Ox-SAC-08 Angled Fiber Cleaver

Service Manual - Issue 1.0

Contents

Issue & Scope ................................................................ 2

Introduction ..................................................................... 2
Contents of Cleaving Kit & Unpacking ........................... 3
Cleaving Problems ......................................................... 8
Blade damage: ............................................................... 9
Cleaver Maintenance ................................................... 10
Cleaning the clamping surfaces ................................... 10
Cleaning Blade ............................................................. 10
Blade Advance Adjustment .......................................... 11
Cleaver Stop Mechanism ............................................. 12
Changing the Blade ...................................................... 13
Flatness of cleaved end ............................................... 18
Measurement of Cleave Angle ..................................... 19
Warranty ....................................................................... 20
Service ......................................................................... 20
Address for Service in UK: ........................................... 20

1
Issue & Scope

This user manual will be updated from time-to-time to

reflect technical changes to the product. This user
manual covers operation of the Ox-SAC-08 Field Angled
Cleaver precision optical fiber cleaver.

Introduction
Field Angled Cleaver
The Ox-SAC-08 Field Angled Fiber Cleaver cleaves a
single 125µm diameter singlemode optical fiber where the
core is angled at 8º from the perpendicular with a mirror-
smooth, damage-free end in the region of the core.
Cleaving a singlemode fiber at around 8º from the
perpendicular ensures the back-reflection will not be
guided down the fiber, and hence the return loss will be
around 60 dB (reflectance of -60dB or greater). 8° angled
cleaves are used in mechanical splices to form a
mechanical join for instance in FTTx applications.
The cleaver can be used as a field tool or on the benchtop.
The fiber is fixed in to a fiber holder. The stripped fiber
passes between two dowels on the offcut side.
The cleave is carried out by pressing down the anvil. The two
vertical O-rings trap and clamp the fiber, the anvil deflects the
fiber to a stop and the tensioned fiber is lowered on to the
diamond blade to cleave the fiber.
The offcut is left between the dowels. Remove the offcut and
dispose of carefully.
2
Specifications

Ox-SAC-08
SM Fiber diameter: 125 µm
Coating diameter: 250 µm – 900 µm
Cleave position: Coating-to-cleave: >= 8.0mm
Blade life (#cleaves): > 10,000 (using 10 positions)
Dimensions: 79 mm x 59 mm x 41 mm
Weight: 170 g (0.4 lbs)
Typical end angle: 8° (centre of fiber)
Angle variation over core 2° (1-sigma)
Glass roll-off <= 40µm

Contents of Cleaving Kit & Unpacking

The cleaver is supplied along with the following items:

1. Soft carrying case
2. Quick Guide for Cleaving operation
3. Silica gel

3
4.

Description of Ox-SAC-08 Cleaver

Top View (closed tool)

Holder Restraining
Latch Screw Pin
Location Screw

Anvil Swinger

4
Isometric View

Right Hand
Off-Cut Bin Datum Plane
(Closed position)

Holder
Fiber Adjusting Diamond
Screws

O-Rings
L H Datum
(Clamps) Plane

5
Using the Cleaver

1. Fiber Preparation
Strip back primary, secondary and outer coating, as
required. Place fiber in fiber holder.
The bare fiber should be at least 25 mm long to ensure
that the glass cladding passes over the hole in the
reference plane and through the dowels forming the fiber
location channel on the offcut side of the hole.
Clean fiber thoroughly using a lint-free wipe wetted with
alcohol (IPA)
2 Fiber insertion and setting cleave length
• Strip the coating off the fiber to the required length.
• Align the fiber coating to the correct cleave length
(minimum = 8mm)
• Rotate the 900µm fiber coating so that
the fiber curls downwards towards the
polyurethane-coated clamping planes.
• Secure fiber by closing the lids on 3M Fiber Holder
• Avoid upward curl because this makes the fiber
difficult to pass throught the dowel channels. Avoid
sideways curl because the fiber is not straight across
the cleaving hole and might miss the clamping ridges
• The stripped end of the fiber passes across the hole
in the clamping plane and through the pair of dowels
on the offcut side of the tool
6
3. Cleaving the Fiber
The fiber is cleaved by pressing down the anvil.
• The vertical O-rings trap and clamp the fiber.
• The clamped and tensioned fiber moves downwards so that
the fiber strikes the diamond blade, cleaving the fiber.
• After cleaving, release the anvil and open the tool

4. Remove Cleaved Fiber

After cleaving, remove the 3M Fiber Holder still
containing the angle cleaved fiber
Take care that the cleaved fiber end does not touch the
tool surface as this may cause dirt to attach to the
cleaved end face.

