From niche technology to broad industrial application – Fiberlab at 25

The roots go back much further than 2001. Swedish expertise in optical fiber had been built up since the 1970s, and the Institute of Optical Research and Ericsson had collaborated for several years in Sundbyberg on the development of specialty fibers. Around the turn of the millennium, several major fiber initiatives were launched in Hudiksvall, spanning both commercial telecom-fiber production and research, development, and manufacturing of specialty fibers. It was in this environment that Fiberlab was established, with new investments and a local build-up of expertise in advanced optical glass materials and specialty fiber. Acreo inaugurated the laboratory in September 2001 and became part of RISE in 2016.

As specialty fiber found its way into more industrial applications, the requirements also changed – in terms of quality, reproducibility, materials, processes, and the ability to move from development to stable manufacturing. Fiberlab has evolved with these needs and today serves both as an R&D environment and as a production-oriented partner for industry.

“Perhaps the biggest change over these 25 years is how specialty fiber is used. What was once a technology for a small number of advanced niches is now integrated into industrial systems on a completely different scale. That also places new demands on both the fiber itself and on how we develop and manufacture it,” says Åsa Claesson, Senior Researcher at RISE, who has been part of Fiberlab since it was established in Hudiksvall.

Investment in extrusion and further processing

A major milestone came in 2016, when Fiberlab moved into new premises and its two draw towers were rebuilt to a height of 17 meters. A few years later, the in-house MCVD capability was phased out and replaced by investments in extrusion, polymer expertise, and fiber post-processing. In 2023, Fiberlab took the next step and built a third draw tower for R&D. The tower was developed in-house, customized, and built to provide even greater flexibility in the development of new fibers and fiber processes.

Collaboration with industry and academia has been central to developing new areas of application. Over the years, optical fiber from RISE has enabled fiber-optic measurement systems for applications such as smelters, mines, and transformer stations, in collaboration with Swedish industry.

“We have also carried out long-term research on functional fibers and optofluidics together with KTH and Karolinska Institutet. There, we use specially designed fibers with microstructures and fluidic channels to open up new opportunities in areas such as microfluidics, analysis, and medical technology,” says Åsa Claesson.

After 25 years, the field continues to evolve rapidly. Distributed fiber-optic sensing systems, advanced signal analysis, and AI are creating new opportunities to measure and interpret what is happening along long stretches of infrastructure. Rapidly growing data volumes and the development of data centers are placing demands on higher capacity and lower latency. Defense and security are increasing the need for robust and specialized fiber technology for harsh environments.

“Our core mission is essentially the same as it was 25 years ago: to stay close to research and the needs of industry, and to develop and manufacture the specialty fiber required by the systems of the future,” says Åsa Claesson.