What Are Corning-Siecor Unicam Connectors? Fiber Optic Tutorial Series One

This article explains the advantages of usingor the expensive tools for this type of
Corning Siecor Unicam connectors compared withtermination. And that is when quick termination
a industry standard epoxy and polish fiber opticfiber optic connectors come into handy.Quick
connectors. The termination process for industrytermination fiber optic connectors are specially
standard epoxy and polish fiber optic connectors.designed for fast termination without lots of
For standard epoxy and polish fiber opticexperience required. A fiber optic contractor
connectors, the termination process typicallyinstaller can do a quick termination within 2~3
includes 7 steps (up to 30 minutes) which are:minutes.
1. Strip the optical fiber to expose the 125umThere are many different designs but the typical
(140um or other sizes depending on your fiber)one such as Corning Siecor Unicam connector is
fiber claddinglike this:
2. Clean the exposed bare fiber with isopropylThe Unicam connector is pre-polished in factory
alcohol and lint-free wipeswith a fiber stub hidden inside the body of the
3. Insert the bare fiber into the connector centerconnector. The installer then only needs 5 steps
hole until the fiber stopsto complete a Unicam connector termination with
4. Inject fiber optic epoxy with a syringeindustry standard quality.
dispenser into the connector body1. Strip the optical fiber to expose the 125um
5. Cure the fiber optic epoxy with highfiber cladding
temperature which could be 85°C,2. Clean the exposed bare fiber with isopropyl
100°C or even 120°C depending on thealcohol and lint-free wipes
type of fiber optic epoxy(you need a special3. Cleave the fiber with a cleaver
connector epoxy curing oven for this purpose)4. Insert the fiber into the Unicam connector until
6. Scribe the fiber protruding from the tip of theit stops
fiber connector5. Crimp the fiber onto the Unicam connector with
7. Polish the connector tip with lapping films eithera fiber connector crimper tool
by hand or specialized fiber optic connectorA fiber optic contractor installer can make a
polishing machine(especially for single mode fiberUnicam connector termination within 2 minutes.
connectors)Compared to the standard epoxy approach (up
So you see that the process for terminatingto 30 minutes), that is 87% time saved.
optical fiber is a complex procedure. It takes timeUnicam connectors offer equivalent insertion loss
and practice and only highly trained fiber opticperformance as a standard epoxy and polish
technicians can do the work properly with highconnector. Unicam connectors also meet or
yield ratio.exceed the mechanical and optical performance
But fiber optic contractor installers for premisespecified by EIA/TIA 568.B.
networks usually do not have the luxury of time