Concept of fibre optic cleaning and cleaning methods

Optical fibre cables are collection of multiple strings of fiber optics that are made of flexible glass or plastic. These thin thread like structures use light as a carrier to transfer data from one location to another. When thousands of these glass or plastic threads are put together into a single cable that acts a sheath over it, they are able to pass on light waves up to 60 miles.

Another interesting fact of optical fibers is that electrical signals like voice and television signals, with the help of an optical transmitter, are transformed into fast and high quality optical carriers. Due to their fast data transferring speed, fibre cables are widely used in many electronic devices and communication networks. In order to keep these features of optical fibres protected, they must be inspected and cleaned timely.

Unlike copper cables, the loss of optical fibre connections is infrequent due to damage or breakage of cable. However, contaminations like dust particles, oils from hands while handling a cable, powdery coatings etc., and have potential to disrupt the functioning of cables. Even a minute dust particle attached on the fibre end-face can affect the communication or can fail the entire network.

If maintenance or cleaning procedures is not followed up on time, they can cause problems like damage of fibres, scratching on the fibre surface, pitting, and instability in laser system that can degrade the effectiveness of the optical signal.

There are number of techniques have been developed to clean optical fiber cables and connecting devices. The task of cleaning of fiber optic cables at http://fiberqa.com is carried out through dry and wet cleaning.

Wet cleaning method involves the use of solvents and lint-free wipes to de-contaminate the fibre surface. Fold the piece of a wipe or paper and lay it on a properly cleaned surface. Now, apply few drops of alcohol, typically isopropyl alcohol, on the wipe paper. To clean the end-face of the fibre, hold the connector vertically and move the wipe on the surface in a figure –eight forms. After repeating the same pattern 3-4 times, remove the solvent residuals with air duster or a lint-free wipe.

Another method to accomplish the task of cleaning is dry method in which cable connectors are cleaned without using solvent. It generally involves the use of air dusters, dry wipes, or reel based connector cleaners. This technique is generally abrasive in nature and need a professional to accomplish this task without leaving cables with damages or pitting.

Timely cleaning of optical fibres and connectors not only saves your time and money but also prevent the optical networks from potential failures.

Cleaning of fiber optic cables and connectors reduce replacement expenses and gradually increase the performance of the overall network.