Guide To Fiber Optic Polishing

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Optical fibers require end-surface treatment for proper light propagation and that includes polishing their ends. Polishing is essential for almost all glass-based fibers with cladding diameters larger than 200 microns. Furthermore, all fiber connectors require polishing. The process of fiber optic polishing can occur in the field or in a technical lab, it employs a range of tools and products used to create precision fits and finishes in the delicate glass ends.
There is typical fiber optic polisher for fiber optic polishing. Fiber Optic Polishing Machines are used to polish the end faces of fiber optic products (cables, connectors, adapters, etc.) in order to minimize signal losses due to scattering. Polishing machines can increase productivity by providing rapid polishing of many different connector styles.
When selecting a fiber polishing machine, there are several features to consider, including adjustable pressure, changeable holders, a timer, and the ability to request custom specifications. Most polishing machines do not offer the flexibility of speed adjustment. This is partially due to the fact that most users only need to handle one type of ferrule material such as zirconia. A slight speed variation does not have significant impact on connector polish result. However, a versatile polisher should have the capability to change speed according the ferrule and polishing film material.
The polishing job typically involves fusion splicer, among other network crimping tool and connectors are needed. It also requires 99% isopropyl alcohol, polishing (lapping) film and pad, a polishing puck, and epoxy or adhesive. Some technicians also find needle, syringe, and piano wire useful.
Several Different Polish Options On Fiber Connectors
The different polish of the fiber optic connector ferrules result in different performance of them, mainly on the back reflection (return loss). Generally, PC type is required at least 40dB return loss or higher, UPC is 50dB or higher, APC is 60dB or higher. (As we know, the higher the return loss, the better the performance). Insertion loss of them all should be less than at least 0.3dB, the lower the insertion loss the better the performance.
Things You Need To Mind During Fiber Optic Polishing
It is important not to dwell on any polishing film longer than necessary. Too much polishing can result in undesirable ferrule length, unnecessary polish film wear, and degraded polish finish due to particle accumulation. Make proper adjustments to the recommended polishing time in each step in case they are less than ideal.
Eye protection is always necessary to protect against powerful industrial lasers used in long-distance single-mode networks. Supporting tools may include a visual fault locater to troubleshoot fiber faults and breaks. A fiber-optic inspection microscope permits precision analysis of hair-fine fibers. Additionally, technicians rely upon jacket strippers, cutters, cable slitters, and fusion splicers.
Conclusion
Fiber polishing is a science but much like an art. The science of polishing is crystallized in a well designed machine while the art of polishing reside in the procedure and the continuous effort for improvement by the individual user. The procedure and the training are just as valuable as the polishing machine.

Guide To Fiber Optic Polishing

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Optical fibers require end-surface treatment for proper light propagation and that includes polishing their ends. Polishing is essential for almost all glass-based fibers with cladding diameters larger than 200 microns. Furthermore, all fiber connectors require polishing. The process of fiber optic polishing can occur in the field or in a technical lab, it employs a range of tools and products used to create precision fits and finishes in the delicate glass ends.
There is typical fiber optic polisher for fiber optic polishing. Fiber Optic Polishing Machines are used to polish the end faces of fiber optic products (cables, connectors, adapters, etc.) in order to minimize signal losses due to scattering. Polishing machines can increase productivity by providing rapid polishing of many different connector styles.
When selecting a fiber polishing machine, there are several features to consider, including adjustable pressure, changeable holders, a timer, and the ability to request custom specifications. Most polishing machines do not offer the flexibility of speed adjustment. This is partially due to the fact that most users only need to handle one type of ferrule material such as zirconia. A slight speed variation does not have significant impact on connector polish result. However, a versatile polisher should have the capability to change speed according the ferrule and polishing film material.
The polishing job typically involves fusion splicer, among other network crimping tool and connectors are needed. It also requires 99% isopropyl alcohol, polishing (lapping) film and pad, a polishing puck, and epoxy or adhesive. Some technicians also find needle, syringe, and piano wire useful.
Several Different Polish Options On Fiber Connectors
The different polish of the fiber optic connector ferrules result in different performance of them, mainly on the back reflection (return loss). Generally, PC type is required at least 40dB return loss or higher, UPC is 50dB or higher, APC is 60dB or higher. (As we know, the higher the return loss, the better the performance). Insertion loss of them all should be less than at least 0.3dB, the lower the insertion loss the better the performance.
Things You Need To Mind During Fiber Optic Polishing
It is important not to dwell on any polishing film longer than necessary. Too much polishing can result in undesirable ferrule length, unnecessary polish film wear, and degraded polish finish due to particle accumulation. Make proper adjustments to the recommended polishing time in each step in case they are less than ideal.
Eye protection is always necessary to protect against powerful industrial lasers used in long-distance single-mode networks. Supporting tools may include a visual fault locater to troubleshoot fiber faults and breaks. A fiber-optic inspection microscope permits precision analysis of hair-fine fibers. Additionally, technicians rely upon jacket strippers, cutters, cable slitters, and fusion splicers.
Conclusion
Fiber polishing is a science but much like an art. The science of polishing is crystallized in a well designed machine while the art of polishing reside in the procedure and the continuous effort for improvement by the individual user. The procedure and the training are just as valuable as the polishing machine.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUSION SPLICING, PATCH CONNECTIONS

