METHOD FOR RESHAPING THE DRAW END OF AN OPTICAL FIBER PREFORM

摘要

A method and apparatus for the pregobbing of an optical fiber preform to provide pre-optimized tip taper and system for drawing optical fiber therefrom. The downtime of an optical fiber drawing apparatus can be considerably shortened, by providing preforms that have a pre-optimized tip shape. Pre-optimized tips are provided which are melted off at the tip by an induction heater of a heating furnace. Preferably, the pregobbing furnace has substantially the same temperature profile as the draw furnace. Therefore, because the tip of the preform is optimized and unusable glass has been removed, throughput of the draw apparatus is advantageously increased. Moreover, the shape of the tip of the preform is optimized in that it has been exposed to the same temperature profile as it would have seen had the draw tip been formed in the draw furnace.