Fiber management and connectivity provider Clearfield (News - Alert) Inc. has added a new platform to their product suite called the FieldShield Fiber Delivery and Protection System. The new platform is designed to offer a space saving footprint that spans across all deployment environments, tailored to aerial, direct bury and data center last mile optical fiber needs.

“FieldShield is a new paradigm in the delivery and protection of fiber as it solves the challenges of how to immediately and cost effectively deploy fiber while leaving a path for future growth,” said Clearfield’s President and CEO Cheri Beranek.

Describing the inspiration behind the product, Beranek said that “Fiber deployments have for a long time centered around large count fiber, however today’s environment demands a smaller less intrusive solution that can scale.”

Not only can FieldShield scale, but the platform includes a range of features such as FieldShield Ruggedized Microduct, FieldShield Pushable Fiber and Connectors, and FieldShield Assist. FieldShield is designed to benefit customers in that it is minimally intrusive, includes a space saving footprint, can reach environments previously inaccessible, and lessens the costs and resources typically involved with installation while simplifying the process significantly.

“Our installation of Clearfield’s FieldShield Microduct went smoothly,” affirmed the General Manager of GeoPath Nonda Harris. “The FieldShield duct proved to be flexible and durable when deploying it into the streets of Chicago.”

Mike Charles, VP of the telecommunications division for ElectriCom, also praised the platform, saying “Clearfield really has remained true to their promise of keeping it simple. We connected the Assist directly to the power drills we were already using.”

Each of FieldShield’s components come with benefits that will be new to most customers, and FieldShield’s Microduct is no different. The feature is able to reduce duct size to 10mm and smaller, making it much more deployable and protected within the network. The Microduct is “ruggedized” in that it can withstand most outside interferences including open trenching, vibratory plowing, micro-trenching, directional boring and slot cutting.

Additionally, the Microduct fits in exactly where the exhausted duct is. “Column strength is a key characteristic of FieldShield Microduct,” said Clearfield’s COO Johnny Hill. “It was a primary objective within our design to provide a product that had the strength and flexibility to open up occupied duct to new fiber.”

Hill added that an equally important feature “is the crush strength for direct bury applications. It’s the combination of the two that provides the flexibility for challenging route paths.”

The new system’s Pushable Optical Fiber (and its specialized Connectors) is the element that provides this crush-resistant capability, as it is made from PBT, and can withstand stapling, bending, and other hazards common to installation.

With the FieldShield Assist feature, in addition to other products in the suite such as FieldSmart Fiber Management and CraftSmart Fiber Enclosures, the process of deploying, protecting and attending to dark fiber is made much easier and more affordable with Clearfield’s latest offering.