When expanding an existing network or installing a new one, fiber optic splicing is done to fuse optic cables. It must be properly performed to avoid any interference in the network. There are two methods of fiber optic splicing -- mechanical and fusion splicing.
Mechanical splicing is ideal for quick or temporary fixes, but not for permanent solutions. Although mechanical splicing is easy to perform because fibers are held together by connectors, the process inherently increase the chance of insertion loss or loss of signal power. Fusion splicing, on the other hand, is commonly used for permanent splicing since it can provide the lowest insertion loss, minimal reflectance and tougher joint between the fibers.
Fusion splicing requires professional certified technicians because it's a very delicate process. When cables are not properly connected during fusion splicing, you may experience issues on the signal. Here are the steps that your certified technician employs when splicing:
- Strip the polymer coating around the optical fiber using a mechanical stripping device.
- Clean the fiber using a 99.9% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and lint-free wipes to keep the glass free of any contaminants.
- Cleave the fiber. The cleaver notches the fiber and pulls or bend it to create a neat split rather then cut the fiber, this makes the end-face flat and perpendicular to the axis of the fiber.
- Fuse the cleaved fibers together using a fusion splicer. Align the ends of the fiber within the splice. Then, melt the fibers with an electric arc to permanently solder the ends together.
- Protect the bare fiber by re-applying a coating using a splice protector.
- Test your fiber after the fusing process using an optical time domain reflectometer to detect any splice loss or fault in the spliced fiber.
Fiber cables are fragile and require proper handling. Only highly skilled technicians can do this properly. So when you require expansion or new installation of telecommunication networks, contact ElecComm. We have the ability to engineer, manage and perform the construction, splicing, testing maintenance and restoration of fiber, copper, and hybrid fiber-coax telecommunications networks.
