Fiber Cleaver FTTH Fiber Optic Tools High Precision 6C Cable Cutting Fiber Optic Knife Tools Fiber Cleavers 12 Surface Blade

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For very high-quality fiber surfaces, it is often necessary to apply some polishing procedure after cleaving. One may, for example, insert the fiber end into a hollow glass tube and fix it there with a glue. The tube gives the fiber a higher strength and is inserted into a polishing apparatus. The fiber is polished down together with the glass tube. This procedure allows one to produce a high-quality surface with an arbitrary well-defined orientation of the fiber surface. However, it takes substantially more time than simple cleaving. See the article on polishing of fibers for details. Laser Cleaving of Fibers Since manufacturing the world's first optical fiber cable in 1974, Furukawa has led the development of optical fibers by establishing a total production system for products ranging from high-performance silica-based optical fibers to a variety of optical fiber cables manufactured under the brand name "FITEL". There are laser-based devices (containing a CO 2 laser) which allow the preparation of fiber ends as an alternative to cleaving. Strictly speaking, the used process is not cleaving (which is a mechanical breaking process) but rather something like laser cutting. Nevertheless, it has become common to name it laser cleaving because it produces similar results. Note that cleaving is not cutting, as the bulk of the process is just breaking. Only the initial tiny break is prepared with a blade. Tools for fiber cleaving are called fiber cleavers. Different kinds of such instruments are explained in the article on fiber cleavers. Simple and inexpensive cleavers, based e.g. on some pen-shaped scribes, are sufficient for simple purposes, when used with proper training. For a higher and more consistent cleave quality, which is less dependent on the operator, mechanical precision splicers are used, which are substantially more expensive. Problematic Cases

Conversely, if the Fresnel reflection of a fiber end needs to be exploited (e.g. for building a fiber laser), it is important to keep the cleave angle small – well below the beam divergence angle corresponding to the fiber mode. Large mode area fibers are more critical in this respect.Sometimes, a new cleave is required when a fiber end has become dirty, as it is hard to reliably clean fiber ends. Fiber Cleaving Tools

A microscope may be required to properly inspect the obtained fiber surfaces. There are hand-held microscopes for such purposes, and fusion splicing apparatuses also often contain a microscope. The scribe or manual cleaver, which is cheaper than the precision cleaver, is the most original type of fiber optic cleaver. Scribe cleavers are usually shaped like ballpoint pens with diamond tipped wedges or come in the form of tile squares. The scribe has a hard and sharp tip, generally made of carbide or diamond, to scratch the fiber manually. Then the operator pulls the fiber to break it. Since the breaking process is under manual control, it is hard to control the force, which makes the cleaving less accurate and precise. That’s why most technicians shy away from these cheap cleavers. Precision CleaversBoth optical fiber slicing techniques require that the fiber tips are a smooth end face that is perpendicular (90°) to the fiber axis as shown below. A precision ground diamond blade is attached to a resonant acoustic stepped horn. The ultrasonic horn resonance is maintained by an electronic circuit for the duration of the cleave and then automatically terminated to preserve battery life. The ultrasonically vibrating blade moves slowly toward the tensioned fiber on stictionless damped bearings. Cleaving then takes place without the damage from compressive stresses and blade intrusion into the fiber that is typical of conventional cleavers. The adjustable diamond blade normally gives 20,000 cleaves and is replaceable. In the cleaving process, the brittle glass fiber is fractured in a controlled manner as shown below. By purchasing from reputable manufacturers, you’ll enjoy manufacturer support and warranties; service for periodic maintenance and cleaning that extends the life of the cleaver; and a cleaver made of the best durable metal materials. Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. was founded in 1884 and since that time has played a dominant role in the growth of the global marketplace.

Fibers with particularly large diameters, e.g. beyond 200μm, can also be difficult to cleave. They need a higher tension force. The quality of the obtained cleaves has different aspects, the relevance of which depends on the application: Cleaving is the standard method to obtain such surfaces, or sometimes the first step towards that goal. It is a process of controlled breaking of the glass of a bare fiber. It begins with making a tiny fracture (scratch) on the side of the fiber, e.g. with a sharp diamond, carbide or ceramic blade, before or while some defined tension or bending is applied to the fiber. This causes the fiber to break, starting at the mentioned fracture point: the fracture rapidly propagates over the full fiber cross-section. Often, the cleaving leads to a very clean surface of the obtained two fiber parts. Cleavers, like fusion splicers, continue to evolve with new and improved features, such as automated fiber scrap collection, automated scoring mechanisms, and the latest automatic blade rotation technology.A somewhat reduced fiber tension during the cleaving process may help. Double-clad fibers with an air cladding are particularly challenging. When we need to join two optical fibers together, we usually use mechanical splice or fusion splice. As mentioned before, fiber optic cleavers can be classified into precision cleavers and cheap or scribe cleavers. Scribe Cleavers

Select fiber cleavers according to your application requirements. Fiber cleavers, designed for fusion splicing, need a low average angle that is one degree or less, whereas cleavers appropriate for mechanical connectors require angles below three degrees. So determine whether you require a single-fiber or multi-fiber cleaver before you cleave the fibers at one time. Before cleaving, a fiber coating needs to be stripped off with a coating stripper tool, or dissolved with a suitable solvent. The latter technique – chemical stripping – may be required in problematic cases, but takes more time. Thermal stripping may be another option. Cleaving is the process by which an optical fiber is “cut” or precisely broken for termination or splicing. Just like cutting glass plate, fiber is cut by scoring or scratching the surface and applying stress so the glass breaks in a smooth manner along the stress lines created by the scratch. Properly done, the fiber will cleave with a clean surface perpendicular to the length of the fiber, with no protruding glass on either end.The downside to these built-in cleavers is that if either the cleaver or splicer requires maintenance, the technician loses two valuable tools, which can hold up the job at hand.