You can also use ribbon splicing on regular loose tube cable by “ribbonizing” the fibers. So splicing 12 fiber flexible ribbons is maybe four times faster than single fibers. That saves time arranging fibers in a splice tray, but it may cost time when preparing cables because the ribbons have to be carefully arranged to ensure the color-coded fibers stay in their proper location. Some cable manufacturers are now making flexible ribbons that can be bent in all directions and even rolled up to save space. That makes a ribbon splicer a “labor-saving device” if I ever heard of one.
Most installers say it takes about eight minutes per ribbon-only about twice as much time as splicing a single fiber-making ribbon splicing six times faster. The ribbons are solid and flex only in one direction, which makes arranging ribbons in a splice tray somewhat more complicated than single fibers. Then the ribbons are carefully arranged into the tray to snap the splice in place. A single splice protector covers all 12 fibers in the ribbon splice. Each ribbon is stripped and cleaved with special tools provided with the ribbon splicer, cleaned and fusion spliced to another similar ribbon. A single splice tray typically accommodates 12 ribbons for 144 fibers. The ribbon splicing process is similar, but most ribbon cables have stiff ribbons of 12 fibers each. An experienced tech can splice two fibers in about four minutes. The completed unit is placed in a splice tray.
Individual fibers are stripped, cleaned, cleaved and spliced, and the splice protectors are shrunk over the splice. Two or more cables are prepared, and their buffer tube fibers are attached to splice trays. Most splicing is done with single fibers in loose tube cables. That’s why many cables with 144 or more fibers use ribbon construction. Ribbon splicing can be used on regular loose tube cables, too, providing similar savings in time and money when splicing cables with even 144 fibers. Once a contractor commits to ribbon splicing and purchases a ribbon-splicing machine, it may prove to be an even better investment than they thought.
Without ribbon splicing, the splicing or terminating of these cables would take weeks instead of days and cost much, much more. Last month, I wrote about high fiber count cables-1,728, 3,456 and 6,912 fibers-and the need to use ribbon or mass fusion splicing with them. For the last couple of columns, I’ve focused on learning new things and techniques.
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