Angled physical contact ferrule and associated method and apparatus for fabricating same

Abstract

A ferrule is provided that can be fabricated in a repeatable and an efficient manner so as to have a relatively small apex offset. The ferrule includes a front face having a plateau defining a plane that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a hemispherical portion through which a longitudinal bore opens. The hemispherical portion is generally angled relative to the plateau and to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis defined by the plateau. In this regard, a plane coincident with the centerline of the ferrule is disposed at an offset angle, typically between 8° and 12°, relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis such that the resulting ferrule is an angled physical contact (APC) ferrule. A method and apparatus for fabricating the ferrule are also provided that grind a portion of the front face of the ferrule into a hemispherical shape with a relatively small apex offset regardless of the amount of material that is removed from the front face of the ferrule.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.