The Challenge

A local fiber optic cable manufacturer required custom jacket components to protect delicate cable terminations across multiple hardware configurations. These parts needed to maintain extremely tight tolerances to ensure a secure fit, while the sheer number of variants required a design-from-scratch approach that could be quickly iterated and then scaled for high-volume production.

The Solution

Utilizing Fusion 360, designed a series of modular jacket variants tailored to the client's specific fiber optic lines. Because of the microscopic level of detail and the need for perfectly smooth internal channels, SLA (Stereolithography) was the only viable manufacturing method.

Managed the full production lifecycle for several thousand pieces, implementing a rigorous post-processing workflow to ensure industrial-grade durability. This included a precision dual-stage IPA wash to remove uncured resin from intricate features, followed by a timed cycle in a UV curing chamber to achieve maximum material strength and stability.

Key Features

Material: Standard Grey Resin (SLA)
Manufacturing Scale: High-volume production (3,000+ pieces)
Post-Processing: Dual-stage isopropyl alcohol (IPA) bath and UV light curing
Design Complexity: Multiple custom variants modeled from scratch for different cable diameters
Precision: High-resolution surface finish required for fiber optic compatibility
Client: Local industrial manufacturing partnership

The Result

By leveraging SLA technology, provided the client with a level of detail and surface finish unattainable through traditional FDM printing. The ability to prototype and then immediately pivot into a multi-thousand-piece production run allowed the manufacturer to bypass expensive injection molding lead times, keeping their assembly line moving with high-quality, locally produced components.

Fiber Optic Cable Jacket Prototypes & Production