Everything You Need to Know about Fusion Splicer

What is a Fusion Splicer?

The optical fiber fusion splicer is a device that fusions the end faces of the optical fiber at the high temperature (about 1,800°C) generated by the arc, and immediately connects the two optical fibers placed on the left and right sides of the device. The fusion splicer is an automatic machine, you need to select the factory recommended settings or set the splicing parameters yourself.

BD-FS-81 Optical Fiber Fusion Splicer

What is Fusion Splicing?

Fiber fusion splicing is the process of permanently connecting two optical fibers together. Unlike fiber optic connectors, fiber optic connectors are designed for easy reconfiguration on cross-connect or patch panels.

There are two types of fiber fusion, mechanical splicing and fusion splicing.

Mechanical splicing does not physically fuse the two optical fibers together, but connects the two optical fibers in the sleeve through a mechanical mechanism. Compared with fusion splicing, the insertion loss and back reflection in mechanical splicing are worse. Mechanical fusion splicing is mainly used for emergency repairs and fiber testing.

Mechanical Splicing

The second type of splicing is called fusion splicing. In fusion splicing, two optical fibers are actually fused together by arc welding. Fusion splicing is the most widely used splicing method because it provides the lowest insertion loss and almost no back reflection. Fusion splicing provides the most reliable connection between two optical fibers. Fusion splicing is done by an automatic machine called a fusion splicer.

Fusion Splicing

How to Select a Fusion Splicer?

It is necessary to understand the project type of fiber fusion splicer and the requirements of each project. If you don't know what your engineering requirements are, please look around to see which fiber fusion splicer you are buying. You must first understand the requirements of your project on the machine.

Although the main functions and characteristics of various types of fusion splicers on the market are slightly different, the elements of purchase are basically the same. Since the market demand for single-core optical fiber fusion splicers is the largest, now take this product as an example. According to the factors to be considered when purchasing, it is not difficult to choose the most suitable fusion splicer for your measurement requirements.

Price

When purchasing a fusion splicer, you must first consider the product price range. The price of the splicer depends on many factors, including splicing loss, display effect, battery life, etc.

Splice loss

For fusion splicers, splicing loss is the most important indicator, which directly determines the quality and efficiency of the project.

Battery life

Fusion splicers are mostly used in the field, and battery life is very important. Generally speaking, a skilled operator can splice up to 150 fibers a day. Therefore, the requirement for the battery is that it can work continuously for at least 6 hours or can be connected and heated more than 150 times.

Operability

The operators of the fusion splicer are mostly ordinary workers, and ease of use is also an important factor.

Heating time

The time for one optical fiber connection is about 9s, and the time to heat shrink a 60mm standard heat shrinkable tube is generally more than 35s. The heat shrinkage problem has become the biggest factor restricting the further improvement of the overall construction efficiency. In addition, the shortening of heating time also means that the efficiency of the heater is improved, and the energy consumption of the battery is reduced.

Welding time

Although the welding time has little effect on the overall construction efficiency, the ability to complete high-quality splicing in a relatively short time also represents the overall technical level of the welding machine to a certain extent.

Display effect

The imaging effect of the optical fiber allows the operator to have a more intuitive understanding of the entire splicing process. In addition, the judgment of the fiber end face, the core adjustment, and the evaluation of the splicing effect by the instrument are all based on the image.

Volume and weight

For tools that are mainly used in the field, miniaturization has always been the trend of development and improvement of fusion splicers. Smaller volume and weight will bring more convenience to users in construction.

Interface function

At present, the main interfaces of the fusion splicer are USB and VGA interfaces. Among them, the main function of the USB interface is to perform system upgrades and data output; while the VGA interface is used for video output, and an external display device with VGA interface can be used to observe the real time display of the splicer. This function is mostly used for training and teaching.

Types of Fusion Splicers

Single Fiber Fusion Splicer

Single fiber fusion splicers usually splice 250 micron fiber, but can also accommodate 900 micron sheathed fiber, flat drop cable, and splice on connectors, which are also mainly used for FTTH applications. A fiber is stripped, cleaned, cut, and then inserted into the fiber holder. Repeat the same process for the other fiber to be placed in the opposite fiber holder. Most of the newer single fusion splicer models can be spliced and estimated attenuation (light loss) in less than 10 seconds.

