Proper Care of Polishing Fixtures for Optical Fiber Polishing Machines

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In fiber optic cable assembly, the
polishing process is perhaps the most critical step to assure high-quality
assemblies that meet specifications. That’s why it’s important to select the
right optical
fiber polishing machine – and polishing
fixtures – that meet your needs. Depending on your cable assembly house
product offerings, it’s likely that you have several polishing fixtures to
produce different connector styles.

 

The quality of the polishing fixtures
(also called polishing plates or jigs) is extremely important to your company.
Considering the high cost of production equipment and components, your company
will want to maintain these tools to produce a high volume of products with
minimal quality issues over the long run.

 

Proper maintenance of polishing
fixtures is absolutely essential

 

Polishing fixtures for optical fiber
polishing machines are built with high-precision machining equipment. Fixtures
made of steel and aluminum can flex and warp over time, which will negatively
impact your polishing process and product quality. On the other hand, polishing
fixtures made of hardened stainless steel avoid this wear effect. However,
hardened stainless steel contains more iron in the alloy, so this does increase
the risk of rusting. This is a key reason why proper maintenance is so
critical.

 

In addition, the most common fiber
optic connectors (SC, LC, and E2000) are locked onto the polishing fixture with
a plastic latch or clamp, which can wear over time if not properly cleaned.
Poor cleaning techniques can also prevent proper locking. This can
significantly impact the polishing machine’s functionality and, therefore,
product quality.

 

Polishing fixtures are expensive – this
is a bottom-line reason why proper maintenance is so important. With daily
maintenance, you can use your polishing fixtures for a long time with no
variation in the quality level of your fiber optic cable assemblies.

 

Follow these 8 steps to clean and
maintain your polishing fixtures

 

Whether your company is just starting
to manufacture fiber optic cable assemblies – or you have years of experience –
we recommend you rigorously follow these guidelines to properly clean and
maintain your polishing fixtures.

 

It’s better to clean every day for 5
minutes rather than clean once a week for 30 minutes. In fact, we recommend you
integrate a cleaning procedure throughout the daily polishing process. Cleaning
the fixtures should be a regular task – and a priority – in your polishing
process.

Use distilled water, because it doesn’t
contain abrasive minerals. Do not use tap water – regular drinking water is
different all over the world. Your company’s tap water may contain iron
minerals that tend to adhere to the polishing fixture. Also, do not use
alcohol. At Fiber Optic Center, we recommend the Air Cleanse Cleaning Wand.
This hand-held cleaning wand has an integrated pressurized fluid and filter
system for a debris-free cleaning operation. You can use the wand to clean any
brand of polishing machine and fixture. Click to read the datasheet for the Air
Cleanse Cleaning Wand from Domaille Engineering.

 

The ferrule holes (and for MT style
fixtures the ferrule slots, surrounding surfaces, and top clamps) can be
cleaned using dental brushes and particle‐free, distilled or deionized water. Again, do not use alcohol.
We recommend using a 1.25mm nylon brush (purple-handled brush) for fixtures
with 1.25mm diameter ferrule holes. Use a 2.5mm nylon brush (blue-handled
brush) for fixtures with 2.5mm diameter ferrule holes. Either one will work
fine for MT style fixtures.

 

Clean the fixture while it’s still wet
from the polishing process. This makes it easy to remove the polishing debris.

 

To clean areas where a brush can’t
reach, use an ultrasonic bath. When using an ultrasonic bath, you must change
the deionized water every day. Otherwise, debris could contaminate the
polishing fixture. (Again, here is the link for the Air Cleanse Cleaning Wand
datasheet.)

 

If you have a fixture with a cam-lock
interface, pay special attention to the spring slits. These are very narrow and
debris can easily build up, causing the metal to flex less and interfere with
the spring functionality.

 

After cleaning the polishing fixture,
it’s important to dry it thoroughly to avoid rusting. This is especially true
for polishing fixtures made of hardened stainless steel.

 

Over time, your polishing results may
change, and the reason could be directly related to natural wear of key
interfaces of the polishing machine and fixture. The EZ-Check Precision Wear
Gage Kit provides precise measurements for the polishing machine mandrel,
fixture mounting hole, and ferrule holes. We recommend incorporating this wear
gage kit into your process control system. Call Fiber Optic Center to determine
whether this tool works with your polishing machine and fixture.