Features

• Flat (0°) or Angled Cleaves (up to 15°) of Ø60 μm to
  Ø600 μm Cladding Fiber
• Programs for Cleaving Standard or Specialty Fiber:
  • Single Mode (SM), Multimode (MM), and Polarization-Maintaining (PM) Fiber
  • Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF)*
  • Soft Glass Fiber
  • Capillary Tubes
  • Parameters for Cleaving Fluoride Fiber are Available; Contact Tech Support for Details
• Fiber Clips for Loading Fiber into the Cleaver (Required and Sold Separately)
  • Accepts Fiber with Ø67 μm to Ø1200 μm Buffer
• V-Groove Inserts Hold Discarded Fiber End (Required and Sold Separately)
  • Accepts Fiber with Ø40 μm to Ø600 μm Cladding
• Mirror-Quality End-Face Finishes Critical for High-Performance Splicing
• Location-Specific Power Cord Included
• Contact Tech Support for Systems that Support Fujikura and Fitel Fiber Clips

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The above image shows a fiber within a clip being inserted into the CAC400A Angled Fiber Cleaver. The clip is secured by the fiber clip nest which translates, tensioning the fiber. The excess fiber is secured by a fiber holding block, which contains a top and bottom insert; each insert is selected based on the cladding diameter. A rotary stage adds a pre-programmed torsion to the fiber before tensioning it, allowing for an angled cleave. Two magnetic base plates are included to hold the CACM Micrometer Backstop and Camera Assembly.

These Vytran^® Compact Automated Fiber Cleavers are designed for cleaving fibers with claddings from Ø60 μm to Ø600 μm with a high degree of accuracy, ease of use, and versatility in manufacturing or research environments. The CAC400 is designed to produce flat cleaves perpendicular to the length of the fiber, while the CAC400A has a rotation stage for creating angle cleaves up to 15°.*

Each unit operates with a tension-and-scribe cleave method, whereby axial tension is first applied to the fiber followed by an automated scribe process utilizing a diamond cleave blade. After the blade scribes the fiber, tension is maintained, causing the scribe to propagate across the fiber perimeter and complete the cleave. The CAC400A accomplishes angle cleaves by using the rotation stage to apply torsion to the fiber prior to scribing. The resulting cleave will be perpendicular to the maximum resultant stress created by the combined tension and torsion applied to the fiber. This method produces consistent low-angle cleaves with mirror-quality end-face finishes, ideal for splicing, and has a cleave angle accuracy of ±1.0°. See the Cleaving Guide tab for details.

Cleaving parameters can be configured and controlled from a web interface accessible using any web browser. All that is needed is an internet connection, ethernet cable, and the provided IP address of the unit. For more details on the web-based software for the CAC400 and CAC400A Compact Cleavers, please see the Software tab.

Each cleaver includes a diamond blade for scribing the fiber. When used with proper cleave parameters, a single location on the blade can provide up to 5,000 cleaves (dependent on the cladding properties of the fiber being cleaved). The cleaver is designed so that the cleave blade can be repositioned approximately 10 times before replacement (assuming proper cleave parameters and usage that does not cause unexpected damage to the blade). For more information, please refer to the specific compact cleaver manual, which can be found by clicking on the red "Docs" icon () below. Replacement cleave blades are available below.

Sub-Critical Processing
The CAC400 and CAC400A web-based software includes parameters that allow for high-quality cleaves of specialty fiber such as microstructured PCF and large-diameter PM fiber or when performing an angle cleave of MM or PM fiber. This sub-critical process applies a tension that is lower than required for a "standard" cleave. The blade then scribes the fiber while the tension is being incrementally increased to propagate the scribe and produce a cleave. Since the resulting crack is allowed to propagate relatively slowly with little driving force, a smoother cleave results.

An optional CACM Micrometer Backstop and Camera Assembly is available for when a lower tension cleave is required or when cleaving large-diameter fiber. The camera provides 200X magnification, while the flat-tipped micrometer backstop prevents the fiber from buckling at low tensions when contacted by the blade. For more details on when the micrometer backstop should be used, please see the table in the Cleaving Guide tab.

Fiber Clips and Inserts (Required)
Fiber clips, available separately below, are required for loading the fiber into the CAC400 or CAC400A Fiber Cleaver. The fiber is loaded within the clip, which is then secured on a translating fiber clip nest with a clamp, as shown in the image to the right. This allows for multiple clips to be pre-loaded with fiber for faster processing times. These clips should be selected based on the fiber buffer or coating diameter.

When the clip is loaded into the system, the unmounted fiber will lay across a fiber holding block that will anchor the discarded or "waste" portion of the fiber during the cleaving process. This holding block contains a top and bottom insert, sold separately, with V-grooves designed to retain specific fiber cladding diameters. Nylon-tipped setscrews are used to secure the inserts in the fiber holding blocks; replacement 2-56, 1/8" long SS2SN013 setscrews are available in packs of 10.

