Customer Spotlight:

OpNext chooses Polatis switch to help increase throughput, maintain high quality

The Polatis Test & Instrumentation line of optical switch products continue to demonstrate the value of automated optical testing in high volume, quality-critical manufacturing environments. OpNext, a market leader in active optical components for the telecommunications, data communications, industrial and informational industries, needed to increase its manufacturing capabilities, to meet sharply increased customer demand for its products, and shrinking lead time requirements. Working through its partner JDSU, Polatis met the challenge in this high sensitivity test environment. The Polatis switch was part of an optical signal management solution delivered by JDSU.

The Polatis Test & Instrumentation line of optical switch products continue to demonstrate the value of automated optical testing in high volume, quality-critical manufacturing environments. OpNext, a market leader in active optical components for the telecommunications, data communications, industrial and informational industries, needed to increase its manufacturing capabilities, to meet sharply increased customer demand for its products, and shrinking lead time requirements. Working through its partner JDSU, Polatis met the challenge in this high sensitivity test environment. The Polatis switch was part of an optical signal management solution delivered by JDSU.

Traditionally known for its high standards of quality, OpNext turned to JDSU and Polatis for a solution in a key series of performance tests for its XFP, XENPAK/X2 and 10G 300-pin MSA-compliant modules.

In the days when optical switches were not used for connecting units to our Testers, – which include jitter, mask and BER (bit error rate) measurements – these tests were conducted manually and required each device to be connected and monitored by an operator. This involved long cycle times, as each test step required manually cleaning and connecting test leads, verifying the test setup, and instrument re-calibration for each test. Additionally, as there were no capabilities to share equipment, each station required dedicated test instruments, which had detrimental impacts to capital expenditures and test equipment utilization.

OpNext chose the Polatis 16 X 16 OST as a solution to their automated test requirements. The Polatis OST is a fully transparent physical layer connection device, and can be used for automated test for any OpNext active optical products, regardless of line rate or launch power. As an instrument-grade tool, the physical impairments are minimal. Extremely high quality optics (low loss, high repeatability, high return loss) and switching capabilities ensure the highest in test quality confidence, with minimal manual intervention, eliminating the potential for human error. The strictly non-blocking nature of the MxN switch fabric allows multiple, simultaneous connections, enabling equipment sharing of costly test gear, maximizing utilization, capital investment, and manufacturing throughput.

“The Polatis switch optimized our capital investment in test equipment by enabling us to maximize utilization. We were also able to realize our stringent measurement objectives because the Polatis NxN switch allowed us to eliminate multiple tandem switches thereby reducing insertion loss.”, said Yasunori Iwafuji, Senior Director for Testing Technology at OpNext. “We needed to increase our throughput, and the only way to keep up with demand was through more automated testing. Polatis enabled us to improve our productivity, while maintaining the extraordinary focus on quality that is our company standard.”

About OpNext Inc.: A global leader in high-performance active optical components, OpNext offers the industry’s most comprehensive optical components and devices. Formed out of Hitachi, OpNext brings more than 30 years of experience to the design, development, and manufacture of high-performance components, opto-devices, and subsystems that power today’s access communications, backbone, metro, information, and industrial markets. For more information, please visit http://www.opnext.com/.