Due to automated scoring mechanisms, cleavers can now complete a cleave and reset themselves for the next cleave in one or two steps, streamlining the cleaving process while perfecting the quality and reliability of the cleave. Sometimes, a new cleave is required when a fiber end has become dirty, as it is hard to reliably clean fiber ends. Cleaving of non-standard fibers may take many experiments and substantial practicing time until it works well. If the fiber ends were not cleaved perfectly, fiber loss would occur which would in turn affect the transmission of signals. The Sumitomo FC-6RS-C fibre cleaver has user versatility, these precision cleavers also feature user selectable blade rotation options, backed by an impressively long blade life.

article on 'Cleaving of fibers' in the RP Photonics Encyclopedia] © RP Photonics AG All rights reserved worldwide.

For such reasons, it is important to carefully dispose fiber scraps into a properly marked container (collection bin) before they get lost. Our dedicated team of skilled professionals is always ready to assist, ensuring smooth operation and optimal performance for all INNO products. In addition, a kink shape due to non-perpendicular cleaves can cause substantial coupling losses, particularly for large mode area fibers. That is particularly the case when polishing steps have to follow; the time spent on those (and the amount of used consumables) can be reduced due to the improved starting quality. Since fracture is such a violent and difficult to control process, even the best commercial cleaver will sometime produce defective cleaves.

Generally a fiber should be re-cleaved when it has a lip that is visible in the magnified image of a fusion splicer. g. for building a fiber laser), it is important to keep the cleave angle small – well below the beam divergence angle corresponding to the fiber mode. So determine whether you require a single-fiber or multi-fiber cleaver before you cleave the fibers at one time.Properly done, the fiber will cleave with a clean surface perpendicular to the length of the fiber, with no protruding glass on either end. With the introduction of the FC-6+, you now can have the ultimate precision tool for your single- and ribbon-fiber cleaving with a rotating blade. The scribe has a hard and sharp tip, generally made of carbide or diamond, to scratch the fiber manually. The simple, fast and repeatable operation of the FK12 delivers convenience and performance unmatched by angle polishing or index matching schemes for reducing back reflections. The model FK12 angled fiber cleaver produces mirror-like fiber ends with user-selectable cleave angles to minimize back reflections.

When we need to join two optical fibers together, we usually use mechanical splice or fusion splice. If the end face of the opposing fiber tips are angled with respect each other, there will usually be a deficit of glass material when the fiber are brought together during the hot push.In the field of fiber optics, it is very necessary to use fiber optic cables with clean and smooth end face.

Also, only for smooth regular surfaces, the surface tension of the softened fibers will optimally self-align the fibers during the fusion process. This procedure allows one to produce a high-quality surface with an arbitrary well-defined orientation of the fiber surface.In some cases, it will not work at all, and more cumbersome techniques such as polishing (see below) are then required. It is the industry’s first automatic blade rotation cleaver, and always ensures high precision cleaves. Corning's FBC-002 field cleaver is a single mode and multimode cleaver that has a ceramic blade with a life of at least 1,000 cleaves. Also, one should take precautions to make them well visible in the working area, for example by using a black pad below the working area.