DeSolite Supercoatings(TM) Help Drive Fiber All The Way

ELGIN, Ill., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The industry's newest generation of coating technology for optical fiber, DeSolite Supercoatings™, is formulated to optimize fiber optic deployment in today's Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) environments, says UV-curable coatings leader DSM.  Introduced by DSM in 2009, DeSolite Supercoatings™ enable higher fiber count in compact cable, increased stress tolerance, and improved signal attenuation performance in tight bend applications.

Among the most significant challenges addressed by DeSolite Supercoatings™ in delivering fiber-all-the-way in the MDU environment are: deploying fiber optic cable in very tight locations without increasing signal attenuation, ensuring that the fiber will perform over the life of the network and avoiding costly re-builds, and having enough capacity in the plant to support increasingly bandwidth-hungry services.

"DeSolite Supercoatings™ are engineered for low microbend sensitivity which produces several key performance benefits in optical fiber, including the enabling of higher fiber capacity in compact cable designs," said Steve Schmid, DSM R&D Manager Fiber Optic Coatings.  "The use of these newest-generation coatings can result in increasing a compact cable's fiber count capacity by more than 30%."

New higher-density, high-performance fiber optic cables, made possible by DSM's advanced coating formulation, allow broadband service providers to lower capital and operational expenses related to fiber optic deployment because the cable is easier to install and has lower overall maintenance.  The added capacity in the cable allows service providers to deliver highly-profitable premium services and create a more positive customer experience.  

"The broadband industry is being tasked to deliver network capacity into increasingly complex and exotic environments, and in MDUs we're dealing with much tighter real estate," said Rob Crowell, Vice President Fiber Optics Materials DSM Desotech.  "We attacked this challenge in the same way we've been addressing them for the fiber industry over the past four decades—with experience, investment in R&D and an ongoing dialogue with fiber manufacturers and other industry leaders.  The result is a technology innovation that is making fiber-all-the-way a cost-effective and profitable option for service providers."

DSM – the Life Sciences and Materials Sciences Company

Royal DSM N.V. creates solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance. Its end markets include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrical and electronics, life protection and housing. DSM manages its business with a focus on the triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity, which it pursues simultaneously and in parallel. DSM has annual net sales of about euro 8 billion and employs some 22,700 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands, with locations on five continents. DSM is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information: www.dsm.com

About DSM Desotech

DSM Desotech is the world's leading developer of UV-curable optical fiber coatings, a critical component of high-speed optical fiber networks. With more than 40 years experience in fiber coatings development, the company holds more than 120 U.S. patents in UV-curable technology, with other patents in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia and Canada. DSM Desotech operates globally, with research and manufacturing facilities located in the U.S., Europe, China and Japan.  It is headquartered in Elgin, Ill., USA.  DSM Desotech is a business unit of DSM Resins, based in the Netherlands, and is part of the global DSM family – a world leader in life sciences and material sciences.  More information can be found at: www.supercoatings.com.

About DeSolite Supercoatings™

DSM's newest generation of fiber coatings, DeSolite Supercoatings™, has been engineered to significantly improve microbending sensitivity at the fastest processing speeds, ensuring the best economy of high speed production and superior attenuation performance. In standard basket-weave testing, DeSolite Supercoatings™ display 90% less sensitivity to microbend attenuation—a performance advantage critical for today's new FTTx designs, especially at the longer wavelengths of 1625nm.   In addition to improved microbending sensitivity, DeSolite Supercoatings™ demonstrate high reliability in temperature extremes, ensuring a robust solution especially in low temperature environments. Other enhanced performance properties include reduced volatility, faster cure speed and advanced mechanical properties.

®: registered trademarks of DSM

™: trademarks of DSM

Protection of Trademarks and Copyright:

DSM cordially asks those who use this press release to use the classic registered trademark symbol ® and indicate DSM as the owner of the trademark quoted.  The use of images made available by DSM is authorized only in reference to DSM editorial material. For other uses, please ask DSM authorization. The same indications are extended to the trademarks of the clients of DSM.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections of DSM management and information currently available to the company. The statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and therefore DSM does not guarantee that its expectations will be realized. Furthermore, DSM has no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release.

SOURCE DSM Desotech, Inc.