Fiber Optic Splicing Explained

What is Fiber Optic Splicing?

Fiber optic splicing is used to join two fiber optic cables together. This is most commonly done when a cable is accidentally severed, or when fiber cables need to be lengthened during a cable run. Fiber optics are essential to keeping businesses and homes connected around the world. Consisting of tiny glass or fiber strands, fiber optics transmits data to increase bandwidth signals. In a world where technology is no longer a luxury but a necessity, fiber optics are essential to our telecommunications infrastructure. More so, fiber optic splicing is essential to meet the high demands of our nation’s rapid infrastructure growth. Without the use of splicing, those who are responsible for building out our infrastructure would find it nearly impossible to do their job as they install fiber optics in communities across the nation.

Types of Fiber Optic Splicing

Like any task, splicing fiber optic cables has various methods. Fusion splicing and mechanical splicing are the two most common ways optical fibers are joined together permanently.

Fusion Splicing

Fusion splicing offers a unique solution to conjoin the optic materials through the use of a fusion splicer. This piece of equipment is a great resource as it provides a safe and easy solution. It first aligns the two fiber ends it is joining together and then proceeds to produce an electric arch that welds them together. This takes away human-error and promotes team member safety. However, these large machines are usually expensive and while they do a great job, a properly trained team member can usually perform the same routine just as effectively.

Mechanical Splicing

Unlike fusion splicing, the mechanical splicing technique does not require a large fusion splicer. Instead, mechanical splicing uses a small mechanical splice securing fiber optic ends against one another. After the two ends are secured, a clasp or adhesive piece is used to hold the two ends in place. This method uses no welding and is a fast, easy way to repair or lengthen fiber optic cables. However, this method provides a larger loss in connectivity than fusion splicing. While faster, this can prove to be a problem when thinking about increasing bandwidth usage across the nation.

ADB and Fiber Optics

ADB Companies is proud to play a large part in building our nation’s 5G infrastructure. ADB’s Cable Services group possesses over 50 years of experience in fiber optic operations. Each member of ADB’s Cable Services group has been through extensive training following a meticulous onboarding program to ensure the enhancement and quality of the team, including ADB’s Vice President of Cable Services, Ken Hardy, who has 34 years of experience in the fiber optic industry. With a mission to deliver our core values of SACRIFICE: Safety, Accountability, Customer-centric, Return on Investment, Integrity, Family, Innovative, Community Involvement , and Empowerment, to our partners across the nation, our 32 fiber splicing teams are experienced in all facets of fiber splicing, testing and are equipped with state-of-the-art splicing trucks and labs that include all of the latest tools and equipment. Providing services such as ribbon fusion splicing, OPGW/ADSS fiber splicing, copper splicing, emergency restoration, and more, our team is ready to meet all of our partner’s splicing needs.

To learn more about ADB Companies and our Cable Services team, click here!