Coating apparatus – Immersion or work-confined pool type – Work extending through pool-confining wall area
Patent
1993-07-22
1995-09-12
Housel, James C.
Coating apparatus
Immersion or work-confined pool type
Work extending through pool-confining wall area
118420, 118DIG18, B05C 315
Patent
active
054494087
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an optical fiber coating apparatus for forming a resin coating on the outer surface of an optical fiber and to a method of positioning of the optical fiber coating apparatus.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 1 shows the general construction of an optical fiber producing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a coated optical fiber 200C produced by the optical fiber producing apparatus.
An optical fiber preform 102 is heated in a drawing furnace 101 to produce an optical fiber 200 comprised of a core 201 of a diameter of about 10 .mu.m, in a case of a single mode optical fiber, and a cladding 202 of a diameter of 125 .mu.m formed on the core 201. The outer diameter of the optical fiber 200 is measured by an outer diameter measuring unit 104. Preferably, to protect the optical fiber 200 and improve its water resistance, it is treated with acetylene gas (C.sub.2 H.sub.2), chlorine gas (Cl.sub.2), etc. in a hot CVD reaction furnace to deposit a carbon hermetic coating 203 on the cladding 202 of the optical fiber 200 by CVD. Further, a primary resin coating 204 is given on the carbon hermetic coating 203 in a primary resin coating apparatus 106 comprised of a resin tank 107 and an ultraviolet curing apparatus 108. A secondary resin coating 205 is then given in a secondary resin coating apparatus 110 comprised of a resin coater 111 and an ultraviolet curing apparatus 112. Usually, the Young's modulus of the primary resin coating 204 is lower than the Young's modulus of the secondary resin coating 205, and the primary resin coating 205 functions as a buffer layer.
After this, the coated optical fiber 200C comprised of the optical fiber 200A given by the resin coatings 204 and 205 is taken up on a takeup machine 115 through a takeup capstan 114.
The carbon hermetic coating 203 is provided for the purpose of protecting the cladding 202 and improving the mechanical strength and the water resistance, but when there is no such need for this, a coated optical fiber 200C without the carbon hermetic coating 203 in FIG. 2 is used.
The coated optical fiber 200C produced by the method shown in FIG. 2 is formed of a core 201 of about 10 .mu.m at its center, a cladding of a diameter of 125 .mu.m at its periphery, a carbon hermetic coating 203 of a thickness of about 50.ANG. at the periphery of the cladding, and further, for example, a primary resin coating 204 of a thickness of about 10 .mu.m and, for example, a secondary resin coating 205 of a thickness of about 35 .mu.m, thereby giving a coated optical fiber 200C having an outer diameter of about 215 .mu.m overall. This example shows the cross-sectional construction of a coated optical fiber 200C with a carbon hermetic coating 203. Usually, the outer diameter of the coated optical fiber is about 450 .mu.m, but the thicknesses of the core 201 and the cladding 202 do not change, so in this case the thicknesses of the primary resin coating 204 and the secondary resin coating 205 are made greater.
If a solid object touches the surface of the optical fiber 200 right after it is drawn from the optical fiber preform 102, the surface will be damaged. When dust is deposited on it, the mechanical strength of the optical fiber 200 will deteriorate. Therefore, as mentioned above, in the past, the surface of the optical fiber 200 just after drawing or the surface of the optical fiber 200A with the carbon hermetic coating 203 is coated with resin coating layers 204 and 205 comprised of a thermal curable resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, etc.
To improve the production efficiency of the coated optical fiber, it was attempted to raise the drawing speed from, for example, 500 m/minute or so to 1000 m/minute or so. The increase of the drawing speed reduces the manufacturing time and causes a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the coated optical fiber, but the high temperature optical fiber 200 exiting from the drawing furnace 101 or the high temperature optical fiber 200A just after the formation of the carbon hermetic coating 203 in the hot CV
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International Search Report for International Appln. No. PCT/JP92/01541.
Koaizawa Hisashi
Komura Yukio
Orita Nobuaki
Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd.
Housel James C.
Pyon Harold Y.
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