While Fibre Optic cabling has many significant advantages over structured copper network cable, such as; Fibre Optics incredible data bandwidth throughput capacity and extreme distance data transmission protocols of several Kilometers. Fibre Optic Communications also come with a few unique challenges and downsides when designing and integrating a Fibre Optic based networking system infrastructure.
Fibre Optic cabling is quite a bit more delicate and fragile in comparison to traditional copper based wiring, this is simply due to the fact that it utilizes singular or multiple micro hair sized strands of glass which is the main inner Fibre Optic core, concealed within the multiple layers of cable cladding, sheathing and outer jackets. Glass as we all know is a delicate material and must be handled and treated with extreme caution and care in order to reduce the risk of cracking or damaging the material.
Fibre Optic cabling must be treated and handled with the same important precautions when installing the cabling infrastructure and also must be mounted, secured and fastened with the highest safety standards, to ensure the Fibre Optic Cabling remains structurally intact to avoid any possibility of damaging the inner glass core strands.
These same Fibre Optic installation handling and safety procedures must also be adhered to and followed to an even more higher standard when physically terminating the individual inner glass core Fibre strands. In order to do so successfully, this specific Fibre Optic termination process requires a highly skilled and trained technician to perform the dedicated Fusion Splicing Cable preparation. The technician begins the splicing process by meticulously handling the Fibre Optic cabling with extreme care and caution while removing the protective coatings surrounding the inner glass core strands, in order to precisely cleave the individual Fibre cores. Ensuring a clean and straight cut is achieved prior to Fusion Splicing the cores together to enable a seamless ultra low latency fusion splice.
The final Fibre termination and splicing process that occurs once the individual Fibre core stands have been cleaved to the appropriate standard, consists of the utilization of the dedicated Fibre Optic Fusion Splicing machine. This process requires the same attention to detail and cable handling procedures as the initial cabling infrastructure installation phase, in order to achieve high precision and meticulous operation of the splicing process while handling all of the individual glass cores and Fusion Splicing machine simultaneously, to ensure proper core alignment of each of the Fibre core ends, which is crucial for a low light loss and successful splice.
Once the Fibre Optic cores have been prepared with meticulous precision, have had all of the exterior jackets removed from the cable and the inner cladding surrounding the glass core stripped back to expose the true inner glass Fibre core strands on both ends. The two individual glass core strands are then carefully inserted and clamped down into both sides of the Fusion Splicing machine where the machine then performs a final precision core alignment, via a series of specialized motors, actuators and microscopic cameras within the machine prior to completing the final splice.
Once the machine has verified that both of the cores meet the requirements for a properly executed splice, the splicing machine then proceeds to initiate the final stage. The final fusion splicing stage consists of a high current electric arc within the fusion splicing machine between both of the individual Fibre Optic cores, to melt and fuse the ends of both the optical fibers together, forming a single and continuous low light loss fiber Termination splice.
