SPL Splicing SPL-08 Step 8 of 13
Ribbon (Mass Fusion) Splicing
Splice whole fiber ribbons at once with the same quality as single fibers, then protect and store them in splice matrix order.
Crew
- Lead Splicer
- Splicer Helper
Hazards
- Glass Fiber Shards
- Hot Thermal Stripper and Heat-Shrink Oven
Purpose
Splice whole ribbons at once with the same quality you expect from single fibers. Mass fusion splicing saves hours on high-count cable, but it splices every fiber in the ribbon in one arc. One bad fiber means the whole ribbon gets re-spliced.
When to Do It
- When the splice matrix calls for ribbon cable to be spliced ribbon to ribbon.
- After the cable is prepared (SPL-03) and the ribbons are identified and routed (SPL-05).
- Previous step: SPL-07 Fusion Splicing (Single Fiber). Next step: SPL-09 Tray Organization and Labeling.
Roles
- Lead splicer: loads, strips, cleaves and splices each ribbon and judges every fiber.
- Splicer helper: reads ribbon ids from the splice matrix and keeps sleeves and holders staged.
Equipment and Materials
- Mass fusion splicer, arc-checked for today’s conditions.
- Ribbon fiber holders sized for the ribbon fiber count.
- Thermal ribbon stripper.
- Ribbon cleaver.
- Ribbon protection sleeves, already on one ribbon of each pair.
- Ribbon splice trays for the closure model.
- Isopropyl alcohol of the purity the splicer and cable manufacturers specify, and lint-free wipes.
Safety
Procedure
- Identify ribbons by their printed legend and color sequence.
- Read the ribbon number printed on the ribbon coating and check the fiber color order against TIA-598 or the owner’s scheme.
- Check the ribbon id against the splice matrix before loading.
- Slide the ribbon protection sleeve onto one ribbon first.
- Load the ribbon in the holder.
- Keep the ribbon flat and untwisted, with fiber one on the side the holder marks.
- Strip the ribbon matrix (the bonding coat that holds the fibers side by side) and the fiber coating with the thermal stripper, then clean.
- Use the strip length the splicer requires: per manufacturer instructions.
- Clean the bare fibers with alcohol in one pass and do not touch them afterward.
- Cleave with the ribbon cleaver.
- Check every fiber end on the splicer display, not just the outside fibers.
- Re-strip and re-cleave the ribbon if any end shows an angle over the splicer’s limit (per manufacturer instructions), a chip or a missing fiber.
- Mass fusion splice the ribbon.
- Review every fiber’s loss estimate and image.
- Re-splice the whole ribbon if any fiber fails the owner’s threshold (per owner spec) or shows a bubble, offset or bad shape.
- Remember the estimate is not acceptance; OTDR testing in SPL-11 decides.
- Run the splicer’s proof test on the ribbon, per manufacturer instructions.
- Let the splicer apply its tension test, so a weak splice breaks now and not in the tray.
- Re-splice the whole ribbon if the proof test breaks any fiber.
- Protect the splice with the ribbon sleeve and shrink it in the oven.
- Store the sleeve in the ribbon tray in splice matrix order.
Hold Points
Records to Keep
- Ribbon ids spliced, marked on the splice matrix.
- Splicer estimates per fiber, if the owner wants them, labeled as estimates.
- Notes of any ribbons re-spliced and why.
Common Mistakes
- Ribbon twisted in the holder. Fiber order flips and fibers mis-align. Load the ribbon flat with fiber one on the marked side.
- One bad fiber accepted. It can fail acceptance later, and fixing it means re-splicing the whole ribbon in a finished closure.
- Wrong tray type. Single-fiber trays do not hold ribbon sleeves. Use the ribbon trays made for the closure.
Standards and References
ANSI/TIA-598for fiber color order within a ribbon.ANSI/TIA-568.3for the maximum splice loss.- Mass fusion splicer, stripper and cleaver manufacturer instructions.
- Owner acceptance threshold for splice loss.
On the Map
- Splice Tray: ribbon trays hold the ribbon sleeves in splice matrix order.
Related Tools
- Fiber Color Locator: check the color order within each ribbon.
- OTDR Splice Average: compute the true loss of each fiber in the ribbon during acceptance testing.
SPL-08 · Field Checklist
Checklist
0/11items ticked
Tick each procedure step and hold point as the crew completes it. Ticks stay on this device only. They are a personal aid, not a hold-point release or a project record; follow the owner’s sign-off process.
OSP Map · Handhole Detail
On the Map
- Splice TrayTray that holds splice protection sleeves and routes fibers within bend radius.