Mass Fusion Splicer

Unlike fusing one fiber at a time, mass fusion splicing can fuse all 12 fibers in a ribbon at a time. Many cables with high fiber counts today contain 12 fiber subunits, and each subunit can be quickly stripped. Splicing these fibers individually is very time consuming, mass fusion splicers can splice entire ribbons simultaneously.

Core Alignment Fusion Splicer

Core Alignment Fusion Splicing is the most commonly used splicing technology. A system of cameras, lenses, light sources, and motors work together to optimize the position and alignment of the fiber cores. The fibers are located in V-shaped grooves, allowing them to move in all three axes, thereby providing core-to-core alignment optimization.

The ability to control the position of the core of each fiber can improve the splicing performance, because the splicer can compensate for the effects of fiber drift caused by pollution or core-cladding concentricity mismatch.

Core Alignment Fusion Splicing

Cladding Alignment Fusion Splicer

In the cladding alignment welding, a fixed V-groove alignment method is used to align the cladding of the two optical fibers. The fibers only move inward and outward. In addition to cutting quality, alignment and subsequent fusion splicing performance are also severely affected by fiber position, core cladding concentricity, and mode field diameter. The position of the optical fiber is affected by the contamination of the optical fiber or the V-groove and can be controlled by the operator.

Keeping the fiber and V-groove clean will ensure that the fiber is in the best position. The splicing performance is also affected by the core and cladding concentricity and MFD, but these are optical fiber manufacturing parameters and cannot be controlled by the operator.

These factors are usually considered when splicing new fibers with different fibers (such as single-mode G652.D to G657.A).

Cladding Alignment Fusion Splicing

Items Needed for Splicing

• Fiber Stripper

• Fusion Splicer

• Alcohol Wipes

• Fiber Splice Connectors

• Fiber Cleaver

• OTDR

How Does Fusion Splicing Work?

Steps of Fusion Splicing

Step1 – Preparation

The first step in fusion splicing is to prepare the fiber to be placed in the fusion splicer. Prepare the fiber by stripping the coating, jacket, and tube, making sure that only bare fiber is left. The polymer coating around the outer sheath and the inner glass fiber should be removed. The exposed glass must be wiped with alcohol cleaner and placed on the machine. A clean environment is essential for a good connection.

Step2 – Cleaving

The second step is to cleave the fiber. This is different from cutting. You are breaking the fiber by introducing cracks. At this point, the interrupt must be precise. The ends must be perpendicular and smooth across the shaft. In other words, the interrupt must be "clean". Before cutting the fiber, you must ensure that the stripped fiber is cleaned with isopropanol or a similar fiber cleaning solution.

Step3 - Aligning and fusing

The third step is to align and fuse. Alignment of two fiber optic splicer is finely adjusted until there is no or minimal or no gaps are not aligned. The fusion splicer cleans both ends of the fiber optic cable. The high intensity spark melts the end and burns any dust particles or water droplets present at the end. Then the main spark generated by the fusion splicer melts the end of the cable, so that the two cables are fused. Take extra care when doing this so that only the core is melted and not the outer cladding.

Step4 – Protect the Fiber

The last step is to protect the fused joint from damage such as stretching or rough handling. You should place a protective heat shrink sleeve around the fusion area. These sleeves are specially designed protective sleeves to provide support for the joint area.

Maintenance of Fusion Splicer

In addition to cleaning the entire fusion splicer, you must also carefully observe the electrodes and align them as they should. If any part is damaged, you must replace it immediately.

These machines definitely have a heat balance device. This protects the finished product from moisture and other types of impurities. Clip-on protectors can also be used as an alternative method. However, special attention must be paid to this area.

Conclusion

Therefore, this is everything you need to know about fusion splicer. Baudcom is a company where you can find really efficient fusion splicers which would make your job of splicing much easier and effective.

Baudcom offers various types of fusion splicer and all kinds of fiber tools. For more information, please visit Baudcom.