For many fiber optic training instructors, frequent travel is a necessity for conducting classes at different sites, including universities, learning centers, and client facilities. To teach students to effectively use test devices like OTDRs and optical power meters, spools of optical fiber are required for replicating real-world fiber spans. However, this requires instructors to transport and manage multiple reels of optical fiber, along with other essential components. While this fiber is crucial for demonstrating concepts and hands-on testing, traveling with these spools can be a major source of frustration for instructors.
The Problem: Bulky, Heavy Factory Fiber Spools
Anyone who has tried to carry, travel with, or even attempt to manage multiple unsecured spools of bare optical fiber knows the struggle. Standard factory spools are bulky and heavy, designed by fiber manufacturers for the safe transportation of bare fiber to its primary destination, cabling entities. They were not designed to be the most efficient format for portable desktop use for training and demo applications. Attempting to place them into carry-on luggage, especially when there are multiple spools, often results in luggage exceeding airline carry-on and overhead bin size limits, requiring them to be checked into the airplane’s luggage compartment. Unprotected, bare optical fibers are highly susceptible to damage, so if extra attention isn’t given to packaging them into luggage as securely as possible, damage incurred during baggage handling is a high risk. Even when still intact, transporting the spools, along with the other necessary training equipment, through terminals, in vehicles, and to classroom destinations is a pain.
Alternatively, some instructors attempt to bypass the airline challenge by shipping these fiber spools to their destinations ahead of time. While this might seem like a workaround, it introduces its own problems. Freight and parcel shipping costs add up quickly, especially when training programs require frequent travel. In the worst-case scenario, if the spool packages are mishandled in transit by the carrier, which happens frequently, the fiber may arrive damaged or unusable, a major detriment to the training experience. Ultimately, whether carried on a plane or shipped between sites, transporting large, unprotected fiber spools remains a burden.
The Solution: Fiber Lab MSP
M2 Optics designed Fiber Lab MSP products specifically to eliminate these frustrations while improving the overall training experience for instructors and students. Instead of requiring instructors to carry or ship unsecured bulky fiber spools, Fiber Lab MSP solutions are manufactured to the instructor’s or program’s specifications, consolidating everything (fiber and related network components such as 1xN splitters) into one streamlined, durable, and travel-compliant network simulation unit.
Here’s how these Fiber Lab MSP solutions are benefiting the training experience:
- Precise Fiber Lengths: Each MSP is manufactured to include only the specified amount of optical fiber and network components required by the instructor. No excess fiber to carry, no additional fiber investment, or makeshift setups - just the exact span lengths you need.
- Efficiently Fabricated Spools, Fully Integrated: Instead of bulky spools, the fiber is neatly wound on smaller spools designed to maximize space efficiency and is permanently housed within the protective MSP enclosure. Instructors never need to worry about protecting, touching/contacting, or damaging the delicate bare fiber.
- Maximum Protection, Minimal Size: The rugged, portable MSP enclosures not only shield the fiber from physical damage but are also designed to take up less space, while all comply with standard airline overhead-bin size regulations. You can bring it on the plane, transport it in a vehicle, carry it to class, and move it around the training space with worry-free ease.
- Safer Shipping: For those who still prefer or need to ship equipment ahead of time, the MSP supports a safer approach. While no solution can provide a 100% guarantee against damage that occurs during shipping, the protective and rugged MSP enclosure offers a stronger degree of protection against carrier mishandling. Additionally, the overall compact design simplifies the process – it’s a single, efficient unit to package, eliminating the need to figure out how to package and protect multiple items or requiring multiple packages, saving time and money.
- All-in-One Package: The MSP improves the training experience for instructors and students alike, eliminating the need to manage multiple spools of fiber and loose components. The fiber spools, network components, and all fiber events (splitters, splices, connectors, etc.) are integrated into a single, self-contained unit that saves physical space and reduces setup/breakdown time in the classroom.
- More Value, Less Cost: By receiving a unit with the amount of fiber and setup configuration for your training needs, you realize maximum value, efficiency, and benefits. Beyond the multiple fiber spans and events within each MSP, multiple units can be connected easily to deliver an even wider range of setup configurations, fiber distances, and event combinations.
Training Instructor and Industry Approved
Fiber optic training instructors using the Fiber Lab MSP solutions consistently report that the product removes one of their biggest logistical headaches. Instead of spending time wrestling with large reels, organizing and attempting to package fragile fiber for transit, or worrying about shipping damage, they can focus their attention on what matters most: delivering high-quality training sessions. The MSP solutions make it simple to move between locations, set up quickly, and reliably present fiber optic concepts with confidence.
In addition to receiving a 2023 Global Innovation Award from Lightwave, the Fiber Lab MSP solutions have also been independently approved by FOA Master Instructor Tom Collins of Techtricians, utilized by leading training organizations, and the choice of major test device manufacturers for testing and demonstrating their OTDRs.
Learn More / Specify a Fiber Lab MSP
When you are ready to make life easier by avoiding the unnecessary hassle of transporting, managing, and using multiple spools of optical fiber for your training classes, contact M2 Optics to specify a Fiber Lab MSP solution to match your needs.
Leveraging M2 specialized access to the complete portfolio of optical fibers from leading manufacturers including Corning, OFS, Prysmian, and Sumitomo with advanced spooling, manufacturing, and testing capabilities, Fiber Lab MSP solutions deliver immediate benefits while enhancing the overall training experience for all.
