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The role of a spherical lens in optical coupling is somewhat like that of a car gearbox—inconspicuous, but a slight difference can make the whole thing feel awkward. Whether the diameter of the spherical lens burned into the fiber end face is too large or too small, and whether its roundness is good or not, directly determines the coupling efficiency and return loss.
In response to this specific segment, Nanjing VAEYI Technology recently launched the VAEYI BLM-350 fiber optic burn-in machine.
The BLM-350 is a device for fabricating fiber optic end-face spherical lenses using dual-electrode high-voltage arc discharge technology.
It generates an electric arc through tungsten alloy electrodes, melting and forming a spherical lens at the end of the optical fiber. It mainly serves applications such as coupler/PLC splitter port ball burning, spherical lens manufacturing, medical optical fiber processing, and microsphere resonator research.
Quick overview of core parameters
Ball diameter range 150~350μm (standard 350μm), ball diameter accuracy ±10μm, roundness ≤5%, consistency ≤±15μm, return loss ≥60dB, single ball burn time 5~15 seconds, yield ≥90%.
Many ball-burning devices simply "look at it after burning" and judge whether the ball is up to standard based on experience. After the ball-burning is complete, the BLM-350 uses a single camera to automatically focus (640×480 resolution, reuses the FA66S fusion splicer lens) to perform image measurement on the ball.
More importantly, there's the 0°/90° rotation retest—the fiber is rotated 90 degrees and then measured again. Why rotate it? Because what appears as a sphere from one direction might be an ellipse from the side. Only two orthogonal measurements can accurately reflect its roundness.
The BLM-350 divides the discharge process into multiple segments, and the current and duration of each segment can be set independently, thereby controlling the heating curve at the fiber end.
The preheating section gradually raises the temperature of the optical fiber to avoid thermal shock, the main discharge section completes the melting and spherical formation, and the tail section slowly cools down to reduce internal stress.
Different fiber types and target sphere diameters require very different combinations of discharge parameters.
The BLM-350 has a built-in self-learning process library that can save verified parameter schemes as process recipes, which can be reproduced later.
When commissioning a new fiber optic model for the first time, engineers can make minor adjustments based on a similar formula, eliminating the need for trial and error from scratch. This is especially time-saving for production lines with multiple product types and small batches.
The BLM-350 is equipped with a 5-inch 800×480 touchscreen, allowing all operations to be completed on the device itself without the need for a host computer. For laboratory workstations or production line layouts with limited space, one less computer means one less cable and one less point of failure.
The tungsten alloy electrode has a lifespan of ≥2000 cycles and can be replaced after that. The complete configuration includes the main unit, vision system, tungsten alloy electrode, V-groove fixture, and process library authorization, and comes with a 12-month warranty and lifetime technical support.
It's worth mentioning that the BLM-350 reuses the lens and MCU control platform from the FA66S fusion splicer. For existing FA66S users, the user interface and maintenance logic are consistent, making it easier to get started.
Counterintuitive: Many people believe that the accuracy of ball burning mainly depends on discharge control, but in reality, "measurement capability" is the bottleneck. No matter how accurate the burning is, it's all for nothing if the measurement is inaccurate. The BLM-350's closed-ring diameter measurement + rotation retest essentially solves the problem of "knowing whether you've burned a good ball or not."
In the manufacturing of couplers and PLC splitters, burning the fiber optic ends at the ports to create a ball can increase the numerical aperture and improve coupling efficiency, which is a key process.
In the field of medical fiber optics, the end face of a spherical lens is used for laser transmission and illumination, where the requirements for roundness and surface quality are even more stringent. Research on microsphere resonators, on the other hand, requires microspheres with precise dimensions and high repeatability as optical resonant cavities.
The launch of the VAEYI BLM-350 provides a closed-loop solution for these scenarios, encompassing discharge, measurement, and data traceability. The device is now officially available. Feel free to leave a message for inquiries.
