Achieving IEC Standard Compliance for fiber Optic Connector Quality through Automation of the Systematic Proactive Inspection Process

摘要

It is widely known in the fiber optic industry that scratches, defects and dirt on fiber optic connector endfaces negatively impact network performance. As bandwidth requirements continue to grow and fiber penetrates further into the network, dirty and damaged optical connectors are having an increasing impact on the network. If not dealt with systematically, endface defects can degrade network performance and eventually take an entire link down. In the effort to guarantee a common level of performance from the connector, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) created Standard 61300-3-35, which specifies pass/fail requirements for endface quality inspection before connection. Designed to be a common reference of product quality, use of the IEC Standard supports product quality throughout the entire fiber optic lifecycle, but only if there is compliance to the standard at each stage.