Why Fiber Optic Cleaning is needed?

Data transmission is the key to communication and to stay connected. Over the decades, scientists and engineers have tried to develop new instruments to send and receive data at greater speeds and also to lessen the loss of data due to attenuation and other reasons, this led to the creation of optical fibers. Optical fibers are very thin wire like structures used to transmit data in the form of waves of light by the process of total internal reflection of light.

The fibers need to be connected very carefully so that dust and dirt do not get deposited on them at time of installation or in the various stages of manufacturing. Dirt causes a decrease in the efficiency of the fiber. Also over a period of time after use, the connections need to be regularly checked and re cleaned to ensure a good connection. Fiber optic cleaning methods include two different approaches namely, the dry cleaning process and the wet cleaning process. The dry cleaning process, as the name suggests, does not require the use of any cleaning solvent to clean the fiber, instead products like air spray are used which may be a compressed air or canned air. Wet cleaning process involves the use of solvent such as IPA.

Nowadays a more common method of fiber optic cleaning is through a ferrule cleaner which is an automated instrument such as AFC3000 automated ferrule cleaner which is battery operated and is a fiber optic connector cleaner. It can clean plugged panel and fixed connector hardware devices. It is an extremely cost effective and efficient method of cleaning optical fibers. The AFC 3000 is used worldwide for these applications.

The AFC 3000 cleans the fiber optics very effectively and can be used both with PC and APC ferrules. It has a cleaning cycle of 3 seconds and can be used for over 600 cleans. It has an incredible cleaning readability of 99.5% and is a very light weight, automated, and a rugged ferrule cleaner which is a huge time saver for installations of such equipment as ROADM’s and other equipment used by telecoms and large data centers and the military and research facilities worldwide.

The AFC 3000 is built to be used with Male and Female 2.5 mm FC, SC, ST andE 2000 connectors or adapters and 1.25 mm LC, MU, or Lemo connectors (SMPTE) most commonly used in the broadcast industry.

Protect your fiber optic investments through proper care and regular cleaning for its long life and durability.

To find more on fiber optic cleaning and ferrule cleaner, visit: http://www.aefos.com.