Optical Fiber Cleaver – Fiber Optic Blog

Cut Out Costly Mistakes With Fiber Optic Cleaver

To get good fiber optic splices or terminations, especially when using the pre-polished connectors with internal splices, it is extremely important to cleave the fiber properly. Imprecisely cleaving of the fiber ends, therefore, will result in improper matching. So, the end of the fiber must be cleaved to a 90 degree flat end when it is prepared for a connector or splice. However, technicians often encountered the problem that the end of the fiber strand is so small, making it is impossible to tell whether the strand has a flat end. To ensure smooth and precise fiber cleaving, a fiber optic cleaver is much needed. And in this article, we will offer you some useful information about fiber optic cleaver.

To get good fiber optic splices or terminations, especially when using the pre-polished connectors with internal splices, it is extremely important to cleave the fiber properly. Imprecisely cleaving of the fiber ends, therefore, will result in improper matching. So, the end of the fiber must be cleaved to a 90 degree flat end when it is prepared for a connector or splice. However, technicians often encountered the problem that the end of the fiber strand is so small, making it is impossible to tell whether the strand has a flat end. To ensure smooth and precise fiber cleaving, a fiber optic cleaver is much needed. And in this article, we will offer you some useful information about fiber optic cleaver.

What is Cleaving or Fiber Cleaver?

Cleaving is the process by which an optical fiber is “cut” or precisely broken for termination or splicing. Just like cutting glass plate, fiber is cut by scoring or scratching the surface and applying stress so the glass breaks in a smooth manner along the stress lines created by the scratch. Properly done, the fiber will cleave with a clean surface perpendicular to the length of the fiber, with no protruding glass on either end.

A fiber cleaver is a tool that holds the fiber under low tension, scores the surface at the proper location, then applies greater tension until the fiber breaks. Good cleavers are automatic and produce consistent results, irrespective of the operator. With good fiber cleavers, you only need to clamp the fiber into the cleaver and operate its controls, then fiberglass is cleaved automatically. However, some cleavers are less automated and require operators to exert force manually to cut the fiber cable, which makes it difficult to predict and control the force. The good cleavers are called as precision cleavers, while the less automated ones are called as cheap or scribe cleavers, which will be introduced in the next part.

Two Types of Fiber Optic Cleavers

We know that the closer to 90 degrees the cleave is, the greater chance you will have to match it with another cleaved fiber, then be spliced or mated by a connector. Thus, a proper tool with good technique is demanded for consistently achieving a 90 degree flat end. Good cleavers are automatic and can produce consistent results, irrespective of the operator. The user only needs to clamp the fiber into the cleaver and operate its controls. Some cleavers are less automated, making them more dependent on operator technique and therefore less predictable. There are basically two broad categories of fiber optic cleavers: scribe cleavers and precision cleavers.

Scribe Cleavers

This type is based on a traditional cleaving method. It is typically used to remove excess fiber from the end of a connector before polishing, simply by using a hand tool called scribe. Scribe cleavers are usually shaped like ballpoint pens with diamond tipped wedges or come in the form of tile squares. The scribe has a hard, sharp tip, generally carbide or diamond, which is used to scratch the fiber manually. Then the operator pulls the fiber to break it. Since both the scribing and breaking process are under manual control, this method varies greatly in repeatability. Most field and lab technicians shy away from these cleavers as they are not accurate. However, if used in skilled hands, this scribe cleaver reduces the cost significantly for repairs, installation, and training classes.

Precision Cleavers

Precision cleavers are the most commonly used cleavers in the industry. They use a diamond or tungsten wheel/blade to provide the nick in the fiber. Tension is then applied to the fiber to create the cleaved end face. The advantage of these cleavers is that they can produce repeatable results through thousands of cleaves by simply rotating the wheel/blade accordingly. Although more costly than scribe cleavers, precision cleavers can cut multiple fibers at one time with increased speed, efficiency, and accuracy. While in the past, scribe cleavers were widely used for fiber cleaving, precision cleavers are now developed to support various applications and multiple fiber cleaving. Precision cleavers contribute to better cleave, which ensures low splice loss and precision cleavers, besides, its blades have a much longer life span.

