Fiber Optic Fusion Splicer

A fiber optic fusion splicer is a high precision piece of optical equipment used by telecom technicians to fuse, or melt, fiber optic strand ends together. They are manufactured by companies such as Fujikura, Siecor, Sumitomo, Ericsson and Fitel.

These machines preform functions such as identifying fiber types, examining cleave angles, core or cladding alignment, controlling arc time/temperature, measuring the loss and tensile strength of a fused fiber.

Although the scientific process of joining fibers together is highly complex, with the aid of these splicing units the actually act of splicing fiber is as easy as pushing a button.

There are basically two types of splicing systems that are incorporated into today's fiber splicing units; Light Injecting and Detection System and Profile Alignment System.

The first type of fusion method is called a PAS (Profile Alignment System). This fusion splicer uses pre-programmed profiles and cameras to align the fiber before fusing. The cameras then aid in determining the splice loss. The PAS fusion splicer is very fast due to the fact that the loss measuring process and aligning procedure is simplified. These machines can splice fiber in under nine seconds and are very rugged making it a dependable splice unit in an outdoor setting.

The second type of splicer uses what is known as a LID system (Light Injecting and Detection). This arc fusion splicer uses a low powered light source built into the machine which injects light into the core of the optical fiber. The power of this light is measured and then used to aid in the alignment process of the fiber cores to insure proper alignment and lowest possible splice loss before the fiber ends are fused together. Typically this type of machine take 21 seconds to finishing the splicing process and are best used in a controlled (clean) environment.

In order to maintain the splicing quality of the arc fusion splicer, points of periodical inspection and cleaning should always be a part of you daily ritual. Fusion splicers are not cheap and left unattended can be very expensive to repair, or worse, replace.

• Electrodes should be cleaned periodically due to silica oxide buildup.
• Clean camera and aligning lenses before every use to insure proper splicing operations.
• Clean v-grooves daily to avoid dirt accumulation.
• Use only 99.9% isopropanal alcohol when cleaning any part of the unit. Alcohol bought from a local drug store contains 30% water which leaves a thin residue on the surface
  
• Do not use canned air to clean a fusion splicer. Small pieces of dirt or shards of glass act like speeding bullets. Using air on your machine will drive these small particles deep into the unit causing pitting damage to the camera lens surface or clog up the precision drive motors.