What Are the Key Features to Look For in a High-Quality Joint Closure?
Key Features to Look For in a High-Quality Joint Closure
Optical communication networks are crucial in the world of modern-day connectivity, and advanced fiber optic joint closures offer protection for delicate fiber splices, mitigating risks and maximizing efficiency. These durable devices are designed to withstand environmental factors like moisture, dust and fluctuations in temperature, helping to ensure data transmission continuity and quality for subscribers. In order to keep pace with increasing demand for high-speed internet, network operators must splice and deploy fiber optic cables efficiently, utilizing the best equipment possible.
The most important feature of a quality joint closure is an ability to resist corrosion. This is accomplished through good design, including joint clearances and the choice of brazing filler metal. For example, brass and copper are more corrosion-resistant than aluminum and silver. In addition, choosing a low-sulphur brazing alloy will also increase corrosion resistance.
Another critical factor is the ability to dispense flux effectively. This is accomplished by using a dispensable flux system that delivers a uniform, pre-measured deposit of flux directly onto the brazed surface. This helps to improve joint quality and consistency, while reducing the amount of flux residue entering the waste stream.
What Are the Key Features to Look For in a High-Quality Joint Closure?
In addition, a quality Fiber optic joint closure should be able to handle the thermal expansion and contraction of fiber optic cables. Ideally, the enclosure will be sized to fit the diameter of the cable and provide adequate space for its splice. However, if this isn’t possible, the closure should be made from materials that can withstand the expansion and contraction without damaging the cables within.
Finally, a high-quality joint closure should be easy to access. Depending on where in the network the closure is installed, it may require frequent accessibility, or it may be located in a location that requires only occasional re-entry. For instance, if the closure is installed near the network’s distribution point, it may not need to be accessed regularly. However, if the closure is located at the drop line, it will need to be easily accessible.
A key feature to look for in a fiber closure is the cable port capacity, which defines its ability to handle cable splices and connections. This should be specified clearly to ensure that the closure can meet the needs of the network. A splice tray that can accommodate a certain number of cables at once is essential, as is the option to expand trays to accommodate more connections in the future.
The design of a fiber optic closure is another factor to consider, as this can impact performance. For example, it is important that the closure does not create sharp bends in the cables. This can cause undue stress and lead to a reduction in link performance. A design that can support cable management methods and avoid this issue is usually the best choice.
In order to maintain the integrity of a quality joint closure, the splice tray configuration must be well-designed. Specifically, there should be no sharp corners or blind holes that can trap molten flux. In addition, the trays must be positioned in a way that will not twist or stress the cables. This is especially important if the splice is a ribbon or mechanical splice, since these types of splices can cause the splice trays to hold fewer cables than those used by fusion splices. The splice trays should also be positioned so that they don’t overlap and restrict the flow of molten filler metal to the joint, which could result in poor quality. Lastly, the trays should be positioned to avoid touching other trays in the stack to prevent splice-to-tray contact, which can damage cable insulation and lead to performance problems.