A new series of LAZERMaster fiber optic glass processing stations has been introduced by fiber optic cable and hardware manufacturer AFL. The LZM-125 series consists of splicing glass processing systems and fiber ablation machines that use a carbon dioxide laser heat source to perform splicing, tapering, lensing, ablation (for cleaving and mode stripping) and other glass shaping operations with glass diameters up to 2.0 mm. The high-resolution optical analysis system works in conjunction with on-board firmware for fully automatic splicing, tapering and other glass shaping processes.

Each machine provides an advantage within an area of the specialty splicing and glass processing market. For example, the LZM-125M is based on the FSM-100M family of Fujikura splicers with the added Source: AFLadvantage of a clean CO₂ laser heat source and an increased fiber handling capacity up to 2.0 mm fiber diameters. The LZM-125M would be ideal for high reliability factory splicing in the medical or fiber laser market. With CO₂ heating, contaminates cannot be induced by the heating source. The glass is heated through absorption of laser photons, providing the cleanest heating source available.

For applications such as end capping or large ball lensing as well as tapers less than 32 mm, the LZM-125P+ with fiber rotation and end view is an ideal solution. The LZM-125A+ has similar features to the FSM-125P+ with the additional capability of ablation. This allows for the manufacture of products that have glass removed from the surface such as cladding mode stripper or shaped fiber tips.

The FPS PC control graphical user interface (GUI) is supplied with all LZM products and provides additional features, greater flexibility and finer control. The FPS GUI allows customers to also create proprietary PC control algorithms using a complete set of PC control commands.