The focus of this project was ultra low loss splicing for telecommunications product assembly, with typical loss of <0.05 dB per splice for standard SMF-SMF.  A detailed review and gap analysis of available industry standards relevant to splice loss acceptance criteria and loss test procedures revealed that existing standards are generally inadequate for low loss splicing.

Various project participants, using different equipment and procedures, performed fiber preparation, splicing, splicer loss estimation, and actual loss measurements.  Sets of data spanning three loss ranges, obtained with three measurement methods, were compared using an industry-standard gage repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R) analysis.  A subsequent comparison of loss measurement set-ups based on a cut-back method for dissimilar fiber (SMF-EDF) splices showed significant directionality in some cases, and root cause was identified using a round robin approach.  A follow-on effort -- the Fiber Optic Splice Loss Measurement Project --  worked with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) to develop an industry-standard low loss measurement method.

Press releases

NEMI Launches Project to Improve Fiber Optic Splicing (8.19.02)

Presentations

Is that Splice Really Good Enough? Improving Fiber Optic Splice Loss Measurement, NEMI Fiber Optic Splice Improvement Project, Peter Arrowsmith, Celestica, APEX 2004, February 26, 2004 (Anaheim, CA). paper     presentation

Improving Fiber Optic Splice Loss, presented by Peter Arrowsmith, Celestica, and Denis Gignac, Nortel Networks, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) working group technical sessions, October 7, 2003 (Montreal).

"Is that Splice Really Good Enough? Improving Fiber Optic Splice Loss Measurement," Dr. Peter Arrowsmith, Celestica International, OMI conference, May 1, 2003, Ottawa, Canada.
paper      presentation