Fiber Optic Splicing

Fiber Optic Splicing

There are two types of splices, fusion and mechanical. Fusion splicing is most widely used as it provides for the lowest loss and least reflectance, as well as providing the strongest and most reliable joint. Fusion splicing machines are available in two types that splice a single fiber or a ribbon of 12 fibers at one time. Virtually all singlemode splices are fusion. Mechanical splicing is mostly used for temporary restoration and for multimode splicing. In the photo below, a fusion splice is on the left and the rest are various types of mechanical splices.

Fusion Optic Splicing

Fusion splicing is the act of joining two optical fibers end-to-end using heat. The goal is to fuse the two fibers together in such a way that light passing through the fibers is not scattered or reflected back by the splice, and so that the splice and the region surrounding it are almost as strong as the virgin fiber itself. The source of heat is usually an electric arc, but can also be a laser, or a gas flame, or a tungsten filament through which current is passed

Mechanical Splicing

Mechanical splices are alignment fixtures that hold the ends of two fibers together with some index matching gel or glue between them. There are a number of types of mechanical splices, like little glass tubes or V-shaped metal clamps. The tools to make mechanical splices are cheap, but the splices themselves are more expensive. Many mechanical splices are used for restoration, but they can work well with both singlemode and multimode fiber, with practice - and using a quality cleaver such as those used for fusion splicing.