Microscopes

Microscopes Available From Stock
With our extensive range of fiber microscopes for every application and budget, the fiber end faces of male and female fiber optic connectors can be inspected after polishing and cleaning. By magnifying the connector end faces, users can detect any quality degradation such as dirt or scratches.

Handheld fiber inspection microscopes in a versatile and rugged design are available from stock, with magnifications of 200x and 400x respectively. These handheld devices are suitable for all fiber types including SM/MM/MPO/POF. Adapters are available for most connector types. While x200 magnification is ideal for general installation and maintenance checking, the x400 magnification version is optimized for 1 mm plastic optical fiber (POF) end face inspection.

Our handheld digital fiber inspection kits come with the microscope, software, inspection tips and case. The handheld digital single fiber inspection kit automatically inspects and certifies fiber connector endfaces to industry standards and specs, providing instant pass/fail results and thus eliminating subjective and time-consuming guesswork. And our handheld multifiber inspection kit is a completely automated solution to inspect and analyze every fiber of an MPO or other multifiber connector.

Product Portfolio
Our broad range of handheld and benchtop fiber optic probe microscopes provides intuitive and reliable inspection solutions from certification of new installations to troubleshooting of existing networks, avoiding subjective evaluations and estimates. Field technicians, network managers, IT professionals and contractors can determine the cleanliness of fiber connections when installing or repairing the optical network.

Handheld Fiber Microscopes
Compatible with multiple platforms and easily connecting with test solutions and mobile devices via USB or WiFi, our series of digital handheld fiber microscopes provides fast, repeatable analysis. Whether testing on the production line or in the field, these digital handheld microscopes give any technician the capabilities to certify their fiber connectors in the palm of their hand.

With a resolution of 0.5 µm, our 400x handheld fiber inspection microscope with USB 2.0 interface features easy single-finger focusing and a built-in image freeze/capture button as well as digital zoom, image display, image capture, auto-calibration and basic analysis tools via its standard software tool. And a stand-alone handheld fiber microscope solution suitable for inspecting both patch cords and hard-to-reach in-adapter connectors includes a folding LCD monitor. If required, displaying and capturing images on a PC is also possible using the optional USB adapter and software.

Our portable single-fiber connector inspection system is an integrated solution for inspection, evaluation, documentation and cleaning of fiber optic connectors in the field. The system features a ruggedized cover, dual microscopes for rapid inspection of both male and female connectors without changing tips, and an integrated cleaning cassette – even an integrated power meter is available as an option.

And our dedicated microscope analysis software is designed for users needing portable automated pass/fail software to check for fiber optic connector endface contamination and enables the automation of the systematic inspection process. It will capture and save the image together with the pass/fail report, a summary report can also be automatically generated.

Desktop Fiber Microscopes for Single-Fiber Connectors
Our range of industry leading digital desktop fiber inspection microscopes also feature automated fiber analysis software and thus allow fast and easy pass/fail tests against quality acceptance criteria of industry standards like IEC-61300-3-35.

Within our series of digital benchtop fiber microscopes for single-fiber connectors, four variants provide magnifications from x100 to x800. Connected to a PC via USB 2.0 interface, these microscopes detect and measure automatically scratches and defects compatible with industry standards or customized parameters. A version dedicated to analyzing PANDA polarization maintaining (PM) fibers measures the angular alignment of the stress elements relative to the connector key position in real time. And our benchtop polarization maintaining fiber aligner is the simplest way to orientate a PANDA PM fiber precisely inside a connector or ferrule for an easy to realize curing phase without affecting the PM fiber alignment.

A series of stand-alone digital benchtop fiber microscopes for single-fiber connectors with integrated 3.5-inch LCD video display and auto-focus and/or manual focus gives users full control of the device without the need for an external monitor or to connect with an external PC. These single systems, scalable to optimize throughput at any stage of the production process, are ideal benchtop inspection solutions for single-fiber connector production.

Desktop Fiber Microscopes for Multi-Fiber Connectors
Using a unique fiber dial, our benchtop fiber microscope for MT multi-fiber connectors shows which fiber you are inspecting, accurately displaying defects in your MT 12 or MT 24 fiber connectors and creating reports with images for your MT connectors.

