First generation laser cleaver, creating a platform to process bare fiber (single fiber and ribbon fiber), single ferrule (single fiber and multimode fiber and large core 220/1000nm fiber) and multifiber ferrule (MT) . Cleave with a single CO2 laser beam at a speed of about 20°C at 60-200um above the ferrule tip.
The optical fiber connector
Laser cutting knives reduce abrasive film, true or false
The latest generation of single fiber splitting. It uses a bi-directional laser beam to perform an ultra-low profile cut 30-35um above the ferrule tip, reshaping the fiber and removing virtually all epoxy. Selecting fiber optic connectors, when using a stable high-quality polisher, this laser cutter allows the cleaved connector to go directly to a single final polishing step. However, in production we found that a 3um SiC "half" step was needed to help clean the ferrule before the final step. This means that all diamond film polishing steps are eliminated, which will greatly reduce the cost of polishing materials, while also increasing capacity and output.
SMA connector application
Laser cutters have also shown significant process advantages for large-core fiber applications (terminated with SMA connectors), since the laser beam cuts thicker fibers that can be cut without scratches.
SMA connector high power application
For high power connections, where epoxy-free freestanding SMAs are used, most companies use support waxes such as CrystalBond in the SMA connectors to keep the fibers from breaking during the polishing process and need to be removed afterwards, This is a time consuming and expensive operation. Using a laser cutting operation eliminates the need to use support wax as the fiber rarely protrudes from the SMA tip, allowing direct polishing operations when using a high stability polisher. At the same time, the consumption of grinding film is reduced.
Bundled Fiber Applications
Another application that has noticed the great advantage of using a laser cutter is fiber optic bundles. With multiple large fibers and a large amount of epoxy forcing manual cleavage away from the ferrule tip, the laser rivet will "cut" the excess fiber from multiple directions in one operation and provide a flat finish for automated polishing.
Ribbon Cable Applications
For ribbon fiber technologies such as MT ferrules, laser cleavage knives provide a good uniform scan, resulting in uniform fiber height across all fibers. Traditional manual work will often show domed scratches over epoxy scores or straight scratches with sharp fiber optics. Careful manual denucleation of the fiber is best performed prior to polishing to avoid fiber breakage into the epoxy area.
Another advantage of ribbon fiber cleaving is that epoxy slapping is eliminated, but all fibers are retained and protected. The epoxy platform produces a larger surface, minimizing potential fiber breakage on the outer fiber, and also exhibits a more uniform fiber protrusion after polishing, measuring the height difference of the fiber with an interferometer.
Laser and Mechanical Cutting
It was a challenge to manage a precise material to cut through the fiber with a lot of epoxy and repeat 100.000 cleavages. With the introduction of the Fibersect from Phenix FO, we learned that it cuts very consistently and has very low profile cut repeatability. Somewhere about 70um from the ferrule tip, below a standard laser cutter, but not Comet-Ssp. The fiber is fully embedded and protected during the initial polishing phase. Although the fiber surface is much rougher than the laser cut profile, this does not appear to be a disadvantage since polishing is required. Lower costs are another advantage over laser cutting systems.
Is Laser Cutting Right For Every Assembly Operation?
The investment in cutting systems is still significant, and a semi-automated process looks attractive, but the financial numbers need to reflect these improvements. Initial comparisons between manual and laser cutting operations typically focus on cutting time. Manual cutting has its own advantages, since the operating time of manual cutting is only a few seconds. Although the ability to do this is usually not a process bottleneck, it is clear that laser cleavers have the advantage of low cleaving efficiency when considering the reduced polishing cost of a single fiber. Typically, a volume of more than 200.000-300.000 terminals per month (depending on the type of terminal) begins to show a breakthrough considering this type of automation.
