FIBER WELDING

WHAT IS A FIBER OPTIC?

Optical fiber, a transparent closed glass fiber structure that conducts light signals, is used to rapidly transfer information from point A to point B. This technology is used in industries such as laser technology, optics, sometimes even to create decorations! However, the most important area that has introduced optical fibers to the showrooms is telecommunications, or more precisely - the Internet. It is to him that we owe the recent rapid expansion of fiber optic technology. Even though the invention itself is over 40 years old!

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF FIBERS

In the simplest terms, it can be said that the principle of optical fiber operation is based on multiple reflection of the modulated light beam inside the cable. Thanks to this, optical fibers do not emit an external magnetic field, it is difficult to intercept the signal transmitted by them, they are subject to a low error rate even at the highest bandwidth. The rays of light inside the conductor can follow rectilinear for a stepped fiber or curvilinear - for a gradient one.

 

WELDING OF FIBER OPTICS - BASES

Unlike most classic welding methods, welding of optical fibers occurs without the use of additional connecting elements. At the moment, there are two methods of connection:

  • Thermal welding
  • Mechanical welding

Fiber optic welderThermal welding of optical fibers consists in bringing the ends of the conductor to melting using a fiber optic splicer, and more specifically - located inside the electrodes. The welded ends are then pressed and a weld is formed. Reheated to remove potential stresses. However, in order to be able to do this, you must first remove the protective layer with a device called a stipper, and then clean the tube with alcohol. This process is called preparation. The prices of fiber optic splicers range from PLN 6,000 to PLN 9,000.

Mechanical welding, on the other hand, takes place through plastic housings that position the fibers of the optical fibers in relation to each other, compensating for unevenness. It is best to place the splices in fiber optic boxes or sleeves, and before connecting the bundles, it is worth checking the connectors with a visual fault locator. It is necessary to check the length of the cut fiber against the specifications of the welder or mechanical weld. Each connection method requires the use of appropriate sections. Failure to comply with the required length of the cut fiber in a given joining method will result in strong attenuation that will limit or prevent signal transmission.

 

FIBER POSITIONING

Stripper There are two ways of positioning the fibers:

  • To the core

The device, by making a series of enlargements, searches for the cores of both fibers, and then, using the built-in motors, positions the fibers so that both cores are ideally opposite to each other. This method is the best in terms of the parameters of the obtained weld, and also guarantees the correctness of the connection in a situation when we weld fibers of different manufacturers or when they are not perfect (the core is shifted in relation to the center of the fiber). This type of welding machine should be used in installations involving large operator networks.

  • For the coat

The positioning method based on the mutual arrangement of the fibers to the cladding will be perfect for installations where the transmission path will have no more than a few welds. This does not mean that connections made with devices based on this technique will always be worse. In the vast majority of situations, welding to the shell will produce results very similar to welding to the real core. welding machines with positioning to the jacket can be successfully used in FTTH installations, in which, according to the standards, the attenuation of the building track cannot exceed 1.2 dB, as well as in all fiber-optic networks where the device-device route is not more than a few welds. These can be LAN networks, CCTV networks, or point-to-point connections of several kilometers.