What is the difference between plastic and glass fiber?

POF uses a PMMA polymer core — cheap, flexible and easy to terminate, ideal for tens of meters and lighting. Glass fiber reaches farther with higher bandwidth but costs more and is harder to terminate.

What is side-glow fiber used for?

Side-glow fiber leaks light evenly from the side, making it the core material for fiber optic lamps, star ceilings and sign contour lighting.

How do I choose POF diameter?

For comms/routing pick thin OD2.2/OD4.0; for point sources OD4.0/OD5.0; for side-glow decor pick thick OD6.0/OD7.0 for brightness.

Is POF attenuation low?

Communications-grade POF is under 200 dB/km at the 650nm window — fine for short comms and lighting, not for long-haul backbones.

Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) Selection Guide: Specs, Applications & How to Choose Diameter

Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) uses a PMMA (poly(methyl methacrylate)) core with a fluoride cladding. Thanks to its flexibility, low cost and easy termination, POF is widely used in short-distance communications, decorative lighting and sensing. This guide covers POF specs, common forms, typical applications, and how to choose the diameter.

1. What Is Plastic Optical Fiber (POF)

Unlike silica glass fiber, POF uses a polymer core with a large numerical aperture (NA), tolerant of low-cost molded connectors and relaxed alignment. The trade-off is limited distance and bandwidth (suited to tens of meters at low speed or lighting), but the cost and usability advantages are decisive.

2. Key Specifications

Outer diameter: common OD2.2 / OD4.0 / OD5.0 / OD6.0 / OD7.0 mm; thicker means higher brightness/throughput.
Attenuation: communications-grade POF is < 200 dB/km (650nm red window).
Core source: premium products use a Toray (Japan) PMMA core for better consistency.
Jacket: braided-jacket versions improve mechanical strength.

3. Common Forms: End-glow / Illuminated / Side-glow

End-glow: light exits the tip — indicator lights, point sources.
Illuminated: the whole strand glows evenly as a light guide.
Side-glow: light leaks uniformly from the side — the core material for fiber optic lamps, star ceilings and contour lighting.

4. Typical Applications

Short-distance comms: in-vehicle networks, industrial fieldbus, intra-equipment links.
Decorative lighting: fiber chandeliers, star ceilings, sign contours (side-glow).
Sensing: liquid level, displacement and temperature fiber sensors.

5. How to Choose the Diameter

Use case	Suggested OD	Reason
Comms / signaling	OD2.2 / OD4.0	thin, flexible, easy routing
Point source / end-glow	OD4.0 / OD5.0	bright tip face
Side-glow decor	OD6.0 / OD7.0	thicker = brighter, even side glow

Rule of thumb: for comms prioritize flexibility and loss; for lighting prioritize brightness. Side-glow lighting prefers large diameters (OD6.0/OD7.0); long flexible comms runs prefer small diameters (OD2.2/OD4.0).

6. Aixin Optoelectronics POF Products

We supply communications-grade PMMA plastic fiber with a Toray core, in OD2.2–OD7.0 and braided versions, supporting end-glow / illuminated / side-glow forms, attenuation < 200 dB/km, ROHS compliant. See the Plastic Optical Fiber page; for industrial environments choose armored industrial fiber cable.