AFL custom splicing services and solutions

AFL is now providing fusion splicing solutions via engineering support, splice optimisation and engineered services that include custom hardware or software design, process improvement consultation, advanced splicer training, maintenance service agreements and fabricated splice components.

With AFL’s optimisation services, optimal settings can be determined for any combination of fibre types in any Fujikura splicer, minimising splice loss and keeping splices physically robust. This process involves changing over 50 splicer machine parameters, ranging from splicer arc power to fibre movement rate. These parameters change significantly with fibre characteristics such as fibre diameter, refractive index profile and dopant composition.

In the Fujikura FSM-100 fusion splicers and LAZERMaster laser splicing system, splice optimisation plays an important role in maximising the benefits of sweep arc technology, which minimises the effects of differences in mode field diameters in a pair of fibres, thereby minimising splice loss. Splice strength can also be enhanced by splice optimisation.

Since splicers also include loss estimation functions, a separate loss estimation optimisation can be performed to maximise the accuracy of the loss estimation function on the machine to provide the most accurate splice loss readings. All of the parameters can be easily downloaded into a fusion splicer once complete.

For companies developing a new optical component and/or requiring a critical splice, AFL can fabricate spliced components, such as dissimilar fibre splicing, ball lens, tapers, TEC, combiners and MFAs. Or AFL can rent equipment time for the LAZERMaster laser splicing system for customers to conduct experimental research and development.