Guide to Choose A Fiber Optic Connector Polisher

Fiber optic polishing machine has made a big progress since 1990s. Earliest connector termination job are done by manual and labor intensive process, fiber connector polishing was manually done by one single person. With the development of fiber optic network, it requires much more higher efficiency. The fiber optic patch cord manufacturers ever make up it by adding more operators but it still could not catch up with the demand. Until emerge of current automatic polishing machine, fiber connector polishing has meet the requirement of high volume, high quality and consistent.
Quality Fiber Connection Termination is very important for the fiber optic communication system. Fiber optic connector polishing is one of the most important steps for the whole process of terminating fiber connector since bad polished connectors will increase the insertion loss and back reflection which will make you malfunction.
Automatic fiber connector polishing machine are produced according to a set of industry standard and specifications. It can produce large volumes of connectors in a consistent way, and it considered to be cost effective as labor is significantly reduced. Article here is written to help you how to make wise decision when choosing a perfect fiber polishing machine for your specific requirement. Flow the standard mentioned below when purchasing an automatic connector polishing machine.
Polishing Machines with Adjustable Pressure are Preferred
The fiber connector’s finished end-face geometry is generated by the combination of the loading pressure and the hardness of the polishing surface. To optimize the connector end-face, the polishing pressure should be adjustable with clearly marked divisions of measurement.
The four corner hold-downs are also important. Hold-down fasteners in all four corners of the connector holder evenly distribute film pressure to minimize off-center polishing. If you use the center pressure from above, it will allow the possibility of wiggling or vibration the connector holder. By this method, you will increase the vertex offset and leads to inconsistent finishes.
Besides, you should also consider the polishing pad. The polishing pad is conjunction with the four corner hold-downs, is used to distribute the pressures evenly across the polishing area. Since the pads are resilient, they will help to control the radius of curvature as the ferrule is pressed into the pad during the polishing process. There are so many pads for different types of connectors, you should choose the proper one according to your need.
Make sure that you can easily change the holders for different types of connectors
To improve the production output and lower labor cost, you should make sure that you can easily and quickly change different types of connector holders. Typical connector polishing machine should be able to handle most types of fiber connectors such as FC/UPC, SC/UPC, ST/UPC, LC/UPC, MU/UPC, APC, MT-RJ, E2000, SMA905, FA and so on. Besides, the precision of the connector holders are also very critical. The connector holders should be machined to exacting tolerances so that ferrules can be precisely posited for the polishing work.
Removable polishing platens are necessary for the machine
Make sure that the polishing platens can be removable, so that it can not be easily contaminated and its working life will prolong. The polishing platens are the mechanical part that holds the polishing films and polish against the connector end-face.
The polishing motion pattern should be optimized for consistent result while conserving polishing films
As we know, the polishing motion is very critical factor in determining connector’s end-face quality. Polishing motion is the surface which performing the polishing job with the connector. The motion must perform a evenly balanced pressure across all sides, otherwise, the connector will surfer deformed end-face geometry.
Choose the manufacture who can fit for your custom requirement
A qualified manufacturer should have the ability to fit for your different specifications for the polishing film types, timer settings, lubrication and connector holders. Besides, an industry standard compliance test report from the manufacturer can be an important criterion to evaluate a good fiber polishing supplier. It is always a best idea to compare at least 3 different models from 3 vendors so you can choose the best one that meets your particular requirement.
FiberStore is specializes in supplying a full range of fiber optic testing, fiber optic splicing, fiber optic cleaning, fiber optic polishing and fiber optic inspection equipments and tools. Contact us for more detail information.

Fiber Optic Splicing Application and Process

When we want two fibers or fiber optic cables joint together, there are two method come to our head, installing a fiber optic connectors at the end of the optical fibers, or splicing the two optical fibers. Fiber optic cable splicing is a method that creates a permanent joint for two fibers, while fiber connector installation is used for temporary connections. There are two options for fiber optic splicing: Fiber optic cable fusion splicing and mechanical splicing. Both methods provide much lower insert loss than fiber optic connectors.

Common application for splicing is jointing cables in long outside plant cable runs where the length of the run requires more than one cable. Splicing is generally used to terminate singlemode fibers by splicing preterminated pigtails onto each fiber. It can be also used to mix numbers of different types of fiber cables like connecting a 48 fiber cables to six 8 fiber cables going to different places.

Fusion splicing provides a maximum insertion loss of 0.1 which is less than 0.5dB of mechanical splicing. Fusion splicer are available in two types that splice a single fiber or a ribbon of 12 fibers at one time. Almost all singlemode splices are fusion spliced. Mechanical splicing is most used for temporary restoration and for multimode splicing. Fusion splices are so good today that splice points may not be detectable in OTDR traces.

Fusion Splicing Process
Fusion splices are made by welding two fibers together by an electric arc of the fusion splicing machine. It can be not done in the enclosed space for safety reasons. It is suggested to done the job above the ground in a truck or trailer for a clean environment for splicing.

Fusion splicing needs the help of a special equipments which is fusion splicer to perform the splicing process. Main steps are aligning the two fibers precisely and generate a small electric arc to melt the fibers and weld them together.Splicing machine can do one fiber at a time while mass fusion splicer can do all 12 fibers in a ribbon at once.

Preparing fibers: The first step for fusion splicing is to strip, clean & cleave the fibers to be spliced. Stripping the primary buffer coating to expose the proper length of bare fiber with the fiber stripper. Clean the fiber with appropriate wipes, what you need is the fiber optic cleaning kit, Cleave the fiber using the directions appropriate to the fiber cleaver being used. Place each fiber into the guides in the fusion splicing machine and clamp it in place.

Running the splicer program: Choose the proper program according to the fiber type being spliced. The splicer would show the fibers being spliced on a video screen. The fiber ends will be inspected for proper cleavers and bad ones will be rejected for a second time cleaving. The fibers will be moved into position, prefused to remove any dirt on the fiber ends and preheat the fibers for splicing. The fibers will be aligned using the core alignment method used on that splicer. Then the fibers will be fused by an automatic arc cycle that heats them in an electric arc and feeds the
fibers together at a controlled rate.

Ribbon fusion splicing: Each ribbon is stripped, cleaved and spliced as a unit. Special tools are needed to strip the fiber ribbon, usually heating it first, then cleave all fibers at once. Many tools place the ribbon in a carrier that supports and aligns it through stripping, cleaving and splicing. Consult both cable and splicer manufacturers to ensure you have the proper directions.

Fusion splicing pigtail is another typical application for fiber optic splicing. By this method, a fiber optic patch cord is cut into two pigtails with connectors attached. The fibers are cleaved and welded together with a fusion splicer, which is considered to be the fastest and highest-quality method of fiber connector installation.