Fusion splicer targets industrial sector

Some non-telecom information for you. Large core fiber...

July 30, 2007 -- Fujikura Europe Ltd. has introduced a fusion splicer especially designed to support the increasing use of fiber-optic technology in industrial applications. With Large Diameter Fiber (LDF) splicing capability, the company says its new LDF series of products is able to splice all types of fiber currently available.

According to the company, the LDF product range, with a smaller footprint than products currently available in this market, can perform accurate, reliable splices using an arc fusion technique, thereby eliminating the need for external gas supply. A graphical user interface enables users to program the products' automated alignment system, reducing user error when splicing complex fibers, such as polarization maintaining fiber.

"Fiber-optic technology now underpins a vast number of industrial products and applications, from fiber laser manufacture to welding and cutting on car production lines, and biomedical processes such as laser eye surgery," comments Fernando Terceiro, splicer business team leader at Fujikura Europe. "To serve these markets effectively, splicers must be compact, cost-effective and user-friendly, as operators may have to work with different types of fiber, in many different environments, often without specific training or experience in fiber processing."

The company says the splicers are designed for OEMs, R&D establishments, the medical industry, automotive industry, fiber laser manufacturers and universities. The products are equipped with wide view cameras to focus on the whole image of the maximum diameter LDF, and employ a high power arc discharge unit, coupled with modified electrodes to withstand the high current. The splicers also include new attenuation modes for polarization maintaining fibers.

Fujikura's complete splicer portfolio will be on display at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2007, to be held September 17-19 at the Internationales Congress Centrum, Berlin.