AFL offers an extensive range of products suitable for use in energy projects across the globe.
These include:
Applications can vary widely and require careful product consideration to meet extreme performance conditions. AFL can provide you with solutions that meet your most demanding requirements, from fibre optic cable and fittings to rodent-resistant cabinets and enclosures for use in harsh environments.
Our extensive product portfolio and vast experience allows us to design, manufacture and integrate a solution that is right for your application.
AFL was a leader in the development and launch of this product back in 1985 when they discovered that electric transmission lines provided an ideal route for a telecommunications path. Today, AFL boasts the world’s largest OPGW product portfolio and highest total capacity with facilities situated throughout the world to satisfy the needs of the global market. AFL also manufactures its own line of attachment hardware which simplifies the network design phase of a project while ensuring compatibility between the cable and related components.
OPGW is primarily used by the electric utility industry, placed in the secure topmost position of the transmission line where it “shields” the all-important conductors from lightning while providing a telecommunications path for internal as well as third party communications.
SkyWrap provides a retro-fit solution for installing a fibre optic cable on overhead power lines. A specially designed spinning machine is used to wrap the cable under controlled conditions. This system offers a complete communication link designed and engineered for high-voltage environments at low cost. The cable is small and imposes minimal additional load on the overhead line conductors, poles and towers. The installation technique means that SkyWrap can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively, increasing network fibre capacity with minimum disruption to electricity supply services.
SkyWrap was first installed in 1982 and has an excellent reputation for reliable and secure operation in more than 40 countries around the world. The success of SkyWrap is derived from the speed, manoeuvrability and low impact on the Cable Energy 3 environment. It requires fewer people and much less equipment to install the cable, which provides:
AFL ADSS (All-Dielectric Self-Supporting) cable is ideal for installation in distribution as well as transmission environments, even when live-line installations are required. As its name indicates, there is no support or messenger wire required, so installation is achieved in a single pass, making ADSS an economical and simple means of building a fibre optic network. AFL manufactures its own line of attachment hardware which simplifies the network design phase of a project while ensuring compatibility between the cable and related components.
AFL’s Loose Tube family of fibre optic cables is designed for outdoor use in infrastructure applications. Depending on the environmental and performance criteria, AFL has an array of jacket options to withstand even the harshest petrochemical, climate or soil conditions. Designs are available with gel-filled or gelfree, color-coded buffer tubes. The large variety of cable designs, including metallic and non-metallic armour, high strength and reduced diameter cables, provide long term reliability durability and security.
AFL’s full range of aerial cables can be applied to many different tower arrangements and network configurations. These tower or pole arrangements vary based on application and geography, and must be able to withstand severe environmental conditions.
The range of attachment hardware is integral to the overall solution and has been developed to optimise the installation and operation of the cable. Each installation is unique and hardware is specified accordingly, allowing a complete integrated solution approach. Products include:
Enclosures used in energy applications must be able to withstand environmental conditions including exposure to the sun, wind, rain and snow. These impact on equipment through extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, moisture, dust and corrosive surroundings.
AFL offers a large range of enclosures and cabinets for any environment.
AFL offers a large range of ruggedized fibre optic connectors in varying sizes, styles, materials and mating mechanisms to suit a wide range of applications and environments.
AFL manufactures a comprehensive range of high quality pre-terminated cable assemblies in our modern manufacturing facility in Melbourne. Assemblies can be manufactured with a vast variety of connectors to virtually any combination and length using various cable types.
Pre-terminated cables are ideal for energy projects as they eliminate the need for onsite termination and tooling and making installation easy while protecting the fibres.
AFL’s range of industrial rated products are manufactured to withstand extreme operating environments including temperature ranges from -40°C to +75°C, humidity, dust ingress and variable voltage.
Products such as industrial Ethernet switches, media converters, IP cameras and recording devices provide reliable communications between equipment. Different mounting options are available, from shelf mount to rack mount and DIN rail brackets. Using industrial rated products ensures the stability and reliability of your network in all adverse conditions.
AFL has an extensive range of termination solutions for energy fibre networks. Our popular termination options include fusion splicing of pigtails, mechanical splice-on connectors and fusion splice-on connectors.
You can be confident that all of our termination solutions come with the advice and support of our experienced technical staff. Our partnership with Fujikura, the world’s leader in splicing technologies, means you benefit from the global experience and value they bring to AFL’s range of splicing solutions.
AFL offers:
AFL offers a comprehensive portfolio of test and measurement solutions for testing and certification of fibre and copper networks. Our specialist advice on test methodologies, optical performance standards and range of test instruments and accessories will ensure your networks are tested correctly and to standards. We also supply after-sales support for all test instruments and the option to hire from a national pool of equipment.
Our comprehensive portfolio includes:
AFL also offers specialist products for advanced testing, including:
Our video inspection and cleaning solutions support standard and specialty fibre optic connectors, and include:
AFL stocks a wide range of wet- and dry-based connector cleaning products for efficiently and effectively removing connector contamination. We offer: