METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING COATED OPTICAL FIBER

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a coated optical fiber that can make the internal surface of a coating resin smooth even in a high-linear-velocity state. SOLUTION: An optical fiber 2 is heated by a preheater 8, passed through a pressure reduced space 12 of an evacuating device 10, and introduced into a cross head 1. The optical fiber 2 is passed through the pressure-reduced space 12 to accelerate vaporization of volatile components from the heated optical fiber 2 and the volatile components are sucked through a suction pipe 13. A suction pipe 11 is provided on the introduction side of the optical fiber 2 from the pressure-reduced space 2 before the optical fiber 2 is introduced into the pressure-reducing space 12 to suck the volatile components more effectively. A thermoplastic resin is extruded to the circumference of the optical fiber having been passed through the pressure-reduced space 12 to coat the optical fiber, thereby manufacturing the coated optical fiber 7. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO