Fiber optic and fiber optic cables are essential to the telecommunication industry, LAN and networking projects. Fiber optic communication is the transfer of signals over hair-thin strands of glass or plastic, allowing for high-bandwidth transfer of data over long distances and is more resistant than metal to signal loss and electromagnetic interference. Fiber optic splicing is the combining of two lengths of cables to create one longer cable. Network technicians need to splice fiber optic cables for numbers of reasons, connecting pre terminated tails to the ends of fibres, joining cables, joining two fiber with a low loss joint, repairing damages cables. Knowing how to splice fiber optic cables will make great sense to network technicians.
There are two main methods for splicing fibres together - Fusion Splicing & Mechanical Splicing. Fusion splicing is basically two or more optical fibers being permanently joined together by welding using an electronic arc and usually used for splicing large fiber counts. While mechanical splicing is mainly used for temporary connections or emergency repairs in small quantities.

Fusion Splicing
1. Fiber Preparation
Prepare the fiber by taking off the outside sheath of the fiber optic cable, cutting the aramid strength member, and then stripping away the buffer layer from the fiber with fiber stripper.
In this step, you nee to make sure a clean environment for the bare fiber, no filling gel or finger touching are allowed to affect the refraction index of the cable.
2. Fiber Cleaving
After prepared the fibers, you need to make the end of the fibers cut squarely by cleaving the fibers. A good quality fiber cleaver is essential in this step, which will release less light loss and reflection problems by producing a fibre end that is clean and flat with no hackle. Place the prepared fiber into the groove on the fiber optic cleaver, clamp the cables in place, close the lid and then press the cleaving lever to complete the cleaving process.
3. Fusing Splicing
Put the fibers into the place in the fusion splicer, bring the end of fibers close together and pressing start on the fusing splicing machine. You will be reminded the process is complete.
4. Splice Protection
Once the splice has been completed, take the spliced fibers out of the fusion splice and put on the heat shrink protector (tube) over the joint where the fibers are spliced. Put the spliced fibers (with protector tube) into the heat shrink oven and allow the oven to shrink the tube around the splice point.

Mechanical Splicing
1. Compared the fusion slicing, mechanical splicing don’t need a fusion splicer, which is also considered a quicker and easier fiber optic splicing method.
2. Prepare the fiber by fiber preparation work mentioned above.
3. Cleave the fiber with a fiber cleaver by following the above mentioned steps. In this step, the precision is not as critical as the above method.
4. Join the ends of the fibers together mechanically by positioning them inside the mechanical splice unit. A connector or an adhesive cover is needed to join the slice in this step.
5. Protect the fiber with heat shrink tubing as in fusion splicing steps.

Choosing what type of fiber optic cable splicing methods is generally depended on what type of industry you are working in. The mechanical splicing costs more per splice, but the initial investment is much cheaper than fusion. While fusion splicing costs much in the initial investment, but the cost per splice is much lower. Mechanical is quicker and easier, but the alignments of the fibers are not as accurate. So if precision splicing is a must, choose fusion splicing.