Patent ID: 8494331

Claim:
An apparatus for mass producing a plurality of fiber optic mechanical splice-on connector subunits, the apparatus comprising: (a) a frame; (b) a cleaver mounted on the frame; (c) a track mounted on the frame in alignment with the cleaver; (d) a fiber holder slidably mounted on the track and movable toward and away from the cleaver, the area between the cleaver and the fiber holder defining a cleaving zone; (e) a magazine including a plurality of slots, each slot including a locking portion, the magazine movably mounted on the frame for disposing each slot individually within the cleaving zone and in alignment with the cleaver and fiber holder, the magazine detachable from the frame; and (f) a plurality of subunits, each subunit mounted in a slot of the magazine, each subunit comprising: (i) a ferrule base, a ferrule mounted in the base, an axial bore running through the ferrule base and ferrule, the axial bore for receiving a fiber stub; (ii) a fiber stub having a middle portion captured within the axial bore and having a first portion extending out of the subunit from the ferrule base, the first portion ending at a tip, and a second portion extending out of the subunit from the ferrule; and (iii) a keying portion for engaging the locking portion of the slot to prevent the subunit from rotating within the slot; wherein the cleaver is capable of cleaving the tip of the first portion of said fiber stub when the slot is disposed in the cleaving zone without changing the radial orientation of the fiber within the subunit; and wherein the fiber holder is capable of grasping the second portion of said fiber stub when the slot is disposed in the cleaving zone and pulling on the fiber, without changing the radial orientation of the fiber within the subunit, until the first portion has a specified length.