HOW TO CHOOSE FUSION SPLICERS?

Before making a decision, you should do your due diligence. The following sections describe different fiber alignment techniques in several types of fusion splicers.

CORE ALIGNMENT fiber-fusion-splicer

This provides for precise fiber alignment, resulting in a typical splice loss of only 0.02 dB. This level of precision is required for all single-mode fiber applications and also enhances the performance of the multimode fiber.

Core alignment fusion splicers have long been the preferred method for CATV installations, backbone networks, specialty fiber applications, and optical components manufacturing largely because of their high accuracy and reliability.

CLAD ALIGNMENT fiber-fusion-splicer

More basic fusion splicers employ clad alignments to line up the fibers for splicing. The fibers sit in a holder or V-groove and are lined up “physically”, based on the outer diameter of the fiber’s cladding. Such units typically produce higher-loss splices and lack the features and flexibility of higher-end splicers.

Conclusion

Differences in fiber optics, equipment, environment, and technology can produce different splice loss results. Understanding splice process capability and splice loss measurements will help ensure that network owners, designers, contractors, and technicians have realistic expectations for splice loss.