PYROCOAT® Polyimide Coated Optical Fibres

PYROCOAT is a polyimide coating designed for much higher temperature and chemical resistance than standard acrylate coatings. It remains stable in environments up to around 300°C, resists many aggressive chemicals, and adds minimal bulk because the coating is thin and mechanically robust.

These fibres are intended for continuous operation in the 250°C to 300°C range. They can also tolerate short-term excursions to significantly higher temperatures, around 450°C, depending on the exposure duration and application conditions. They are used where long operational life at elevated temperature is critical.

Common applications include distributed temperature sensing, acoustic sensing, downhole oil and gas monitoring, industrial process control, aerospace systems, optical imaging, spectroscopy, and medical devices. They are selected wherever fibre must operate reliably in heat, pressure, moisture, chemicals, or other demanding conditions.

Yes. PYROCOAT fibres are used in medical and biomedical applications because the coating is biocompatible and can withstand sterilisation processes. This makes them suitable for imaging probes, surgical tools, and in-body sensing assemblies.

Yes. The range includes both single-mode and multimode designs, including common formats such as 9/125µm single-mode and 50/125µm or 62.5/125µm multimode. This supports communications, sensing, imaging, and OCT applications with the same harsh-environment coating benefits.

They are designed to perform well in harsh environments involving moisture, saltwater, oils, solvents, elevated pressure, and high temperature. The polyimide coating helps protect the fibre from degradation, making it suitable for long-term deployment in challenging field conditions.

Yes. Depending on the application, they can be supplied with additional layers such as carbon coatings, integrated into rugged cable constructions, placed inside metal buffers, or terminated with connectors. This allows adaptation for installation, protection, and lifetime requirements.

Because polyimide is tough and heat resistant, stripping typically requires specialised methods such as thermal stripping or controlled chemical removal. Once prepared correctly, the fibre can be cleaved, spliced, and connectorised in much the same way as other optical fibres.

No. The coating is applied outside the glass cladding, so it does not change the fibre’s core optical properties. A PYROCOAT version of a given fibre is intended to deliver the same fundamental optical behaviour while improving environmental durability.

Yes. Polyimide coatings are known for low outgassing, which supports use in vacuum environments, and they are also used in applications exposed to radiation. Final suitability still depends on the full system design and the radiation response of the glass fibre itself.