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Insertion loss is one of those fiber-optic challenges that follows all network engineers, no matter where they’re working. Whenever you have a connection of one fiber to another, you will incur insertion loss.
This is the ninth in a fiber-mart.com blog series, entitled The A-B-Cs of Cable Management.Our Product Manager defines insertion loss and demonstrates the difference between loss on patch connections and fiber splices.
Insertion loss and light budgets are problems every engineer works with and figures out solutions for.
Insertion loss, expressed in decibels (dB), is the loss of signal power resulting from the insertion of a device in a transmission line or optical fiber.
The increasing number of fiber connections on hyperscale fiber networks is pushing insertion loss into the priority zone for engineers.
More connections mean higher rates of insertion loss, and higher rates of insertion loss mean trouble on your network.
And then there’s the difference between patch connections and fusion splices.
FUSION SPLICING VS. PATCH CONNECTIONS
Patch connections will have increased insertion loss.
Typically, the loss for a patch connection ranges from 0.05dB to 0.2dB. This may seem like a large amount of signal loss, but patch connections carry the advantage of not being permanent. Technicians can use this advantage for:
Service
Troubleshooting
Cross-connections
Redundancy
These are great advantages, even though you have the larger amounts of insertion loss.
Fusion splice connections offer their own set of advantages. Instead of 0.05dB to 0.2dB of loss with a patch connection, a fusion splice normally incurs only between 0.05dB and 0.1dB of loss.
While you have the advantages of less loss with a fusion splice, there is one large drawback. The connection is permanent … well, sort of.
Yes, you can cut a splice and re-terminate in the field, but this is much more labor intensive than unplugging even the tiniest LC connector. Splicing has its place, but so does a patch connection.
SOLVE THE INSERTION LOSS PUZZLE ON YOUR NETWORK
Most modern telecom, enterprise, government or CATV networks have more than just patch and splice terminations to worry about.
Our customers deal with passive optical devices that incur insertion loss all over their networks. Telecom engineers worry about devices like splitters, CPRI monitoring and TAPs. CATV engineers face concerns about WDM devices and splitters.
These different networks employ devices that have inherent insertion loss.
As a technician or an engineer, it is your duty to work with your colleagues and suppliers to develop the loss budgets for your network. There are many ways you can reduce the loss in your network, such as:
1.Cleaning and maintaining your patch connection’s end faces
2.Using high-quality passive optical devices that have low insertion loss characteristics
3.Implementing ULL connectors that have substantially less theoretical insertion loss characteristics than standard connectors
4.Ensuring you are not creating situations where micro bends, micro fractures and macro bends can hurt your signal strength
At fiber-mart.com, we pride ourselves in our ability to work with our customers to provide high-quality solutions that will reduce the insertion loss of your network and pad your loss budgets. Our high-quality passive optical devices, cables with ULL connectors and our WaveTrax fiber raceway product line are all methods you can employ to reduce the amount of light loss in your network.

