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Furukawa America Unveils First Hand-Held Core Alignment Fusion Splicer; Compact FITEL(R) Design Enables Use in Palm of Hand

Posted on: Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

Furukawa America Inc. announced today it now offers the industry's first hand-held core alignment fusion splicer designed for Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTh/FTTx) and LAN installations as well as trunk line installations. Developed by The Furukawa Electric Co., the FITEL S177A is the most compact, lightweight core alignment splicer available today.

At half the size of a conventional unit, the FITEL S177A delivers the automated functionality and accuracy necessary for conventional backbone or long-haul installations along with the portability and speed needed for challenging field installations such as FTTh, FTTx and LAN.

The new hand-held FITEL S177A incorporates an improved heating design that cuts splice-to-heat time by 40 percent, achieving a 9-second splice time and 37-second heat time. The unit's T-shaped body design is also 40 percent lighter, weighing only 4.85 pounds including battery. Ideal for fast field use, the S177A reduces the fiber length required for splicing by 30 percent. In addition, fiber magnification power is 608X, marking the industry's most powerful rating for a core alignment splicer.

"Core alignment splicers have long been the preferred method for CATV installations, backbone networks, specialty fiber applications, and optical components manufacturing largely because of their high accuracy and reliability," said Jason Greene, manager of fusion splicer products for Furukawa America. "The portability of the S177A brings the benefits of core alignment to the growing construction of fiber-to-the-home and other space-constrained fiber optic cable installations."

The FITEL S177A is easy to operate with its improved graphical user interface (GUI) and includes a transflective LCD screen for a clear view of splicing operations in all conditions, from complete darkness to bright sunlight. Along with AC and DC input power options, the splicer's built-in lithium-ion battery automatically recharges during operation.

Furukawa America Inc. (FAI) (www.FurukawaAmerica.com) supplies FITEL fiber optic products to the telecommunications, data, and CATV industries throughout the Americas. FITEL splicers include a full range of hand-held, core alignment and mass fusion splicers plus related splicing tools. FAI also supplies FITEL 980nm and 1480nm pump lasers, signal lasers and other active and passive optical components and connectors. In addition, the company serves the computer and electronics market with its Furukawa-brand heat pipes, heat sinks, reflow ovens, UV tape, memory disks and metal alloy products.

FAI's parent company, The Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. (www.furukawa.co.jp/english), is a $7 billion global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of fiber optic products, electronics components, power cables, nonferrous metals, and other advanced technology products. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Furukawa Electric operates production facilities on five continents around the globe.

Source: Business Wire

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