This procedure involves opening a window in the sheath at the desired distance from the cable end, exposing the central tube, ring cutting the central tube and then sliding the tube, strength elements and jacket off to expose the optical fiber ribbons. 2 Corning Cable Systems ribbon interconnect cables are lightweight, flame retardant cables designed for high performance transmission of digital and analog signals in process. 1. 2 The cables illustrated in this procedure are manu-factured with a central buffer tube. Multiple flexible fiberglass rods (rovings) located beneath the. 1. It is intended for personnel with prior cable splicing experience. A working familiarity with cable access tools, splicing equipment, and splice closures is necessary. It is not all inclusive and is only one method of preparing the cables for splicing in a closure or enclosure. The tube. Above is a diagram showing the various layers of a typical indoor patch cable.