Electrode stick with the naked eye is a very sharp needle, although itself is a metal material, hardness, will not wear, but the need for long-term high temperature discharge, so the front of the discharge will inevitably be lost.
During the discharge process, the fiber itself is diffused due to the high energy heat, and the tip of the electrode rod is attracted to the tip of the electrode to form non-conductive insulating impurities. The insulating film will make the arc to avoid the discharge, so the loss from the front end is likely to change as it starts from the rear, and if things go on like this will exacerbate the tip of the rod electrode wear, making it very irregular.

Before each use of the fusion splicer, please check whether the electrode is polluted, worn or damaged. Remove the dust or other particles on the electrode. Under normal use, the electrode can be used repeatedly

If one of the following conditions exists, the electrode must be replaced, otherwise it may cause malfunction

Electrode bending

The tip of the electrode has been ground into a round shape

Abnormal noise or arc during discharge

TheFO.com is your online source for all things fiber optic. We are a professional supplier of Fusion Splicing, OTDRs, Test Equipment, Tools & Kits, Cleaning Products and so on.