What is fusion splicer

1. What is Fusion Splicer
Fusion splicing is a term that comes from the fiber optic communications
industry. It refers to the process of joining, or splicing, two optical fibers
end-to-end. The fibers are heated to the point that the ends soften and fuse
together, thus giving the process its name.
Features of Fusion Splicers:
Carefully engineered fiber clamps allow the precise fixing of the fiber ends. At
least one clamp is precisely adjustable with micrometer screws;
For splicing polarization-maintaining fibers, it is also necessary to rotate one of
the fibers around its axis;
A microscope allows inspection of quality and alignment of the fiber ends.
Often, there is a knob for switching between two orthogonal directions of view.
The fiber cores can also usually be seen;
A “prefuse”, applied without touching the fibers, allows one to clean the
surfaces;
Some splicers do the alignment automatically based on a camera image
and/or on monitoring the optical power throughput. For the latter, there must
be a light source attached to one fiber end, and a photodetector for the other
one;
Some devices can also measure the quality of the resulting splice.

2. The process of Fusion Splicing involves using localized heat to melt or fuse
the ends of two optical fibers together. The Splicing process begins by
preparing each Fiber end for fusion. Fusion splicing requires that all protective
coatings be removed from the ends of each fiber. The fiber is then cleaved
using the score-and-break method. The quality of each fiber end is inspected
using a microscope. In fusion splicing, Splice Loss is a direct function of the
angles and quality of the two fiber-end faces.
Before optical fibers can be successfully fusion-spliced, they need to be
carefully stripped of their outer jackets and polymer coating, thoroughly
cleaned, and then precisely cleaved to form smooth, perpendicular end faces.
Once all of this has been completed, each fiber is placed into a holder in the
splicer’s enclosure.
Cleaning the splicing device and the fiber
Since the slightest trace of dust or other impurities can wreak havoc on a
splice’s ability to transmit optical signals, you can never be too clean when it
comes to fusion splicing. Even though fibers are hand-cleaned before being
inserted into the splicing device, many fusion splicers incorporate an extra
precautionary cleaning step into the process: prior to fusing, they generate a
small spark between the fiber ends to burn off any remaining dust or moisture.

3. The fiber is then cleaved using the score-and-break method so that its
endface is perfectly flat and perpendicular to the axis of the fiber. The quality
of each fiber end is inspected using a microscope. In fusion splicing, splice
loss is a direct function of the angles and quality of the two fiber-end faces.
The closer to 90 degrees the cleave angle is the lower optical loss the splice
will yield.
Splicing Optic Fiber
The splicer emits a second, larger spark that melts the optical fiber end faces
without causing the fibers’ cladding and molten glass core to run together. The
melted fiber tips are then joined together, forming the final fusion splice.
Estimated splice-loss tests are then performed, with most fiber fusion splices
showing a typical optical loss of 0.1 dB or less.
Fibercasa is the recognized leader in the development of the highest quality
fusion splicing equipment and accessories that have and continue to advance
fusion splicing technology. You have a wide selection of fiber optic splicing
relevant equipments, like fusion splicer, fiber optic cleaver, fiber cleaver
blades, fusion splicer assemblies, etc.
View:www.fibercasa.com for more information