Patent ID: 7883275

Claim:
A method of forming a mechanical splicer of optical fibers, the method comprising: forming at least three rods; determining a radius of each rod and its deviation from a nominal radius; arranging the at least three rods into a plurality of bins, each bin comprising at least one rod and having a corresponding average rod radius value, wherein the plurality of bins are arranged according to the deviations from the nominal radius such that the corresponding average rod radius values increase from bin to bin; forming a sleeve having an inner radius; selecting a first rod having a first radius from the plurality of bins; selecting a second rod having a second radius from the plurality of bins; determining a third radius of a third rod using a formula based on the first radius of the first rod, the second radius of the second rod, a diameter of an optical fiber, and the inner radius of the sleeve, wherein the formula is a Soddy Circles formula; and selecting a third rod from a bin out of the plurality of bins such that the first rod, the second rod, and the third rod are secured through an interference fit inside the sleeve and form an inner opening, the optical fiber being inserted through the inner opening within a tight tolerance.