Brief Introduction of Fiber Optic Splitter

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Fiber optic splitters are quite important in today’s optical network. Splitters can help users maximize the functionality of optical network circuits. A fiber optical splitter is a passive optical device that can split, or separate, an incident light beam into two or more light beams. These beams may or may not have the same optical power as the original beam. The outputs of a splitter can have various degrees of throughput. And that is very useful to decide whether the splitter is used for network monitoring or for a loss budget in a passive optical network (PON) architecture when designing optical networks. This article will give brief introduction of fiber optical splitter.
Two Types of Fiber Optic Splitter
There are two kinds of the most commonly used fiber optical splitters. And they are planar lightwave circuit (PLC) and fused biconical taper (FBT). PLC splitters (as shown in the following picture), from the name, it’s easy to find out that PLC splitter is based on planar lightwave circuit technology. It uses an optical splitter chip to divide the incoming signal into multiple outputs. It consists of three layers including a substrate, the waveguide, and the lid. The waveguide layer accepts the incoming optical signal and passes it to the outputs. FBT splitter is fused with a heat source similar to a fusion splice. Fibers are aligned in a group to create a specific location and length and will be fused with heat to meet the desired parameters such as insertion loss. Fused fibers are put in a V-shaped groove and fixed in a silica tube with a mix of epoxy and silica powder to get the proper heat.
Fiber Optical Split Ratios
Fiber optical splitters vary in numbers of inputs and outputs. The split ratios are based on the network use of fiber optical splitters. In a PON architecture, it uses splitters to split a single fiber into multiple fibers to feed as many as 64 end users. A typical split ratio in PON application is 1:32, or one in coming fiber split into 32 outputs.
Large split ratios like 1:32 or 1:64 are often found in some kind of housing. That’s because with so many fibers related to these splitters, a platform should be used to manage the splitter modules, patch modules, patch cables, etc. Most often a high-density fiber bay is required so that the splitters can be all placed in a distribution site or a PON enclosure. The PON cabinet plays a significant role in today’s applications since the space is so limited. When it comes to a high-density frame with varying split ratios and large number of patch cords, the distribution frame is critical for a good cable management.
Cost Saving in FTTx/PON Applications
As the city grows and subscribers increase, the network architect must deal with multiple distribution points and backhaul. To meet so many subscribers’ requirements, the flexibility in head-end locations, distribution points and split ratios becomes more significant. To network service provider, saving capital and operational costs is important.
On one side, fiber optical splitters can save fiber cost by reducing the fiber usage and that’s why they are so important in FTTx/PON networks. Using a single fiber to feed as many as 64 end users significantly reduces the fiber quantity. On the other side, the long-term operation costs can’t be ignored either in optical network splitter applications. That’s one of PON’s advantages. For example, it can decrease the power consumption.
Another way to save cost is to ease maintenance and increase the flexibility for smaller split ratios, which lead to more bandwidth per subscriber. For example, a service provider would likely need to split the optical terminal line (OLT) with a 1:2 splitter, and adjust the split ratios from there based on delivery to residential (1:32). These multiple split ratios can create flexibility in the network as long as the utilization of transport electronics such as OLT is concerned. Loss budget can be greatly influenced by the use of multiple splitters.
Conclusion
From the above content, to run a network architecture, the network success and cost should be paid attention. And fiber optical splitter is such a good device to increase the efficiency of optical infrastructure and save the capital and future operational cost.

Introduction to Fiber Optic Splice Closure

Fiber optic splicing is important for fiber connections. Fiber Optic Splice Closure is a fiber management product typically used with outdoor fiber optical cables. It provides space and protection for the fiber optic cable splicing and joint. Fiber splice closure is used for aerial, strand-mount FTTH “tap” locations where drop cables are spliced to distribution cables.

Fiber optic splicing is important for fiber connections. Fiber Optic Splice Closure is a fiber management product typically used with outdoor fiber optical cables. It provides space and protection for the fiber optic cable splicing and joint. Fiber splice closure is used for aerial, strand-mount FTTH “tap” locations where drop cables are spliced to distribution cables.

What is a fiber Optic Splice Closure?

In fact, except underground application, fiber optic splice closure is also used for aerial, strand-mount FTTH “tap” locations where drop cables are spliced to distribution cables. It is usally used with outdoor fiber optic cables which provides space for the outdoor fiber optic cables to be spliced together. The fiber optic splice closures and the fiber trays inside will protect the spliced fiber and the joint parts of the outdoor fiber cables.

Fiber optic splice enclosures are used to protect stripped fiber optic cable and fiber optic splices from the environment, and they are available for indoor as well as outdoor mounting.Outdoor fiber optic enclosures are usually weatherproof with watertight seals.In a typical wall-mounted splice enclosure, fiber optic cable is supported by cable ties, and the cable strenght member is securely fastened to the enclosure’s support. Metallic strenght members must be grounded securely.the cable jacket(sheath) stops at the splice enclosure’s cable ties. Optical fiber tubes, individual tight buffered fibers, or pigtails are supported by the tube brackets and continue to the splicing trays.

Key Features of Fiber Optic Splice Closures

Fiber splice closures are made from special industrial grade, high tension plastic with a reliable moisture barrier. They are also optimized to resist aging of the material due to factors in the natural environment such as ultraviolet light.

  • The box adds aging-resistant in imported high tensile construction plastic out-faster is made up of stainless steel
  •  Overlap structure in splicing tray is easy to install
  •  Suitable for ordinary fiber and ribbon fiber
  •  Perfect leak proofness
  •  Perfect and reliable sealing operations
  •  Fiber-bending radium guaranteed more than 40mm
  •  Full accessories for convenient operations
  •  Fiber optic splice closure can be used repeatedly
  •  For aerial, and direct buried applications

 

 

Generally the fiber optic splice closures are horizontal types and dome type (also called vertical type). Horizontal types are used more often than vertical type (dome type) closures.

