Once the fusion splice is complete 20 - 40 mm of bare fibre will be left exposed. This region is vulnerable to breaking and needs protecting.

An optical fibre splice protector has plastic coating made of a heatshrink material (typically 2.5mm in diameter and 60mm long) with a stainless steel rod placed inside it.

To protect the spliced joint, the sleeve is positioned over the joint, and is then placed on the heating element of a heatshrink oven.

This oven is designed to heat the sleeve from the centre outwards to avoid trapped air bubbles. It also supports the sleeve preventing bending during the protection process.

Have a look at TRITEC's HSO II for more detail.

Installation is required in many different environments. Within an office there could be an enclosure on a wall, or externally down a manhole. A joint enclosure provides further protection when cables are joined to each other. The enclosure should protect the spliced and protected fibres from rain or dust, and also provide storage for excess fibre. Splice trays within the joint enclosure are often used for this storage, particularly when the fibre count in a cable is high.