News | November 16, 2006

Furukawa America Unveils New Low-Profile Mass Fusion Splicer

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Peachtree City, GA - Furukawa America Inc., a supplier of FITEL® fiber optic equipment in the Americas, has introduced a new ultra-portable mass fusion splicer for single fibers up to 12-fiber ribbon. Developed by The Furukawa Electric Company Ltd., the FITEL® S122M12 splicer delivers a reported 15-second splice and 45-second heat time for 12-fiber ribbon.

Incorporating new patent-pending technologies for real-time arc control and automatic fiber position correction – along with automatic fiber-count identification — the FITEL S122M12 increases splicing speed while virtually eliminating fiber axis offset, a common challenge during ribbon splicing.

According to Furukawa America, these technology advances, and a highly compact design, bring greater mobility, higher accuracy, and easier operation to every installation. Like FITEL's S122A and S122M4 series splicers, the S122M12 uses a dual axis monitor system, a large 3.5-inch LCD display and user-friendly GUI interface. The S122M12 is also 50 percent smaller and 70 percent lighter than previous conventional ribbon splicer models.

"The design philosophy surrounding the FITEL S122 series is to deliver high-quality splices easily and precisely, no matter the user's skill level, and no matter the splicing environment," said Jason Greene, fusion splicer product manager for Furukawa America. "The S122M12 fulfills this goal with more automation and better portability for mass fiber fusion splicing applications."

The S122M12 offers fully automated operation, beginning with fiber count identification and splicing program selection to fiber position correction in the V-groove. In addition, the splicer automatically evaluates the image during arc discharge and adjusts the arc power as needed to compensate for variables such as changes in environment and electrode condition. This ensures a consistent low splice loss and eliminates the need for a traditional arc check.

Magnification for each fiber is an industry best for mass fusion splicing at 56X. The machine's GUI interface, large LCD display and powerful software make splicing operator friendly. The software includes a counter to track splice, cleave, and strip occurrences and an alarm to signal when cleaver blade rotation is needed. Spliced images are stored on the machine, and a step-by-step guide with pictures in the GUI software conveniently provides on-demand instructions for maintenance procedures.

The FITEL S122M12 product specifications include:

  • Applicable fibers: MM, SM, DSF, NZDS
  • Average insertion loss: MM: 0.03dB, SM: 0.05dB, DSF/NZDS : 0.08dB
  • Battery capacity: 40 (splices with heat shrink protection)
  • Dimensions: 5.5Wx7.4Dx3.4H (inch) [140W×189D×86H (mm)]
  • Weight: 2.5 (lbs) [1.13(kg) including battery]

SOURCE: Furukawa America Inc.