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wiredInUSA - February 2014
39
INDEXFully automated fiber inspection
EXFO Inc, a supplier of test and service
assurance solutions for wireline and
wireless network operators and equipment
manufacturers, has released the FIP-430B
fully automated fiber inspection probe to
its range.
The new portable FIP-430B USB inspection
probe, which is compatible with any PC or
laptop,all of EXFO’s FTBEcosystemplatforms
and the newly launched MaxTester 700B
OTDR series, has been designed to simplify
connector certification.
Officials at EXFO explained that the
FIP-430B integrates advanced automated
features, such as a high performance, fiber
image-centering system and onboard
connector-end face pass/fail analysis
based on IEC or custom standards to
deliver accurate and consistent connector
certification in seconds.
The company claims that the probe’s
image-centering
function
alone
is
capable of achieving time savings of up
to 57 percent, and the automatic focus
adjustment feature provides the critical
“missing link” that enables the process to
be 100 percent automated.
“EXFO is the first to introduce an autofocus
feature of this kind in a field inspection
device. By automating the full test process,
this innovation eliminates all complex
and time-consuming operations, as well
as the risk of human misinterpretation,
making it easier for the end user to follow
best practices,” said Étienne Gagnon,
vice-president of EXFO’s physical-layer
and wireless division.
Gagnon said that the autofocus
facilitates identification of defects, and
focus protection prevents reporting of
false-positive results, leading to more
accurate and consistent test results.
Femtosecond laser writing
TeraXion, a supplier of optoelectronic
components and modules for the telecom,
fiber laser and optical sensing markets, has
announced the commercial introduction
of femtosecond laser fiber Bragg grating
(FBG) writing capabilities.
High-performance femtosecond laser
sources, through non-linear interaction with
materials of ultrafast intense laser pulses,
make possible the inscription of fiber Bragg
gratings in a variety of glasses for differing
wavelength range applications.
TeraXion has demonstrated through-
coating writing of FBG using the
femtosecond laser writing technique in
acrylate and polyimide-coated optical
fibers. With the addition of this latest
capability, TeraXion will develop new
products such as very high-power fiber laser
reflectors and optical sensors for extreme
environments. These new products could
be realized in new glass materials such as
pure silica and chalcogenide (2 to 5um)
optical fibers or planar waveguides.
“This addition to our technology portfolio
will allow us to extend our product offering
for the high-power fiber laser and fiber optic
sensing markets,” said Ghislain Lafrance,
vice president business development.