Operation method

1.Verify that the device has the blade sliding plate in front of one end, open the size platen;

2.Stripped fiber coating stripping fiber clamp reserve bare fiber length of 30-40mm, to wrap fiber, cotton wool or tissue dipped in alcohol then clean fiber. Rub with cotton wool or tissue paper, do not use the same cotton wool or tissue paper to rub the second (Note: Please use plain Greater than 99% alcohol).

3.Visual edge alignment of the fiber coating cutter ruler (12-20cm) appropriate scale, the left hand placed in the optical fiber oriented pressure tank the bare fiber placed straight on the left and right rubber mat.

4.Together on a small plate, large platen to promote devices blade slider the blade dicing fiber under surface, and is free to slide to the other side, cut fiber;

5.The left hand held onto the cutter, the right hand to open a large pressure plate and remove fiber debris into fixed container.

6.Pinch the optical fiber with the left hand while the right hand to open the small pressure plate, carefully remove the fiber cut end face, attention: the neat fiber cross-section do not touch it matter.

The advantages of fiber optic cleaver

1.Excellent beam quality of a smaller of focal diameter and high working efficiency, high quality;

2.High cutting speed: cutting speed greater than 10m/min;

3.Stable operation: the world’s top import fiber optic lasers, stable performance, key parts can reach 100,000 hours;

4.The high efficiency of photoelectric conversion: Compare with CO2 laser cutting machine, fiber optic laser cutting machine have three times photoelectric conversion efficiency;

5.Low cost: to save energy and protect the environment Photoelectric conversion rate as high as 25-30%. The low power consumption, which is the traditional CO2 laser cutting machine is only about 20% -30%;

6.Low maintenance costs: fiber line transmission, no need reflect lens, save maintenance costs;

7.Simple operation: optical fiber transmission lines, there is no adjustment of the optical path;

8.Super flexible optical effects: compact design, compact and easy to flexible manufacturing requirements.

Tips on Choosing Fiber Cleavers

1. Select fiber cleavers according to your application requirements. Fiber cleavers, designed for fusion splicing, need a low average angle that is one degree or less, whereas cleavers appropriate for mechanical connectors require angles below three degrees. So determine whether you require a single-fiber or multi-fiber cleaver before you cleave the fibers at one time.

2.Think twice before purchasing a cleaver built into a splicer. If you intend to purchase the built-in cleavers, you must check whether the cleaver or splicer requires maintenance. It may cause inconvenience to technician if they loses valuable tools, which can hold up the job at hand.

3.Purchase a cleaver with the latest automation features that can save a lot of labour and time. Fiber cleavers are always continuing to evolve with new and improved features, such as automated fiber scrap collection, automated scoring mechanisms, and the latest automatic blade rotation technology.

Conclusion

Precise cleaving is the premise of successful fusion splicing. Thus the quality of the fiber cleavers directly determines the quality of fiber optic splices or terminations. If the fiber ends were not cleaved perfectly, fiber loss would occur which would in turn affect the transmission of signals. To buy reliable and high precision fiber cleavers, please visit Fiber-Mart or contact us via product@fiber-mart.com.

Some things you must know about Fusion Splicer

What is Fusion Splicer?

Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as strong as the intact fiber.

What is Fusion Splicer?

Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as strong as the intact fiber. The source of heat is usually an electric arc, but can also be a laser, or a gas flame, or a tungsten filament through which current is passed. and thus the splice as well as the region surrounding it are almost as strong because virgin fiber itself.

The basic fusion splicer apparatus includes two fixtures which the fibers are mounted and two electrodes. Inspection microscope assists in the placement in the prepared fiber ends into a fusion-splicing apparatus. The fibers they fit in to the apparatus, aligned, and then fused together.