5. Remove Fiber Off-Cut

The offcut is left between the dowels after cleaving.
Remove the offcut and dispose of carefully.
Please Note: The cleaver may not work properly if the
offcut from previous cleaves remains in the tool
The fiber off-cut is a sharp hazard which should be
removed. Periodically empty the offcut bin and dispose
of fiber offcuts safely using a "cin"-bin.
The tool is ready to cleave the next fiber.

7
Cleaving Problems

• Offcut fiber in channel. Remove with finger or by

turning tool on side and shaking out. Dispose of offcut
• Offcut fiber in other part of tool. Remove using wipe or
finger. Dispose of offcut
• Will not cleave. Blade damaged - advance blade by
turning end screw clockwise by 1 full turn.
• Measuring End Angle: It is not possible to measure the
end angle from a side projection (e.g. in a fusion
splicer). The angle must be measured from the
cleaved surface using a surface profiler or interference
technique.
• Blade damage. - a large chip is seen in the cleaved
end face Advance blade by turning screw 1 turn
clockwise.
• Excess hackle or poor surface quality: Can occur if the
end angle too high. However, cleave is usable if core
of fiber end face is smooth.
• High back-reflection:
(1) Angle cleave is dirty with dirt increasing back-
reflection. Thoroughly clean tool.

8
Blade damage:

Hackle or
roughnes
s
Blade damage

Good cleave Excess blade

damage or excess
hackle

1. Blade dirty: Clean blade with alcohol wetted cotton

bud or lint-free tissue.
2. Blade chipped: Advance blade by turning screw 1
turn clockwise. With proper use, each blade position
should achieve more than 1,000 cleaves before
needing to be advanced.

9
Cleaver Maintenance

The cleavers should be kept clean and free of dust and

fiber off-cuts at all times. The cleaver should be
transported in its carrying case. Use the tool latch.
Stripped fibers should be cleaned with an alcohol wipe
prior to insertion into the cleaver to prevent dirt under the
clamping surfaces which may break fibers.
The diamond blade wears with time. A maintenance
schedule should be agreed with the operators in advance
and the diamond blade should be advanced after a
certain number of cleaves have been carried out or a
certain amount of time has elapsed.

Cleaning the clamping surfaces

The "O"-rings and the clamping surface in the area of the

gap between the clamp ridges should be kept clean and
free from dust. They should be wiped regularly with an
alcohol-wetted cloth.
This will remove dust particles and fiber debris, which will
prevent clamping of the fiber and so give poor cleaving.

Cleaning Blade

The blade should be clean and free from dust. Wipe the
blade with an alcohol soaked tissue or cotton bud.
Caution: Any hard cleaning implement such as a metal
part will damage the sharp edge of the diamond blade.

10
Blade Advance Adjustment
The part of the diamond blade that cuts into the fiber may
become worn or chipped, giving poor cleaves. The blade
can be advanced so a new portion cleaves the fiber.
The blade has multiple positions, with each position
capable of carrying out more than 1,000 cleaves.
A UNC5-40 screw (accessed from the rear of the cleaver)
controls the blade advance. To advance the blade by
315µm turn the screw clockwise by 1/2 turn. This drags
the blade-carrying block backwards along its supporting
rails (against a pair of springs), so advancing the blade to
a new position.
The Blade position is shown underneath by a scale
printed on the blade advance block. The blade is 3.4mm
long and so there are up to 10 positions on each blade.
The blade adjustment screw should only be turned
clockwise, advancing the blade to an unused position. If
the screw is turned anti-clockwise, this will expose a used
part of the blade which is probably damaged; in addition,
the screw may loosen itself in the cleaver.
CAUTION: Poor cleaving may be caused by dirt. Clean
the blade and the fiber thoroughly and re-cleave the fiber.
Only advance the blade if cleaving does not improve

11
 Underneath view of blade advance mechanism

FRONT

Blade
OFFCUT
Blade
END
screw

Blade
Blade advance
block
spring screw ½
turn clockwise

Cleaver Stop Mechanism

The screw to set the stop for the cleaver movement is an

M4 X 25 grub screw, situated on the Chassis. The stop is
set to curb further movement after the cleave has taken place,
to prevent the cleaved fiber being damaged by the blade.

12
Changing the Blade

Assembly Operation:
Blade Replacement.

Remove the 5-40 UNC x 1”

Blade adjustment Screw to
allow the Blade Block to be
rotated.

Remove 1 Dowel from the

Chassis and Blade Block

Rotate the Blade Block,

using the remaining Dowel
(and retained spring) as the
pivot, until the diamond is
clear of the Chassis. Use a
protective sleeving over the
Diamond to protect against
damage or injury during
removal.

