ANSI SCTE-134-2012 pdf download Fusion Splicing Equipment and Applications for the Cable/Broadband Industry
3.3 Coating Strippers
In order to perform a fusion splice the optical fiber must be stripped down to the bare glass. The coating can be removed by a number of techniques:
• Mechanical stripping tool
• Thermal stripper
• Chemical stripping
The mechanical stripping tool is commonly used with single fiber splicing because it is fast, effective and inexpensive. The thermal stripper is normally used with multi-fiber splicing since up to twelve fibers are being stripped simultaneously. Regardless of the method used to strip the coating, it is important to use the correct size tools and techniques to prevent damage to the bare glass. Ensuring the fiber is not damaged is critical to creating a low loss, strong splice.
3.4 Cleavers
3.4.1 Theory of Operation To achieve good splice results, it is extremely important for the fiber ends to be properly cleaved. Consistent, good quality end faces can be only achieved if the cleaver is well maintained. Cleave angle deviations or chips and knicks in the end-face, can only be compensated for by using unusually high fiber feed during the fusion process. This can create a splice with an outer cladding that may look good but the actual loss could in fact be high due to core bending. For best results, the smaller the core, (for instance single-mode fiber), the lower the tolerance of cleave angle deviation.
Various cleavers are available that operate in different ways but the general principles for cleaving the fiber are:
1. Score – A score is introduced into the glass
2. Bend – The glass is bent to propagate the score
3. Tension – Tension is applied to separate glass
3.4.2 Types of Cleavers
Single fiber cleavers