:: Fiber optic tool kits, what kind do you need?

The Fiber Optic Toolkit is a very large category that includes tools for finishing a variety of jobs in the fiber optic industry. So before looking any further, ask yourself: what do I want to do with this toolkit?

Kits are available for traditional epoxy and polish connector termination, quick connector termination, fusion splicing, mechanical splicing, optical cleaning, fiber optic testing, and many more.

So let’s take a quick look at each type and its functions.

1) Traditional Epoxy and Polish Connector Termination Tool Kit

This type of kit is sometimes also called a universal connectorizing epoxy tool kit. They include all the necessary tools for manual polishing of epoxy optical connector terminations such as FC, SC, ST, LC, etc. The following list shows all the essentials that should be included.

a) Fiber cable sheath stripper to remove the outer sheath of optical cables

b) Fiber stripper to remove the fiber coatings (900um airtight buffer or 250um UV coating layer) to expose the bare fiber coating

c) Kevlar scissors to cut the yellow resistance member inside the fiber jacket

d) Fiber connector crimping tool for FC, SC, ST, LC

e) Fiber tracing tool to trace the bare fiber

f) Epoxy to fix the fiber inside the connector, empty syringes to dispense epoxy into the connector

g) Glass polishing plate so you can put a rubber polishing pad on top

h) Rubber polishing pad so you can place the lapping films on top

i) Lapping films (various grains are included, typically 12um, 3um, 1um and 0.5um)

j) Manual polishing disc connector for FC, SC, ST, LC

k) Inspection microscope so that you can inspect the quality of your work.

l) Thermal curing oven to cure epoxy (220V or 110V)

m) Other miscellaneous cleaning elements such as Kimwipes, isopropyl alcohol, etc.

2) Quick Termination Connector Tool Kit

90% of quick-termination connectors do not require polishing. They have a factory pre-polished fiber stub inside the connector body, all you need to do is strip the fiber, clean, cut the fiber, and then insert the cut fiber into the connector body, with or without the help of assembly tools, and finally crimp the connector with a specialized tool.

There is no universal quick-termination connector toolkit, as each connector is designed differently by its manufacturers and requires a proprietary assembly tool. The main brands on the market include:

a) 3M hot melt connectors

Although 3M hot melt connectors are classified as quick termination, they actually require polishing. The connectors have hot melt epoxy pre-injected into the body, you simply heat the connector, insert the fiber, trace, let it cool, then polish the connector. The process is very similar to traditional epoxy polishing connectors, but the epoxy mixing and dispensing steps are eliminated, reducing completion time to less than 2 minutes. 3M Hot Melt connectors are a popular choice with installers.

b) Corning Unicam connectors

Corning Unicam connectors are typical of pre-polishing and mechanical splicing on connectors. They have a pre-polished fiber bead inside the connector body, with matching index gel inside as well. Just strip, clean and cut your fiber, and then insert the cut fiber into the connector body, finally crimp with the Unicam assembly tool.

They are also very popular with fiber optic contractors and installers.

c) Tyco / AMP LightCrimp Plus connectors

AMP LightCrimp Plus connectors are similar to Corning Unicam. Also pre-polished and mechanical splicing, although designed differently and requires the corresponding LightCrimp plus mounting tool. They are less popular than Unicam connectors.

d) There are also many new types of quick-termination connectors from AFL, Leviton, Fitel, and other manufacturers. Therefore, this technology is worth keeping a close eye on.

3) Fusion Splicing Tool Kit

The next main type of fiber optic toolkits are fiber fusion splices.

Fusion splicing is simpler than fiber connector termination. Therefore, they require fewer tools, but the tools are sometimes quite expensive, especially high-precision fiber blades. The following list shows the essentials in fusion splicing toolkits.

a) Fiber cable sheath stripper to remove the outer sheath of optical cables

b) Fiber stripper to remove the fiber coatings (900um airtight buffer or 250um UV coating layer) to expose the bare fiber coating

c) Kevlar scissors to cut the yellow resistance member inside the fiber jacket

d) High precision fiber cleaver (this is the most expensive item)

e) Protection sleeves for fusion splices

f) Fiber removal unit to remove waste fibers

g) Other miscellaneous. cleaning supplies such as Kimwipes, isopropyl alcohol, etc.

h) Optional visual fault locator to visually check the quality of your splice

4) Optical cleaning tool kit

The fiber optic cleaning tool kit is quite simple as it does not include tools but only some cleaning supplies. They mostly include:

a) Canned air (optical grade)

b) 2.5mm foam swabs for cleaning FC, SC, ST connectors, coupling sleeves and adapters

C) 1.25mm foam swabs for cleaning LC and MU connectors, coupling sleeves and adapters

d) Lint-free kimwipes

e) Alcohol wipes

f) Fiber connector coil cleaners for FC, SC, ST, LC, MTRJ, etc.

g) Isopropyl alcohols

Since cleaning tool kits generally include alcohol, in most cases they are only shipped overland.

5) Fiber Optic Test Tool Kit

Basic fiber optic testing generally only involves insertion loss testing, visual fault location, and optional return loss testing.

You can purchase a fiber test kit with or without tools to strip and cut fibers. The most essential items are actually the light source, the power meter, and the optional visual fault locator. You can always get a fiber stripper, cable stripper, etc. from any toolkits you already have, such as a universal epoxy connector termination toolkit.

Fiber optic patch cords, power meter adapters should also be included in the kit to facilitate testing of different connectors, such as FC, SC, ST, LC, MU, etc.