Fiber Optic Not Resistant to Corrosive Chemicals

The product shown below is an inspection light using the principles of illumination fiber optics to disperse high-intensity light in a 360-degree pattern and is widely deployed by military and homeland security personnel. The light enters the fiber optic from a 5-Watt LED flashLight (circled area). The flexible fiber optic is about 12” long and is deployed to inspect hard-to-reach and confined areas such as aircraft fuel tanks, vehicle wheel wells, containers for flammable materials, etc.

The problem that required a solution was to find a way to make the fiber optic impervious to corrosive materials. Different transparent film materials were heat-shrunk over the fiber optic to seal and protect it against chemical attacks. However, after repeated use, most of the protective sheaths scratched and began to lose their transparency. Ultimately we found the perfect chemical and abrasion-resistant material to use for the protective sheath.