About Us
Following a lineage of almost 40 years, Phenix FO traces its origins to the mid
1970’s. At that time a fiber cable looked much like an ordinary black coax, but
was a solid polyurethane extrusion. It contained several fibers which, in turn,
surrounded a bundle of yellow Kevlar filaments that served as strength members.
During the early era of fiber optics, this cable was available from Corning Glass
Works, however there was no tooling available to strip the cable to expose the fibers;
and there existed no instruments for testing, no fusion splicers, and no connectors.
It was a time of innovation, and make-do methods using ordinary items such as X-ACTO
knives, alcohol, Kleenex, scotch tape, toothpicks and 5-minute epoxy had to do for
splicing. Clearly, there was a serious need in the industry for support tooling,
test instruments, and splicing equipment.
It was in the context of these circumstances that Roger Robichaud, present founder
of Phenix FO, started Orionics in 1978. Orionics became the original manufacturer
of fusion splicers and OTDRs in the United States. These instruments were well received
in the fiber optics field, and the company flourished first in Albuquerque, New
Mexico and later in Bozeman, Montana until it was sold in 1985 to Ametek. The fusion
splicers continued to be available under the Orionics name for several years thereafter.
Maintaining its roots in the Rocky Mountain region, Phenix FO was founded in 2005
in Bozeman, Montana to pursue research in fiber instrumentation. The business is
comprised of a group of dedicated fiber optics engineers and experienced technicians,
some of whom were former employees of Orionics. Our goal at Phenix FO is to achieve
excellence without compromise in fiber optics instrumentation, and our method is
one of attending to a level of detail - both in development and design - that is
unprecedented in this field. Carrying forward the spirit that drove the fiber optics
industry in its earliest years, we value innovation, responsiveness to current industry
needs, and the continual need to improve upon conventional practices.
Our introductory instrument, the FX-101, exemplifies the achievement of these goals.
As part of ongoing research we also look forward to advancing the field of fiber
optics with continuing development of sophisticated and innovative instruments designed
to further excellence in the industry.