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Fibre Optic cable splicer with RobertsWeaver

Up to 88,000 telephone calls can pass down a single strand of fibre optic cable the thickness of a human hair. So when telephone engineers are in the field joining the ends of two separate cables, precision is the watchword.

The device seen here carries all the technology required to do such a task within a durable, shockproof casework.

The device allows the engineers, firstly, to prepare the ends of the fibres so they are perfectly smooth and perpendicular to the line of the cable.

A built-in microscope with a flat-screen TV output allows the fibres to be viewed being nudged together by automatic actuators. A final push of the button flash-fuses the glass strands together in perfect alignment.