Cleave

Fiber Optic Center is dedicated to offering the best practices and solutions for manufacturing fiber optic cable assemblies. The step of cleaving, in preparation for polishing, has manual and automated options.

Manual cleaving or scoring the fiber is done with a fiber scribe prior to breaking the fibers away from the ferrule.

Automated cleaving equipment cuts away the majority of the epoxy bead while also cutting through and the fibers. There are two automated cleaving systems. One uses laser cutting technology while the uses a high-speed precision saw technology.

FOC focuses on these three distinct areas to ensure industry leading solutions and best practices including:

FOC helps YOU become more efficient, reduce costs and increase yields.

The FOC team of experts has decades of experience servicing customers with challenges related to cleaving cable assemblies.

We provide the highest quality equipment backed with industry-leading technical support and exceptional customer service. With cutting edge equipment, automation, and process controls.

Critical Areas in the Cable Prep STEP

Manual Cleaving: Manual hand-tool scribes offer a basic solution without capital expenditure. The manual process requires both a pre-polish procedure securing the fiber from breaking under the tip of the ferrule and skilled operators to produce a fiber cleave height dependent on the epoxy bead size.
Mechanical Cleaving: Mechanical cleavers require a lower capital investment than the laser cleavers and serve a similar purpose of cutting fibers and epoxy. Due to the mechanical side stress, connectors with single fibers require sufficient support from the epoxy bead to avoid fiber chipping at the edge. The finished result requires medium and fine polish on connectors. Spending less time on the epoxy removal step, reuse of film (less wear), shorter polishing time and predictable time to remove the epoxy provides a more efficient process.
Laser Cleaving: Laser cleaving allows the elimination of the epoxy removal step, saving more film and process time as well as the possibility of fracturing the fiber endface underneath the ferrule surface. This option requires a large production volume of terminations to justify the capital investment but has the advantage of offering consistent cleave heights of both the fiber and epoxy bead.

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DOMAILLE OPTISABER SINGLE FIBER LASER CLEAVER

The OptiSaber Laser Cleaver is the finest fiber forming machine on the market which increases production yield on multi-fiber (MTP/MPO) and single fiber applications. Significant cost savings and reduction in process variation associated with cracking typical of mechanical cleaving methods. Additional time savings include uniform starting point for less polishing, consistent epoxy removal, elimination of safety concerns (minimize handling of scrap fiber) and reduction in the overall cost of terminations.

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COMETX-SI LASER CLEAVING SYSTEM FOR SIMPLEX CONNECTORS

The Cometx-Si enables efficient and quick laser cleaving of the fiber after the epoxy curing step. The cleaving is free of chips and other mechanical cleave problems and also enables much more efficient polishing by eliminating at least 1 diamond polishing step from the standard connector termination process.

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PHENIX FIBERSECT MECHANICAL CONNECTOR CLEAVER

The fibersect quickly cuts off the epoxy/fibers protruding from the face of connector ferrules including MTs. First Pass Yield and throughput are improved by minimizing polishing and eliminating the manual cleaving and denubbing steps. The resulting flat cut, very close to the ferrule face, presents the ideal starting point for polishing and improves end face geometry.

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FEATURED PRODUCT

DOMAILLE OPTISABER SINGLE FIBER LASER CLEAVER

The OptiSaber Laser Cleaver is the finest fiber forming machine on the market which increases production yield on multi-fiber (MTP/MPO) and single fiber applications. Significant cost savings and reduction in process variation associated with cracking typical of mechanical cleaving methods. Additional time savings include uniform starting point for less polishing, consistent epoxy removal, elimination of safety concerns (minimize handling of scrap fiber) and reduction in the overall cost of terminations.

find out more

FEATURED PRODUCT

PHENIX FIBERSECT MECHANICAL CONNECTOR CLEAVER

The fibersect quickly cuts off the epoxy/fibers protruding from the face of connector ferrules including MTs. First Pass Yield and throughput are improved by minimizing polishing and eliminating the manual cleaving and denubbing steps. The resulting flat cut, very close to the ferrule face, presents the ideal starting point for polishing and improves end face geometry. MT ferrules, from 4 to 72 fibers, flat or 8ø can all be cut with ease. The fibersect’s small footprint and battery power provides exceptional portability on the production floor.

find out more

FEATURED PRODUCT

COMETX-SI LASER CLEAVING SYSTEM FOR SIMPLEX CONNECTORS

The Cometx-Si enables efficient and quick laser cleaving of the fiber after the epoxy curing step. The cleaving is free of chips and other mechanical cleave problems and also enables much more efficient polishing by eliminating at least 1 diamond polishing step from the standard connector termination process.

find out more