| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide such an improved method which makes it possible to easily obtain an improved optical fiber bundle having improved optical characteristics and a wide range of possible applications by a simple means. SOLUTION: This method includes respective stages of temporarily (temporally) mechanically holding individual optical fibers to a round densely packed bundle, pushing and slidingly fitting this bundle into a single metallic sleeve 3 consisting of a metallic material having sufficiently high thermal strength at the molding temperature of the glass of the optical fibers, mounting the optical fiber bundle 1 to a clamping device 4 arranged near the single metallic sleeve 3, holding the optical fiber bundle 1 in an axially and radially fixed state, heating the clamping end of the optical fiber bundle 1 pushed into the single metallic sleeve 3 to the molding temperature, compressing the end to be heated of the optical fiber bundle 1 in the single metallic sleeve 3 to mold or form the individual optical fibers to a hexagonally packed state, executing the same without fixing the single metallic sleeve 3 to the optical fiber bundle 1, cooling the molded end of the optical fiber bundle 1 consisting of the individual optical fibers in the hexagonally packed state and removing the optical fiber bundle out of the clamping device. |
