Furcating is the process of adding protective tubing to each fiber within a loose-tube cable. It can be a headache-inducing task if you don’t have the right tools. If you bend the cable or buffer tubes past their recommended bend radius, or if you allow them to kink, you’ll end up with substandard cable connections and splices that can break down over time. And, if the cable is outdoors, it can become exposed to the elements. The end result: a damaged cable without optimal transmission performance.

That’s why a fan-out kit is an absolute must during furcation. These kits enable you to branch out the fragile fiber strands from a buffer tube into protective tubing so you can add a connector. And, you can do it without using splicing hardware, trays, and pigtails.

To separate the fibers, use the kit’s fan-out assembly, which is color-coded to match the fiber color scheme. The assembly protects the cable’s bend radius. It also eliminates excessive strain on the fibers by isolating them from tensile forces.

Several types of fan-out kits are available for both indoor and outdoor cross-connects. The outdoor kits include components that compensate for wider temperature fluctuations. Some kits are used to terminate loose-tube cables with 6 or 12 fibers per buffer tube. Others enable you to furcate and terminate more than 200 loose-tube cable fibers, sealing the cable sheath and providing a moisture barrier at the point of termination. These kits require no additional hardware.

Although it’s recommended that you terminate loose-tube cable at a patch panel, that might not always be possible. For this, there are “spider“ type fan-out kits, which affix a stronger tubing to the bare fiber. The tubing is typically multilayered, consisting of a FEP inner tube that holds the individual fiber, an aramid yarn strength member, and an outer protective PVC jacket. Once you strip back the cable jacket, you thread the fibers into the fan-out inserts.