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Minimally-­Invasive Surgical (MIS) and diagnostic procedures have been enabled by the advance of various medical technologies. One of these technologies is the use of thin, flexible fiber optics to visualize, measure, ablate or cauterize.

AFL has developed a broad range of medical optical fibers and assemblies to address the needs of minimally ­invasive probe in support of equipment manufacturers in the medical marketplace. AFL’s medical offering includes both Sensing fibers as well as Laser Delivery designs. Some of the capabilities developed by AFL for the medical market include:

 

Precision and custom waveguides to deliver low and high-power optical signals

  • Optical fibers made of synthetic fused silica tailored for 200nm to 2100nm transmission windows
  • Step or Graded refractive index profiles to achieve desired beam characteristics
  • Photosensitive designs for cost-effective fiber Bragg gratings (FBG’s) fabrication
  • Optical fibers with core diameters ranging from 50m to 1500m for laser delivery

 

A variety of coatings and buffers for handling, mechanical, and delivery needs

  • Biocompatible thin polyimide coatings provide geometry advantages and compact packaging
  • Acrylate coating for improved handling and strippability
  • Silicone/PFA coatings to provide lubricity during introduction
  • Carbon coating for enhanced reliability through autoclave sterilization and improved static fatigue resistance of the fiber under stringent packaging configurations
  • Metal coatings for visualization

 

Cabling and Jacketing to provide additional mechanical protection

  • Fluorinated material buffers
  • Polyurethane for flexibility
  • PVC for cost effectiveness
  • Kevlar for strength and connector attachment
  • Other medical grade jacketing materials available

 

End preparation, attachment and testing tools available at AFL Engineered Products Group

Medical Applications Products