Splicers

What is a fusion splice machine?

How and when to use one?

 

 

The Fusion Splicer is a very complicated machine with a simple function of “gluing” 2 to 24 fibers at once!

There are three main types of splicers :

-          Core Alignment Splicers

Those are the most common once you will see on the market. They have the lowest splice attenuation of all and are a must for big projects, where you need the best performance.

Typically this type of splicer has 6-motors to adjust the position of the fibers by the CORE you install in it. Up/Down/Left/Right/Inside/Outside.

-          Glad Alignment Splicers

Those are the machines you typically see in FTTx projects. Where the fiber is going directly to the client and it’s not needed to have the perfect attenuation (just the right amount of dB for PON architecture for example).

They have 4-motors to adjust the position of the fiber by its GLAD. Up/Down/Left/Right.

That type of splicers has higher splice attenuations due to the fact that the cores might not be possitioned directly to each other.

-          Ribbon Splicers (which use the core alignment technology)

Ribbon splicers use the exact same characteristics with the Core alignment splicers with the exception of the better arc spread and power that helps the unit splice from 1 to 12 fibers at a time.

 

All of them has microscopers which helps the unit to see and identify the core/glading and the type of fiber you’ve put in it. Depending on the type of splicer there are microscopes with mirrors and microscopes with reflectors. Both has similar function and that is to make the microscope look on the other side of the fiber (as it is a round shape).

 

Now you know what a Fusion Splice Machine is, but do you know when you need one or you can use an alternative way (mechanical splice, fast Connector).

Fusion splicers are most needed in big projects like:

-          PON architechtures where you need to maintain a specific attenuation around the trace so the end user does not exceed the limit of your network

-          Metropolitan networks where the trace is HUGE (100 km or more) where every splice (loss) counts and you have like one every 2-4km.

-          HighTech companies which needs the BEST transfer speeds you can offer, so you rely on the splicer to make every one perfect with minimum losses.

And many more where you need LOW splice loss across the trace and the best quality for the end user.

You won’t need a splice machine if you are only making those end client cables in the FTTx architecture.

The guys working on the trace made it, so you can add some loss on the end user and don’t exceed or limit the end user network quality.

 

If you have any questions regarding Splice Machines, do not hasitate to ask us J