August 13, 2009 -- Siemon has introduced its XLR8 mechanical splice connector and termination system for fiber optic cabling. The system incorporates a dual-process activation tool designed to reduce termination time per connector. The tool combines both splice activation and mechanical crimp into a single step. The combination of the XLR8 tool and the jointly introduced pre-polished XLR8 mechanical splice LC and SC connectors boosts the deployment of high-performance fiber links with unsurpassed termination speed and quality, maintains the company.
The company says the XLR8 process combines splicing and crimping into a single step as opposed to more common multi-step products. The simplified XLR8 design cuts termination times in half compared to competing systems, claims the company, enabling faster and more efficient delivery of fiber cabling links. The reduction in steps also limits excess operator handling of connections during termination that can negatively impact splice integrity and link performance.
The XLR8 tool is universal, capable of terminating either SC or LC interfaces with no tooling changeovers required. Ergonomic for use in handheld or table-top orientation, it ensures full splice and crimp engagement using a locking mechanism that secures the connector in place until the tool is fully cycled. The tool is available in a kit that contains all accessories required for high performance terminations, including a fiber cleaver designed to provide clean, precision cleaves on an array of fiber types.
To further enhance connector performance, the entire XLR8 termination process is completed with the connector dust-cap in place, protecting the fiber's critical end-face polish from contamination or damage. The connector's pre-polished end-face remains untouched and clean from the factory to the time of insertion into the adapter; this optimizes both reliability and mated performance.
The XLR8 LC and SC connectors support the multimode and singlemode versions of Siemon's 10 Gb/s XGLO nd Gigabit-ready LightSystem products, and exceed TIA standards for optical performance and fiber retention strength.
On the Web:
www.siemon.com/us/xlr8