Maximize the reliability of your fiber-optic application
SCI is a leading provider of fiber-optic precision winding and dispensers for guidance and control applications that require bi-directional transmission of video, telemetry, and commands over a small fiber-optic tether.
Our proprietary winding process minimizes attenuation due to micro-bending and maximizes reliability during payout.
SCI’s tether products are developed for a wide range of mobile aerial, underwater, land, and space applications that require slow to supersonic payout speeds. Tether dispenser products employ a range of tethers from reduced diameter, buffered fiber to strengthened cables.
An experienced engineering staff, state-of-the-art payout test facility, and dedicated production facility are ready to support your program.
Applications
Our fiber-optic technology is ideal for a wide range of both military and civilian applications including:
- Missiles and Torpedoes
- Munitions-Dispensed Towed Devices
- Tethered Buoys
- Undersea Cable Deployment
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
- Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs)
- Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs)
Our Experience
SCI has an unprecedented success record in programs where rapid dispensing of tethers and tether reliability are paramount. We’ve supplied dispensers for cables that have journeyed to the bottom of the ocean and back, delivering crucial data in support of HROV Nereus’ scientific mission to the darkest reaches of Challenger Deep. We’re also a long-time Department of Defense supplier, providing dependable yet innovative solutions for various mission-critical programs.
Rapid Prototyping
SCI has the experience and resources to take a tether requirement from the conceptual stage to the hardware stage in the shortest possible time while minimizing costs. Designs are rooted in an advanced understanding of the physics of pack mechanics and payout dynamics, and learned through basic research and experimentation. Precision winding and tether dispensers involve a wide range of disciplines including: CAD design, fiber optics technology, materials, precision machining, machine design, motor control technology, code development, modeling and analysis, 6-DOF simulation and system design.
On-Site Payout Testing
In-house test capabilities include a variety of payout machines and payout instrumentation. Testing may involve off-site technical support at government test ranges or leased facilities (private and government). Rapid prototyping and effective “design of experiments,” prior to system-level integration, are critical to minimize program cost and technical risk.