Myriad of Fiberoptic Polishing Variables, Process, Applications and Equipment Options A common question in fiber optic polishing is “Can you share one standard polishing procedure”? In a perfect world, there would be ONE polishing procedure and a standard...
When polishing a fiber optic connector, by polishing machine, there are procedures and setting parameters designed to leverage the machines best practices as well as previous developments and experience. Additionally, there are tips to consider applying...
As you probably know, the polishing process is an extremely important step in the manufacture of fiber optic cable assemblies. Your polishing process ensures your fiber optic connectors meet certain geometric parameters, industry specifications, and/or
...
In fiber optic cable assembly, the polishing process is perhaps the most critical step to assure high-quality assemblies that meet specifications. That’s why it’s important to select the right optical fiber polishing machine – and polishing fixtures – that...
Of the two common ferrule shapes involved in APC polishing – conical and step – the step ferrule is by far the easiest in terms of controlling geometries. Step ferrules are more expensive than conical ferrules. However, from a purely process-control point of
...
I’ve been watching the development of Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) since the 1980s, when this polishing process was first used in the semiconductor industry. Of course, my interest in CMP became more personal when this process was introduced to the
...
“In regards to MT ferrule geometry measurements, Minus Coplanarity (or Minus-Side Coplanarity) is one way to describe how “flat” or “co-planar” an array of fibers is. To ensure minimum optical performance requirements of the telecom world, it is important to
...
Frequently, my customers ask for guidance to develop a fiber optic polishing process. While there are many details to consider, the process comes down to 5 basic steps. Note that this article focuses on single-fiber (and not MT) PC ferrules. While much of my
...
Turn the calendar way back to 1981 – the early days of fiber optics. I was working for a connector manufacturer, and one of my customers asked, “What is the Return Loss of your connector?” I didn’t know the answer! I was stumped and, frankly, I was embarrassed
...
How can you adjust your APC polishing process to modify characteristics of the geometry and achieve consistent accuracy? APC polishing issues could derive from problems with mechanics (materials or equipment) or the polishing process itself. When developing a...
