MicroCare to unveil touchless fibre cleaning at OFC

MicroCare is set to showcase touchless fibre optic connector cleaning at OFC 2026, as operators and equipment makers contend with higher connector densities and tighter optical tolerances.

At booth 1253 at the Optical Fibre Communication Conference and Exhibition in Los Angeles, the company will spotlight the Sticklers Pro360° Touchless Cleaner, positioning it as a repeatable, contact-free method for cleaning connector end faces.

Optical networks in data centres and large-scale cloud facilities are moving towards higher-fibre-count connectors and denser patching environments. As a result, end-face condition is becoming more critical during installation and maintenance. Contamination can raise insertion loss and cause intermittent faults, especially where loss and reflectance budgets are tight.

MicroCare will use OFC to argue that these trends demand more consistent cleaning practices, as the tolerance for contamination-related signal loss narrows in denser, more complex infrastructure.

Touchless process

The Sticklers Pro360° uses a touchless process to remove oils, particulates and residues from connector end faces, avoiding direct physical contact during cleaning.

MicroCare links this approach to a lower risk of scratches and less chance of debris being redeposited on the connector. It also says a touchless workflow reduces variation caused by differences in technician handling.

The product is aimed at environments where teams must repeat the same task at scale, including installation projects, inspection programmes and maintenance routines with high connector volumes.

MicroCare says the Pro360° delivers repeatable results across common connector types, including LC, SC and MPO. These formats are widely used in data centres and carrier networks, with MPO often deployed in higher-density applications.

Workflow focus

During the event, MicroCare specialists will discuss how touchless cleaning fits into inspection and maintenance workflows, including best practices to support long-term network performance and reduce rework.

The booth programme will include live demonstrations showing how the Pro360° fits into field and production settings, with an emphasis on routine use rather than one-off remediation.

Rick Hoffman, Commercial Sales Manager at Sticklers, said the product was designed for tighter tolerances and growing sensitivity in fibre networks.

He said, "Fibre networks are becoming more sensitive to even microscopic contamination, particularly as connector densities increase and performance thresholds tighten. The Pro360° was developed to remove cleaning variability from the equation. Its value lies in delivering the same reliable result, connector after connector, without introducing risk through physical contact."

Denser networks

Operators continue to increase fibre counts in racks and patching fields as they expand switching capacity and add new optical links. The trend is clear in hyperscale data centres, where large numbers of interconnects are installed and serviced under time pressure. It also applies to advanced optical systems that use more compact connector arrangements and narrower performance margins.

MicroCare is also tying its OFC message to broader market themes, including data centre connectivity, AI-driven infrastructure and next-generation optical systems. These deployments often bring higher bandwidth targets, more parallel fibre lanes and stricter connector-cleanliness expectations.

In addition to the Pro360°, MicroCare will discuss its wider Sticklers range of fibre optic cleaning products, including cleaning fluids, tools and touchless technologies focused on connection hygiene.

MicroCare's presence at the conference highlights maintenance as an ongoing practical concern alongside advances in transmission equipment and photonics. Demonstrations and technical discussions will run at booth 1253 throughout OFC 2026.