*It may not be possible to create clean angle cleaves in specialty fibers with large "air-fill" fractions due to the material properties of the fiber.

Compact Fiber Cleaver Web Interface

The CAC400 and CAC400A are configured and controlled from a web interface that can be accessed from any web browser. This interface allows the user to read and modify the parameters that control the cleaving process. The user can modify default cleaving programs, as well as create new programs based on desired settings. Each of these programs, or fiber files, is saved on the unit and can be accessed any time the unit is connected to a computer. 

To access the interface, simply connect the unit to any computer with internet access via the included ethernet cable, and enter 169.254.19.63, the CAC400's default IP address, into the user's web browser of choice. If the CAC400 and CAC400A systems are connected to the computer through a LAN, the IP address is assigned by the DCHP server. 

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The web interface calculates required parameters from desired fiber diameter and cleave angle.

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The software is a simple web interface that can be accessed through any web browser.

For more information, please see the manual, which can be found by clicking on the red "Docs" icons ()  by item numbers below. 

Tension-and-Scribe Cleave Process

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An illustration of the tension-and-scribe method as used by the CAC400 and CAC400A to produce a flat cleave. Tension is applied along the optical axis of the fiber prior to cleaving. A diamond blade then scribes the fiber, and the tension causes the scribe to propagate across the fiber in a plane that is orthogonal to the direction of the tension.

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An illustration of the tension-and-scribe method as used by the CAC400A to produce an angle cleave. Tension and torsion are applied simultaneously to the fiber prior to cleaving. When the blade scribes the fiber, the scribe propagates across the fiber othogonally to the direction of the net force produced by the combined tension and torsion, producing an angled cleave.

Tension-and-Scribe Cleave Process

The CAC400 and CAC400A Fiber Cleavers use the tension-and-scribe cleaving process, where tension is applied along the length of the fiber followed by an automatic scribing process utilizing a diamond cleave blade. After the blade scribes the fiber, tension is maintained, causing the scribe to propagate across the fiber width and complete the cleave. Angle scribes are accomplished in the CAC400A by using the rotation stage to apply torsion to the fiber, starting prior to commencing the "tension-and-scribe" process. The resulting cleave will be perpendicular to the maximum resultant stress created by the combined tension and torsion applied to the fiber.

Sub-Critical Process for Cleaving Specialty Fibers

Certain specialty fibers, such as photonic crystal fiber (PCF), microstructured fibers, capillary tubes, or highly stressed fibers (multimode or polarization maintaining) may require special parameters in order to create clean cleaves at the desired angle. These Vytran^® fiber cleavers can be programmed with a "sub-critical" cleave process in order to produce high-quality cleaves for these fiber types.

For these cleaves, the initial tension applied to the fiber is lower than what would be required for the standard tension-and-scribe process. The optional micrometer backstop (Item # CACM) prevents the fiber from bending when it is scribed at this lower tension. After the scribe, the tension is slowly, incrementally increased, which serves to propagate the scribe across the fiber and complete the cleave. Parameters for this process can be adjusted using the web browser interface, including the starting and ending tension and how fast the tension is increased after the initial scribe.

Cleaving Guide

The following information is intended to provide a starting point when selecting the best process to use for cleaving different types of fiber. To achieve the best possible cleave results, further experimentation is typically required to fine-tune the cleave parameters for each specific fiber type.

Standard Process: This tension-and-scribe process applies a constant tension along the fiber axis. When the fiber is scribed, this tension causes the scribe to propagate across the fiber to produce the cleave. 

Sub-Critical Process: This process starts with a lower tension applied to the fiber than required by the standard cleaving process. After the fiber is scribed, the tension is slowly increased until the scribe propagates across the fiber and the cleave is complete. This can improve the cleave quality in highly stressed or specialty fibers.

Micrometer Backstop: The tip of the micrometer is positioned so that it just touches the fiber, providing a surface that prevents the fiber from deforming when contacted by the cleave blade during scribing. It is particularly useful when cleaving large-diameter fibers or when using the lower-tension sub-critical process.

Fiber Type	Cleave Type	Standard Process	Sub-Critical Process	Micrometer Backstop
Fiber with Cladding <Ø600 µm	Straight or Angleda		-	-
Multimode Fiber	Straight		-	-
	Angleda	-		Use if Fiber Cladding is >Ø400 µm
Thick-Walled Capillary Tubing (Wall Thickness at Least 10% of Diameter)	Straight or Angleda	-	-
Thin-Walled Capillary Tubing (Wall Thickness <10% of Diameter)	Straight or Angleda	-
PM Fiber	Straight	Use if Fiber Cladding is ≤Ø400 µm	Use if Fiber Cladding is >Ø400 µm
	Angleda	-
PCF	Straight or Angleda	-

• Only the CAC400A can be used to produce angled cleaves.