Splicers

Rekha .V. Tranquebar

e-mail: rvt@buffalo.edu
definitions
Splicer
mechanical device for joining two pieces of paper
or film or magnetic tape
Splice
joint made by overlapping two ends and joining
them
Splicing
process of the permanent connection of two pieces
of optical fibres


scope
Types of splicing
Splicing procedure
Losses
Comparison
Manufacturers
Cost

types of splicing
Mechanical
Fusion (welding)
scribe & break
End preparation
Striping (cable jacket, buffer tube &
coating)
Cleaving
Cleaning the end surface

mechanical splicing
bonding two fibers
together in an
alignment structure
Transparent adhesive
- e.g. epoxy resin
Commonly used
groove
- V-groove
Alignment problems

fusion splicing
Fusing the two fibers

Flame heating sources
- micro-plasma burners, oxy-
hydric micro-burners, electric
arc..

Advantage
- consistent and easily controlled
heat with adaptability

Possible drawback
- weakening of fiber in the vicinity
of splice
splice tray
Stores and organizes the fiber & splice
Protects fibers
Prevents fibers from exceeding the
minimum bending radius
Establishes long haul links


comparison
Mechanical splicing Fusion splicing
Reflection losses
(-45 db to -55 db)
No reflection losses
Insertion loss
(0.2 db)
Very low insertion loss
(0.1 db to .15 db)
cost high Comparatively less
splicing losses
Intrinsic
- Freznel reflection
Extrinsic
- foreign particles on surfaces
Reflection
- incident and reflected beam travel on the
same path

what do we achieve by splicing?
Clear
Better appearance
Greater strength
fusion splicer
FSM-16S

manufacturer : Fujikura
specifications
Applicable fiber
No. of fibers applied
Splice loss
Return loss
Cleaved fiber length
Magnification of fibre
Viewing method
Splice loss estimtion
Splice result storage
Mechanical proof test
Power supply
Dimensions
Weight

manufacturers
Fujikura
the market leader
65% of fusion splicers are manufactured
$3000 million annual turnover
Training
www.fujikura.co.uk
Ericsson
internships
www.ericsson.com
Fitel
www.fitel.com
Sumitomo


highest cost
Fujikura
$ 34,450
Ericsson
$7,995
Fitel
$6,600
summary
Fusion and mechanical splicing
Splicing procedure
Comparison
Manufacturers
Cost

references
Optical Fiber Communications
Principles and practice
- John.M.Senior
Fiber Optic Communications
- Joseph.C.Palais
www.fujikura.co.uk
www.eurobility.com/news
www.tecratools.com
www.hyperdictionary.com
www.ieee.org
www.google.com

questions?