HARTING has introduced a new assembly tool which greatly simplifies and speeds up the assembly of polymer optic fibres, while also producing connections with low attenuation levels.

The new tool is designed for use in the industrial automation environment where preassembled system cables are not normally used. As a result, this environment calls for processing methods that allow quick assembly of an optical data cord with reproducible attenuation levels. The conventional assembly process, involving cutting the fibre and subsequent grinding and polishing, is time-consuming and cumbersome, and so an alternative approach is required.

HARTING's new assembly tool allows both precise cutting and stripping. Both single optical fibre conductors are simultaneously stripped and cut with a circular knife in the duplex procedure. The front face of the optical fibre is cut to such high precision in this procedure that there is no need for subsequent polishing. In order to guarantee that each cut is precise, the circular knife is pre-clocked with each processing step. A mechanical counter permanently integrated in the gripper registers the number of steps carried out.

One cutting unit can be used for more than 1200 cuts. At the end of its service life, the cutting tool blocks further use. The user can replace it with a new cutting unit in a simple step. A visual display signals how many cuts can still be made, allowing arrangements for a new cutting unit to be made in good time. The tool consequently guarantees reliable assembly with reproducible cutting and attenuation results.