Tag Archives: Fiber Optic Cleaning

Fiber Optic Connector Cleaning Solution

Fiber optic cabling is the blood vessel of modern telecommunication industry. With the increasing applying of Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, fiber optic connector cleaning has become one of the most crucial procedures in these fiber optic communication systems. Clean and reliable optical connectors are the most important in providing a reliable, high performance fiber system. Thus, fiber optic cleaning is your best choice of keeping your fiber connectors clean and reliable.

Why Do We Need Fiber Optic Connector Cleaning?

Dirt, dust and other contaminants are the enemies of high-speed data transmission over optical fiber. Today’s network applications require more data and better quality than ever. Hence, it is necessary that all optical connections should free of contaminants to avoid having application performance issue.

Here are pictures showing three different optical connector contaminations. The first picture shows a fiber optic connector with a dry residue.

Fiber-optic-connector-with-dry-residue
Fiber optic connector with dust is displayed in the second picture.
Fiber optic connector with dust
Fiber optic connector with liquid is shown below
Fiber optic connector with liquid contamination

Since fiber optic connector with dust, liquid contamination, dry residue can be easily transferred to the mating ferrule, further complicating the cleaning process. This also runs the risk of physical damage to the fiber’s end face. It is very important to make sure that fiber optic connector is clean.

Fiber Optic Connector Cleaning Methods

Fiber optic cleaning kits on the market can be divided to four types based on the cleaning method.

  • Dry cleaning: Optic cleaning without any use of solvent.
  • Wet cleaning: Optic cleaning with a solvent. Typically IPA (isopropyl alcohol).
  • Non-Abrasive cleaning: Cleaning without abrasive material touching the fiber optic connector end face. Examples are air dusters or pressured solvent jet used in automated in-situ connector cleaners.
  • Abrasive cleaning: The popular lint free wipes, reel based on CLETOP fiber connector cleaners and optic cleaning swabs such as the Cletop sticks are all abrasive cleaning types.
General Cleaning Process
  • Inspect the fiber connector, component, or bulkhead with a fiberscope.
  • Clean it with a dry cleaning method.
  • Inspect the connector again.

Before you select a fiber optic cleaning kit, there are some points you should pay attention to.

  • The connector types will need to be cleaned
  • The type of contaminates will be my technicians encounter
  • The connectors physically located  which place of the network
  • The number of connector ends that need to be cleaned for this project
  • The type of environment  the connectors been exposed to.
  • The skill level of my technicians for cleaning fiber connectors
  • The type of environment my technicians clean in
  • whether the equipment or cable system manufacture have cleaning requirements that must be followed for maintaining the warranty
Fiberstore Fiber Optic Cleaning Solution

Fiberstore’s fiber optic cleaning kits contain the best fiber optic cleaning tools to effectively remove the toughest contaminants in any fiber network. Fiberstore can provide many kinds of fiber cleaners such as fiber connector cleaner, Fujikura cleaner, optical connector cleaning cards, etc. If you have any requirements, please contact us at sales@fs.com or live chat with us.

How To Do Your Fiber Connector Cleaning Correctly

Fiber optic connector plays an important role in fiber cables connection. They are always used to join fiber cables where a connect/disconnect capability is required. Fiber optic connectors are always disconnected or reconnected repeatedly causing many impurities adhesion. Any contamination in the fiber connection can cause failure of the component or failure of the whole system. Even microscopic dust particles can cause a variety of problems for optical connections. In addition, dirty connectors can quickly exceed the allowed loss. As a result, to ensure the cleaning of fiber cables and fiber optic connectors is very necessary. In order to ensure the normal operation of network and reduce unnecessary losses, it is very necessary to know how to make fiber connector cleaning with a correct way.

Common Contaminates
connectors
Dust & Dirt

Dust and dirt are inevitable contaminates as slight air currents can transport them to exposed fiber optic connectors. According to some researches, particles of different sizes have different degrees of effect on fiber cables:

• A 1−micrometer dust particle on a single−mode core can block up to 1% of the light (a 0.05dB loss).
• A 9−micrometer speck is still too small to see without a microscope, but it can completely block the fiber core. These contaminants can be more difficult to remove than dust particles.

Metallic particles

Connector bodies and fiber housings are commonly made of plated metal so that normal wear and tear will scrape off the platting in tiny particles. Normal wearand tear of hand tools can also produce tiny metallic particles.

Oils

Oils are frequently from human hands while it is sometimes from other oils such as WD-40, hydraulic fluid, etc.

How to clean
Generally, there are two types of fiber optic connector applications that we need to clean:
• Free connectors on a fiber optic patch cable or fiber pigtail
• Connectors plugged in patch panels or other hardware devices and equipment

Cleaning steps:
1. Inspect the fiber connector, component, or bulkhead with a fiberscope.
2. If the connector is dirty, clean it with a dry cleaning technique.
3. Inspect the connector.
4. If the connector is still dirty, repeat the dry cleaning technique.
5. Inspect the connector.
6.If the connector is still dirty, clean it with a wet cleaning technique followed immediately with a dry clean in order to ensure no residue is left on the end-face.
Note: Wet cleaning is not recommended for bulkheads and receptacles. Damage to equipment can occur.
7. Inspect the connector again.
8. If the contaminate still cannot be removed, repeat the cleaning procedure until the endface is clean.

process

Cleaning Tools You May Need
Dry Cleaning Products:
One-Push Cleaner/Pen Cleaner

one-push cleaner

Reel Connector Cleaners

fiber connector cleaning with cassette cleaner

Wipexperts M-3 Cleanroom Wipes

Wipexperts M-3 Cleanroom Wipes
Lint-Free Swabs

clean swabs

Web Cleaning Products:
Alcohol with lint free wipes

alcohol and swaps
Pre-saturated or soaked wipes

wet wipes
Reminders

•Always inspect the connectors or adapters before you clean
•Always turn off any laser sources before you inspect fiber connectors, optical components, or bulkheads
•Never touch the end face of the fiber connectors
•Never touch the clean area of a tissue, swab, or cleaning fabric
•Never touch any portion of a tissue or swab where alcohol was applied
•Never touch the dispensing tip of an alcohol bottle