Remove the Diamond from

the Blade Block using a
PinTorx Screwdriver.

Store the M4 screw and

spring washer.

13
Replace the damaged
diamond with the new
diamond and secure into
place using M4 x 6 Screw
and Spring Washer.

Tighten until spring washer

is fully compressed. Use
torque setting of 1.6Nm
using a torque screwdriver

Do not over-tighten screw

because this may damage
the 2mm diameter
mounting dowel.
Remove the orange
protective sleeving over the
diamond.

Swing the Blade Block back

into position, through 90
Degrees

Slide the Left-Hand Dowel

into position.
Remove the orange
protective sleeving over the
diamond.

Swing the Blade Block back

into position, through 90
Degrees

Slide the Left-Hand Dowel

into position.

14
 Push the Dowel fully home.

Add Protective Label (“8°

Angled Cleaver”) to secure
the dowels

Add the 5-40 UNC x 1”

screw into the Blade Block.

Setting Blade Position: 1

In order to set the diamond
blade to the first cleaving
position, advance the screw
until the gap is 3.4mm

(This gap can also be set

by placing two $0.25 coins
in the gap and tightening
the screw until the coins
3.4mm gap (or are trapped. Remove
two $0.25 coins) coins.)

15
Setting Blade Position: 2
Turn the screw further (less
than ½ turn) until the slot is
in a horizontal position.

Turn the cleaver over to its

working position. The
diamond blade spans the
2mm wide ridge on which
the fiber is clamped.

The diamond is now in its

first working position.

Add a protective sleeving if

the unit is not going to be
used immediately.

Remove the Sleeving when

ready for cleaving. Clean
the blade with an alcohol wipe
before use.

16
Cleaving Principles
Optical fiber cleavers operate by a combination of scoring
and tensioning the glass of the fiber. The quality of a
cleaved fiber end will depend on the degree of control
provided by the scoring and tensioning mechanisms. The
precision fiber cleavers here described have been
designed to minimise the damage to the cleaved end
• Clamping Fiber: The fiber is clamped at 2 positions by
vertical "O"-rings.
• Bending Fiber: The clamped fiber is bent downwards
in to the rectangular hole by the anvil located between
the two "O"-rings. This also tensions the fiber.
• Tensioning the fiber: The cleaving planes are fixed.
Pushing the anvil swinger down causes the fiber to
stretch and tensions the fiber.

• Scratching the fiber: The bent and tensioned fiber is

scratched and cleaves on contact with the blade as the
Anvil plane swings downwards.

Shape of cleaved end

The cleaved end has an end angle of 8o across the single
mode core of the optical fiber with a standard deviation of
less than 1°. The cleaved end is at an angle which is
approximately constant over the region of the core of the
single mode fiber. However, the region of the cleaved end
close to the diamond blade score has a lower end angle.

17
Single >9°
8° - 9°
mode core

8°

6°

4° False angle if
viewed from
side
2°

Blade damage
Flatness of cleaved end
The cleaved end has a portion which is at high angle
where the glass rolls-off. A view of the cleaved end face
in side projection below.
The amount of roll-off is controlled and is less than 40µm.
Picture: Sketch:
Core of
fiber

18
Roll-off
Measurement of Cleave Angle
The end angle is measured using an interference lens:
• The cleaved fiber is mounted vertically under a microscope
• The mounted fiber is tilted by 8° and rotated, making
horizontal those regions of the fiber which are angled at 8°.
• The end face is inspected with an interference lens which
shows interference fringes. The deviation of the end face
from 8° can then be calculated.

Interference
lens

Cleaved
fiber end

8°

PLEASE NOTE:
The angle of the core of the cleaved end cannot be measured
by inspection from the side of the fiber. The core is not
visible when viewed from the side of the fiber

19
Warranty
These precision fiber cleavers are fully guaranteed for parts
and labour for a 12month period.
The 12-position diamond blade is not included within this
guarantee. The wear of the diamond depends on number of
cleavers carried out and the cleanliness of the fiber.
The manufacturer accepts no responsibility for damage
arising from cleaver misuse or damage to the blade by metal.

Service
The cleaver may be serviced in the USA by 3M Inc’s
Service Center 1-800-426-8688.

Address for Service in UK:

Oxford Fiber Ltd.,
Sir Frank Whittle Business Centre,
Great Central Way,
Rugby CV21 3XH,
U.K.
TEL: +44 (0)1788 226010
e-mail: sales@oxfordfiber.com
www.oxfordfiber.com
Copyright © 2017 Oxford Fiber Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced or
transmitted. In whole or in part, by whatever means,
without the prior written permission of Oxford Fiber Ltd.

20