Frequently Asked Questions: Tools

T1. When do I have to use a No-Nik® stripping tool instead of a Miller tool when stripping fibers? Typically, the Miller tool can be used to strip the coating of any 250 µm fiber. For some applications where stripping 900 µm tight-buffered fiber is required, the No-Nik will be the only stripping tool able to remove several millimeters of coating without breaking the fiber. Several cable manufacturers, including Corning Cable Systems with the TBII® fibers, are now offering tight-buffered fibers that are very easy to strip as a standard product. With these fibers, several centimeters of coating can be removed easily with the Miller tool.

T2. If I already have a UniCam® connector tool kit, do I also need a CamSplice™ tool kit to assemble CamSplice mechanical splices?
The Unicam tool kit contains all of the tools required to install CamSplices except the CamSplice assembly fixture. Although the assembly fixture is optional, it is recommended to make it easier to assemble and obtain good splice losses. The assembly fixture can be obtained separately by ordering p/n 2104040-01.

T3. Which fiber access tool do I need to perform a mid-span access on a fiber optic cable?
Depending on the type of cable and the application, Corning Cable Systems offers a variety of fiber access tools.

The No-slack Optical Fiber Access Tool (NOFAT, p/n NFT-000) is used for accessing fibers in a buffer tube with no cable slack. It accommodates buffer tubes from 2.4 mm to 3.0 mm.

The Optical Fiber Access Tool (p/n OFT-000) accommodates 2.6 mm and 3.0 mm buffer tubes in both standard Mini Bundle® and ALTOS® cables.

The Universal Access Tool (p/n UAT-000) is compatible with 4.0 mm to 22.0 mm tubes.