Buyer's Guide > Users > Product categories > optical switches

Buying Optical Switches

Top-level product categories: icon optical modulators, icon various devices

Related product categories: pulse pickers, optical fiber communication systems and devices

Optical switches enable the transmission or interruption of optical signals, typically controlled with electrical signals. They are widely used in optical communications and for pulse picking in laser systems.

Making Good Purchase Decisions

As the most professional photonics purchasing portal, RP Photonics helps you to not only to find all relevant suppliers (not limited to our advertisers), but also to make good purchasing decisions.

NEW: Structured Decision Process

Purchasing involves a lot of responsibility. We recommend that you apply best practice by using the following structured process: Go through the following expandable sections, complete the form and finally come to a purchase decision. You can then print that to a PDF for documenting the process.

Our article on best practices for purchasing and another one explaining this tool give you valuable insights.

1. Understand the technical background

It is important to sufficiently understand the technology before buying.

Use the comprehensive resources of RP Photonics. Unfortunately, we do not have a specific article related to optical switches.

If you need personal help, contact RP Photonics to get technical consultancy.

I feel that I sufficiently understand the technical background.

2. Define your requirements

It is essential to fully understand and clearly define your requirements before you buy.

We recommend that you develop a list of clear specifications according to your specific needs, against which you can later check the suitability of found product offers:

To help you, we have already listed some aspects we recommend you consider when buying optical switches. Of course, there may be other aspects that are relevant to your specific case.

This list is for your own preparation, and can later (possibly in modified form) be used for quotation requests to suppliers.

I think that I am sufficiently informed about our requirements.

Otherwise, you will need to talk to your technical colleagues.

I consider the above list of specifications to be sufficiently complete, clear and accurate.

If you cannot sufficiently clarify your requirements, you may want to get technical consultancy from RP Photonics.

Insert these criteria when creating inquiry mails to suppliers with the buttons "Get quotation".

You find these buttons in the supplier list below or under "3. Find suitable suppliers".

3. Find suitable suppliers

We suggest three steps:

Below, you can find our list of suppliers for optical switches. Use the checkboxes to mark possibly suitable suppliers.
The selected suppliers will appear below this list, along with your list of specifications. You can then indicate which specifications they meet according to your research. (You should finalize your specifications before doing this.)
Based on the results, you can finally choose a supplier that is hopefully a good enough fit.

Selected suppliers:

(none so far)

Decision

The most suitable supplier you found:

Comments, e.g. reasons for your choice, or things which still need to be checked:

Suppliers for Optical Switches

37 suppliers for optical switches are listed in the RP Photonics Buyer's Guide, out of which 4 present their product descriptions. Both manufacturers and distributors can be registered.

Suppliers with Advertising Package

presenting their product descriptions

Exail (formerly iXblue)
34, Rue de la Croix de Fer
78100 Saint Germain-en-Laye
France