Horizontal Types

Horizontal types splice closure look like a flat or cylindrical box which provide space and protection for fiber optic cable splicing and joint. They can be mounted aerial, buried, or for underground applications. Most horizontal fiber optic splice closure can fit hundreds of fiber connection. They are designed to be waterproof and dust proof. They can be used in temperature ranging from -40°C to 85°C, can accommodate 70 to 106 kpa pressure and the case are usually made of high tensile construction plastic.

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Vertical Types

Vertical type of fiber optic splice closure looks like a dome. This is why they are also called dome type. They meed the same specification as the horizontal types. They are usually designed for buried applications.

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Conclusion

Fiber-Mart supplies two types of fiber splice closures which are the horizontal (inline) type and the vertical (dome) type. Both are made of excellent engineering plastics to be waterproof and dust proof. And with various ports types, they can fit different fiber optic core numbers.Fiber splice tray, fiber distribution box and fiber optic enclosure are also offered in conjunction with the splice closures, promoting a safe and well-managed environment for fiber optic splices. Custom service is available according to your requirement.any question pls feel free to contact us at service@fiber-mart.com

How to Install Patch Panel and Switch?

by http://www.fiber-mart.com

Patch panel and Ethernet switch are commonly used to connect all devices in data centers. They are usually mounted on the sever rack to perform the revelent functions. Many people are distressed by the installation of patch panel and switch in their telecommunication room, and crazy about the cable spaghetti from the patch panel to switch. In practice, an ideal cable management system could deal with this embarrassing situation. Consequently, a well-designed structured cabling system is in place.
cable management for patch panel and switch
Patch Panel vs. Switch
From physical appearance, patch panel and switch look similar in that they present as rows of sockets in a rack. In fact, a patch panel is a passive device that has a row of ports, which is used for cable management to bundle multiple network ports together to connect incoming and outgoing cables. The ability to label individual cable runs in a patch panel creates a clean and organized way of identifying signal flow and troubleshooting technical problems. On the other hand, a network switch has a bunch of Ethernet ports, but it is an active device that connects devices together on a computer network by using packet switching to receive, process, and forward data to the destination device. In the case of structured cabling, the switch ports can be connected with the ports on the patch panel, allowing the Ethernet devices to be networked together.
Installation Steps for Patch Panel and Switch
Step 1: Determine where to place the patch panel and switch.
The proper operating environment keeps the equipment operate and maintain well. The airflow and vents should be unrestricted.
Step 2: Make up the patch cables of desired length, and indicate how many cables you need.
The slack cables will increase the cost of material and installation, and not facilitate cable management.
Step 3: Map out which switch port is connected to which patch panel port. (How power cables are routed should be considered.)
This delicate movement will cut down the time of whole installation process.
Step 4: Attach the patch panel and switch to a rack-mounted floor stand in the wiring closet.
The rack should accommodate the size of the patch panel and switch (standard 19″ wide is often used.)
Step 5: Run the prepared cables to connect switch port to the patch panel port respectively.
These cables can be moved from port to port if needed to facilitate location changes to the network.
Step 6: Install horizontal and vertical cable management, and Velcro cable ties to bundle the cables together for easier access in the future.
Step7: Labeling each cable with the same tag on both ends.
You can match end-to-end connectivity when you run across all of the ports of the patch panel and switch, which can help you to identify the cables for troubleshooting.
Cable Management from Patch Panel to Switch
Horizontal cable management can be used to support a pathway for patch cables between the patch panel and switch. The horizontal cable management panel has various style for multiple applications: designed with lacing bar, D-rings, finger duct, brush strip, and end ring. They can be assembled randomly to simplify cabling efficiently. The following video shows the 1U horizontal cable manager with end rings manager to neat and clean the messy rack.
Vertical cable management also addresses today’s cable routing demands. 3” single D-ring vertical cable manager and 3” wide plastic vertical cable manager with bend radius fingers are most commonly used between the patch panel and switch. They help to provide proper bend radius support for cables. Come with cable ties, it provides users with a neat and organized cabling system.
Cable Ties & Cable Labels
Cable ties and cable labeling can also help make the installation efficient. When a network system is constructed, large amounts of cables are built into the rack and routed where they need to go with devices. The Velcro cable ties are the most common tools for holding cables together. Meanwhile, cable labels can provide facilities with many benefits that will help increase efficiency, eliminate waste, improve safety, and generally make everything run more smoothly.
Conclusion
Patch panel and switch allow for expansion of traceable access points, which provides a robust and reliable management solution. Therefore, a proper installation for patch panel and switch plays a decisive role in the whole cable management. From patch panel to switch, a comprehensive line of cable management tools is used for protecting and supporting cables. For more information, please visit http://www.fiber-mart.com.