Initially, fusion splicing used nichrome wire as the heating unit to melt or fuse fibers together. New fusion-splicing techniques have replaced the nichrome wire with fractional co2 lasers, electric arcs, or gas flames to heat the fiber ends, causing them to fuse together. The little size of the fusion splice along with the development of automated fusion-splicing machines make electric arc fusion the most popular splicing approaches to commercial applications.

Fusion Splicing vs Mechanical Splicing

There are two types of optic fiber splicing. One is fusion splicing we mentioned above, another is mechanical splicing. In mechanical splicing two fiber optic cables are held end to end inside a sleeve using some mechanical mechanism. In this type of technique fibers aren’t joined permanently rather just accurately hold together, so that light can easily pass through from one end to another, while in fusion splicing two fibers are fused or wielded together using an electric arc, fusion splicing is most widely used technique because it provides a reliable join with lower insertions loss and practically no back reflection. Fusion splicing is generally applied on single mode fibers but in some special cases it can also be used for multi mode fibers.

The process of fusion splicing

The process of fusion splicing normally involves heat to melt or fuse the ends of two optical fibers together. The splicing process begins by preparing each fiber end for fusion.

1.Stripping the fiber

Stripping is the act of removing the protective polymer coating around optical fiber in preparation for fusion splicing. The splicing process begins by preparing both fiber ends for fusion, which requires that all protective coating is removed or stripped from the ends of each fiber.

2.Cleaning the fiber

The customary means to clean bare fibers is with alcohol and wipes. However, high purity isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is hygroscopic: it attracts moisture to itself. This is problematic as IPA is either procured in pre-saturated wiper format or in (host) containers ranging for USA quart to gallon to drums. From the host container the IPA is transferred to smaller more usable containers. The hydroscopic nature of IPA is such that the highest quality at 99.9% is also the most hygroscopic. This means that moisture absorption into both the host container as well as the actual user’s container begins with the time the original container is opened and continues as amounts are transferred and removed from both.

3.Cleaving the fiber

The fiber is then cleaved using the score-and-break method so that its end-face is perfectly flat and perpendicular to the axis of the fiber. The quality of each fiber end is inspected using a microscope. In fusion splicing, splice loss is a direct function of the angles and quality of the two fiber-end faces. The closer to 90 degrees the cleave angle is the lower optical loss the splice will yield. The quality of the cleave tool being used is critical.

4.Splicing the fibers

Fiber spliced, still unprotected, Current fusion splicers are either core or cladding alignment. Using one of these methods the two cleaved fibers are automatically aligned by the fusion splicer[1] in the x,y,z plane, then are fused together. Prior to the removal of the spliced fiber from the fusion splicer, a proof-test is performed to ensure that the splice is strong enough to survive handling, packaging and extended use. The bare fiber area is protected either by recoating or with a splice protector. A splice protector is a heat shrinkable tube with a strength membrane and less loss.

5.Protecting the fiber

After the fibers have been successfully fused together, the bare fiber is protected either by re-applying a coating or by using a splice protector.

A simplified optical splicing procedure includes:

Characteristics of placement of the splicing

A simplified optical splicing procedure includes:

Characteristics of placement of the splicing process.

Checking fiber optic splice closure content and supplementary kits.

Cable installation in oval outlet.

Cable preparation.

Organization of the fibers inside the tray.

Installing the heat-shrinkable sleeve and testing it.

Conclusion

Fusion splicing provides permanent low-loss connections that are performed quickly and easily, which are definite advantages over competing technologies.When it comes to optical fiber fusion splicers, no other company in the world can match Fiber-MART for innovation, speed, and performance. The entire industry-leading range of splicers offers quick termination and new standards in heater shrink time. Fiber-Mart strives for even better standards each day. Like Sumitomo Type-81C Fusion Splicer, Innovation is key. It can revolutionized on-site connectivity, speed and brought lower project costs for the migration of the network. As the major leader in optical fiber and connectivity solutions, customers can expect reliability, flexibility and unbelievable performance. After all, network infrastructure expansion becomes easy when you use state-of-the-art fusion splicer solutions.Any question or need pls feel free to contact with us. E-mail: product@fiber-mart.com.