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, oxyhydric 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?