Cleaning the Entire Surface of an MT Ferrule Most Effectively

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:

 

 

  Answered by AskFOC Technical Team February 24, 2017

 

 

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FOC FAQ Fiber Optic Center has a team of technical experts and marketing strategists with decades of years in the field. This team contributes to the fiber, cable and specialty industries coverage through news, alerts, reports and general media information.
About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.
Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment and supplies and has been helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over two decades. Several areas of specialization and expertise, in which they are the industry leader, make them the preferred choice for many of the world’s fiber professionals. In these key technology areas, FOC is "at least as technical as the manufacturer" about the products they sell. Striving to "make the business part easy," they offer outstanding and personal customer service, low or no minimum purchase order values, and from-stock delivery on industry-leading products and technology. FOC is the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

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