Fiber optic welding is the process of connecting optical fibers ( fiber optic cable) using high-temperature heat treatment. Currently performed in automatic mode with special welding machines.
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Welding machines
Optical fiber welding is performed using special welding machines that allow you to carry out the full range of welding work from combining the ends to be welded to protect the joint.
Modern welding machines are industrial robots equipped with an automatic control system. Manages the device person (operator). The size of a modern welding machine is approximately 150 * 150 * 150 mm, without protruding parts.
The device consists of the following units or blocks:
- Power supply.
- Electronic block. These include: motherboard, power supply converter, arc unit, etc.
- The mechanical part. These include: electric drives, carriages, V-grooves, optical system, heat shrink oven, etc.
- Monitor (video monitor).
The full name of the welding machine is: welding machine for automatic welding of optical fibers. After this is usually called the manufacturer and model.
All devices have their own software, unique for each model. The user interface consists of a keyboard, a menu and a monitor. The menu always has two sections, open for the user and secret for the service. The secret section of the menu is closed with a password or key combination; it is used during welding machine setup.
Modern welding machines are divided into three groups:
- Core alignment machines.
- Welding machines with fixed V-grooves.
- Welding machines for ribbon optical fiber.
Welding process
- Cutting optical cable. Usually involves removing the outer insulation of the cable, then removing the insulation of individual modules. In each module, as a rule, there are 8-16 fibers.
- Cleaning the fibers from the hydrophobic material. The most commonly used is a colorless or slightly colored gel.
- Special fibers are put on the fibers of one of the cables - KDZS (set for protection of joints), consisting of two heat shrinkable tubes and a power rod.
- A colored lacquer and a protective layer are removed from the ends of the fibers (2–3 cm), the fibers are wiped with alcohol.
- The peeled fiber is cleaved with a special precision cleaver. The fiber cleavage plane should be perpendicular to the fiber axis. Permissible deviation - up to 1.5 ° for each chip.
- Fibers intended for welding, fit into the clamps of the welding machine (V-shaped grooves).
- Under the microscope with the help of manipulators, their combination ( adjustment ) takes place. In modern welding machines, adjustment is automatic.
- The electric arc heats up to the set temperature the ends of the fibers with a microgap between them, the ends of the fibers are combined by the micro-guide of the holder of one of the fibers.
- The device checks the strength of the connection through mechanical deformation and evaluates the attenuation introduced by the joint.
- KDZS moves the operator to the place of welding and this area is placed in the heat chamber, where the heat shrinkage KDZS.
- The welded fibers are laid in a splice plate , optical coupling or cross cassette.
See also
- Optical fiber
- Fiber Optic Transmission Line (FOCL)
- Fiber optic communications