QUESTION: What is the most effective way for cleaning the entire surface of an MT ferrule?
ANSWER:
Ultrasonic cleaning of ferrules after polish, and guide-pin hole brushing during / after polish.
Contamination on the surface of the ferrule is a major (if not THE major) contributing factor to poor testing performance (assuming, of course, that the connector was built properly and meets geometry specs). The best way to clean entire ferrule surface, in my opinion, is to clean all ferrule in an ultrasonic bath (using filtered / DI water). This removes all contamination from guide pins / holes and surface of the ferrule.
Care should (and must) be taken through the entire assembly process after polishing, to minimize contamination of ferrule surface, guide pins, etc.
Also: guide pin holes should be scrubbed with brush during polishing to make sure loose particles of abrasive or removed ferrule material don’t stay in the holes and prevent future issues when mating/un-mating.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT & RESOURCES:
- Category Resource: FOC Cleaning Page
- Find More Information in this Blog: The art of cleaning: Follow these specific cleaning techniques during fiber optic cable assembly manufacturing and installation
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