Reverse Oscillating Lay (ROL ) Consistency Control System For Optical Fiber Cable Manufacturing Process

A system for improving reverse oscillating lay (ROL) consistency during an optical cable manufacturing process, the system comprising:

• a subunit payoff system unreeling a plurality of subunit cables, the subunit cables together comprising an optical cable;
• an ROL machine, the ROL machine receiving the subunit cables unreeled from the ROL machine, the ROL machine placing reverse-oscillating lay on the core of an optical cable as the subunit cables are pulled through the ROL machine;
• a torque capstan, the torque capstan receiving the optical cable from the ROL machine, the optical cable comprising a plurality of subunit cables,
• a drive system coupled to the torque capstan;
• and
• an automatic feedback control system in communication with the drive system, the automatic feedback control system comprising a sensor located downstream of the torque capstan with respect to the direction in which the optical cable is being pulled during optical cable manufacturing, wherein the sensor senses an amount of overall back-tension on the optical cable at the location of the sensor and produces one or more signals relating to the amount of sensed overall back-tension, and wherein the automatic feedback control system controls the drive system in accordance with the signals produced by the sensor to cause the torque capstan to apply a certain amount of force to the optical cable in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the optical fiber cable is being pulled during manufacturing of the optical cable, and wherein the certain amount of force applied to the optical fiber cable reduces any undesirable fluctuating back-tension on the optical cable caused by at least one of the ROL machine and the subunit payoff system.