the screw counterclockwise The side of the block should remain flush with the end of the insert Once the correct block height has been reached the two setscrews in the back of the block should be re tightened Figure 41 Adjusting the block on the transfer insert 6 4 Furnace Assembly Replacement Procedure 6 4 1 Changing a Filament Furnace Note If replacing a l...

Страница 61: ... the filament V number inscription facing toward the front user side of the unit 9 Fit and secure the 2 screws that fasten the furnace assembly to the filament tower Do not overtighten use a torque wrench and set the torque to 6 lbs in Figure 45 Fit and secure the filament body to the furnace 10 Refit the stainless steel cover plates and secure the two screws at a torque of 6 lbs in Figure 46 Secu...

Страница 62: ...Home the lens by clicking on the Lens Home macro button 3 Home the fiber holding blocks by clicking on FHB Home macro button 4 Send the filament tower up by clicking the Filament Up macro button 5 Remove the two screws shown in Figure 47 using a 5 64 hex key or ball driver and remove the laser furnace assembly shown in Figure 48 6 Replace with the desired furnace assembly and secure with the two s...

Страница 63: ... the plug back to the under arm of the camera tower In the software under the configuration menu choose the image menu and then the objevtive lens setup and the Lens Select menu to choose the magnification objective desired The system will then shut down the interface to save the current settings and load the proper settings for the target lens setting when the interface is opened again Figure 50 ...

Страница 64: ...ach mirror surface using a 10x eye loupe Item EYL10X Remove debris using a clean cotton swab and a commercial lens cleaner Please note that the mirrors are silver coated on the front surface Never use a cotton swab that has been laying on the work surface dust particles on a used cotton swab will scratch the mirror Wipe the mirror surface in a single direction rotating the swab to lift debris away...

Страница 65: ...ed and double sided versions the specified fiber diameter in µm is engraved on the part These top inserts cannot be used for end view imaging They are however compatible with the FPS300 Fiber Preparation Station LDC Series of Fiber Cleavers and LFS4100 Fusion Splicer For end view imaging and alignment an insert with an indent for LED illumination VHB00 or VHB05 is required This mode of operation a...

Страница 66: ...amp the transfer inserts for diameters 550 µm also require a graphite V groove Fiber Holder Insert Side 1 Accepted Diameter Min Max VHF160 112 µm 208 µm VHF250 177 µm 320 µm VHF400 279 µm 519 µm VHF500 346 µm 795 µm VHF750 516 µm 1047 µm Figure 54 Accepted Outer Diameters for Fiber Holder Transfer Inserts Fiber Holder Bottom Inserts for larger cladding or buffer diameters indicated with Item s sta...

Страница 67: ...en selecting inserts for the right and left fiber holding blocks try to minimize the offsets between the pairs of inserts on each side If we choose a VHF750 bottom insert and the Ø750 µm groove in the VHA05 top insert we can use fiber as small as 728 µm in which case the center of the fiber would sit 23 µm below the surface of the bottom insert We could also clamp a fiber as large as 963 µm in whi...

Страница 68: ... Core Imaging Technology Fiber End Viewing Facet Inspection and PM Core Alignment VHB00 or VHB05 Top Insert Required Core Cladding Fiber Diameter Automated Measurement End Face Inspection Inspection via GUI Display Cleave Angle Automated Measurement Fiber and End Face Alignment Furnace Z Axis Travel 85 mm Max 180 mm Max Fiber Z Axis Travel 105 mm Max 180 mm Max Z Axis Travel Resolution 0 25 µm via...

Страница 69: ...or Common Fibers and Processes Physical Size L x W x H 36 4 x 31 3 x 44 2 925 mm x 795 mm x 1123 mm Weight 300 lbs 136 kg Power Input 100 240 VAC 47 63 Hz 14 7 A Gas Supply N A Argon 99 999 Purity at 12 psig Not Included Environmental Operating Temperature 15 to 40 C Altitude Range 0 to 2000 m Above Sea Level Operating Humidity 0 to 75 Relative Humidity Non Condensing Storage Temperature 20 to 60 ...

Страница 70: ... argon gas with purity of 99 999 is recommended Research grade argon gas is preferred especially for fiber laser applications Any other gas may damage the unit Gas Supply Specifications It is recommended that only zero or research grade argon gas be used with the glass processor Any other gas may damage the unit or shorten the lifetime of the filament Please note that zero grade argon gas is speci...

Страница 71: ...ther Thorlabs products such as Pure OEM products that means assemblies to be built into a unit by the user e g OEM laser driver cards Components Mechanics and optics Left over parts of units disassembled by the user PCB s housings etc If you wish to return a Thorlabs unit for waste recovery please contact Thorlabs or your nearest dealer for further information Waste Treatment is Your Own Responsib...

Страница 72: ...on USA Canada and South America Thorlabs Inc sales thorlabs com techsupport thorlabs com UK and Ireland Thorlabs Ltd sales uk thorlabs com techsupport uk thorlabs com Europe Thorlabs GmbH europe thorlabs com Scandinavia Thorlabs Sweden AB scandinavia thorlabs com France Thorlabs SAS sales fr thorlabs com Brazil Thorlabs Vendas de Fotônicos Ltda brasil thorlabs com Japan Thorlabs Japan Inc sales th...

Страница 73: ...www thorlabs com ...

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