Our benchtop fiber microscope for MTP/MPO and other multi-fiber field connectors is a cost-effective solution for inspecting fiber optic patchcords. All adapters accept both PC and APC connectors or ferrules. For even faster measurements in high-volume manufacturing environments or the most demanding laboratories, a benchtop fiber microscope for multi-fiber MTP/MPO connectors is available with its supplier claiming it to be the fastest on the market. In one measurement cycle, it checks every optical fiber surface condition.

Completely automating every step of the inspection and test process, our series of all-in-one benchtop inspection and analysis microscopes for MPO and other multi-fiber connectors allows for automated focus, panning, and pass/fail analysis, all at the press of a button – thus providing lab and production technicians with everything they need to ensure the quality of MPO connector end faces.

Related Products
Various fiber inspection tips and adapters are available as accessories for the microscopes, allowing users to inspect any type of connector and work cleanly in every application.

Our microscopes, tips and adapters can analyze end face quality of our fiber optic patch cables, bundles and assemblies. AMS Technologies carries all components and equipment needed for production of optical fiber assemblies – from single mode (SM), multi mode (MM) and polarization maintaining (PM) fibers, doped, plastic, tapered and lensed, as well as other fibers, to a broad portfolio of fiber connectors, accompanied by a range of corresponding female mating sleeves and adapters.

AMS Technologies can also offer an end-to-end solution for the assembly of fiber connectors that is exactly tailored to your requirements. In our broad portfolio you can find tools for stripping and cleaving your fibers, gluing and curing the fiber into the fiber connector using optical adhesives, as well as polishing and cleaning of fiber optic end faces – especially important if the fiber is used with higher optical power.

If you prefer pre-manufactured, ready to use fibers with the connectors already assembled to them, take a look at our range of fiber optic assemblies.

Complementing our microscopes, we offer a broad portfolio of further devices for inspection, test and measurement of cleaning of optical connectors like interferometers, tools and systems for measuring passive optics and connectors, as well as other fiber properties measurement devices like fiber analysers, tensile testers, or refractive index measurement services.

Equipment like light sources, optical power meters or OTDRs allow tests of optical fibers or patch cables in the laboratory or in the field. AMS Technologies’ further optical test and measurement offerings include beam profilers, integrating spheres, reflectance targets, spectrometers, spectrographs and spectroscopy cameras, as well as fiber sensing equipment.

Definition
The most common cause of degraded performance of optical fibers – in optical networks as well as a range of other applications – is contamination or dirt on the fiber’s end face. Since typical contaminants are only about 2 µm to 20 µm in size, they can only be detected with a fiber microscope that illuminates and magnifies the fiber tip. Inspection of both sides of a fiber connection using a microscope ensures that this connection is free of contamination and defects.

For optical communication applications, the IEC-61300-3-35 standard defines a set of comprehensive requirements for the quality of the fiber optic connector’s end face to ensure essential performance parameters such as insertion loss and return loss for the transmission path. The standard specifies separate criteria for multi mode (MM) fibers and single mode (SM) fibers and different connector types such as ST, FC, SC, LC, E2000, MU or SMA and for multi-fiber connectors such as MTP® or MPO.

While the main application of fiber microscopes is the inspection of a fiber optic connector’s end face, bare fibers without connector can also be inspected using dedicated “bare fiber adapters”.

Handheld microscopes are designed to be companions for every fiber service technician in the field. These devices are as small and lightweight as possible, helping the technician to quickly analyze fiber connectors in an installed fiber optic network and identify contaminated fiber end faces on the fly.

Benchtop microscopes are the instruments of choice for manufacturing environments (up to high volumes) or laboratories. These instruments are mainly designed to work with dedicated analysis software, enabling the automation of the systematic inspection process and thus avoiding the uncertainties associated with manual inspection of the fiber.

The software generates documentation of the fiber optic connection quality directly at the installation site – all in a 100% reproducible and reliable process, making automated inspection of fiber optic end faces the most effective method available to ensure and certify compliance with the IEC-61300-3-35 standard throughout the entire life cycle of the fiber optic product.

Alternative Terms: Fiber Microscope; Fiber Inspection Microscope; Fiber Optic Connector Microscope; Fiber Connector Inspection System; Microscope Software