Friday 24 May 2013

Are you dealing with fiber optic issues? Get rid of it, with proper cleaning materials!

Today’s fast paced communication networks rely on optical fibers to provide users fast communications. Fibers are the thin strings that are made up of glass or plastic material and use light signals to carry data at enormous speed.
One important issue that is directly associated with cable performance is that the transmission medium is susceptible to contamination and damage. As a result of contamination, and weak structure of cables, optical fibers fail to reach the goal they are designed for, “fast data transmission speed”.

Lets’ have a brief idea about problems that cause loss of light signal:
Contamination: The presence of minute and unwanted particles is the major reason of signal loss during transmission! These minor constituents include:
  • Dirt
  • Oil
  • Spotting
Damage: The surface of the fiber cable is prone to damages like:
  • Scratches
  • Pitting
  • Chips
Therefore, for smooth communication and protection of fiber cables from any contamination and damage, the cleaning of fiber optic cable and connectors becomes essential.

There are number of cleaning materials available in the market. Some of the cleaning products are designed for the optical fiber industry while others are generic in nature and can also be utilized to achieve the same purpose.

Discussed below are some common materials used for optical fiber cleaning:
Swabs: These are the small piece of soft cloth that is most commonly used for cleaning purposes. Each of these has their own use. Few examples of swabs are:
Cotton tipped: These are the variable sized sticks with different materials. You can use them dry, or wetted dipped in cleaning fluid of your choice. They are not the best suitable options for tight or unseen areas where the cotton wrapped on the sticks come out of swap, but are the least expensive type of cleaners.

Foam tipped: They are the medium priced and variable sized tips used with the cleaning solutions of your size. It requires lots of care to wet them properly.
Poly film: These are the newest style of fiber optic cleaning products that use woven film similar to the reel and tape cleaners. The woven piece of fiber is draped around the end of the cleaning stick that can be used for both dry and wet cleaning. Poly firm swabs works well in removing oil and dust particles from cable and connector surface.

Apart from this, alcoholic materials like dispensers, canned spray, and wipes like natural fiber, pre-moistened or synthetic wipes other the other examples of cleaning products.








No comments:

Post a Comment