JPH06191869A - Apparatus for production of fiber ribbon and production of fiber ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the twist of a bare fiber ribbon without damaging the fiber ribbon and to uniformly form a coating layer by constituting a tubular coating part for applying a resin of an elastic material and elastically deforming the sectional shape near an outlet by means of a retaining fitting, thereby flatly forming the shape to an elliptic shape. CONSTITUTION:Fig. shows a device for applying the resin for coating (e.g.; UV curing type resin) on the periphery of the bare fiber ribbon and (a) is a front view and (b) a side view. The bare fiber ribbon 1 passes a coating die 2 and then a tube 3. This tube 3 consists of the elastic material having a circular section (e.g.; silicone tube) and is formed to a state gradually reduced in diameter toward the outlet direction. The part near the outlet is elastically deformed by a flat planar retaining jig 4 and is formed flatly in such a manner that its sectional shape is nearly elliptical. The bare fiber ribbon 1 cannot be stably clamped if the length of the deformed part is too short. There is a possibility of applying excessive stresses on the resin if the length is too long and, therefore, the length L is preferably confined to 4 to 10mm.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape fiber manufacturing apparatus and method in which a plurality of optical fibers are melt-integrated into a tape shape and a coating layer is formed on the periphery thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an optical fiber is manufactured by melt spinning an optical fiber preform. Also in FIG.
As shown in (a), a plurality of optical fiber preforms 11 having a core-clad structure are arranged in parallel and in a line,
By melt-spinning the tape fiber preform 13 obtained by sandwiching these with a plate-shaped quartz jacket 12, as shown in FIG.
The tape fiber bare wire 1 as shown in (b) is obtained, and the circumference of the tape fiber bare wire 1 is further coated to manufacture a tape fiber.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing a conventional tape fiber manufacturing apparatus. In order to manufacture a tape fiber using such an apparatus, first, the tape fiber base material 13 is melt-spun in the heating furnace 21 to obtain the bare tape fiber 1. Then, the outer diameter is measured by the outer diameter measuring device 22, and the spinning conditions are adjusted thereby to control the wire diameter.
Then, the bare tape fiber 1 is inserted through the coating die 23 filled with the resin, and the resin is applied onto the circumference of the bare tape fiber 1. After that, the resin is cured in the crosslinking furnace 24 to form a coating layer, and the tape fiber 5 is obtained. The tape fiber 5 thus obtained is taken up by a take-up part (not shown) and used for various purposes.

[0004]

However, when spinning not only the tape fiber 5 but also the optical fiber, the fiber is often twisted. The cause of this twist is the position of the base material 13 in the heating furnace 21, the heating furnace 21
Although it is possible that the inner temperature is not uniform and the external force is applied to the pulley of the fiber take-up portion, these effects are complicated and it is difficult to completely eliminate the twist. In an ordinary optical fiber, since the shape is a cylindrical linear body, the adverse effect of twisting is small. However, if the twist occurs in the case of the tape fiber, the fiber diameter of the spun tape fiber cannot be accurately measured, and it is difficult to feed back the fiber diameter to control the wire diameter.
For such twisting of the fiber, it is possible to suppress the twisting by providing a guide roller, but in that case, the fiber surface may be damaged by the guide roller and the fiber strength may be deteriorated. .

Further, in the step of coating the bare tape fiber 1, it is very difficult to uniformly form a coating layer on the circumference of the bare tape fiber 1. FIG. 7 shows a conventional coating die 23.
It is sectional drawing which showed the example of the die hole 23a. Usually, the die hole 23a is formed so that its cross-sectional shape matches the covered cross-sectional shape. For tape fiber, dice hole 2
The cross-sectional shape of 3a is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the bare tape fiber 1 passes through substantially the center of the die hole 23a, so that the resin is uniformly applied to the circumference of the bare tape fiber 1, and finally the cross section is obtained. The tape fiber 5 having a substantially rectangular shape can be obtained. However, in actuality, due to the influence of the flow of the coating resin and the like, as shown in FIG. 7, the bare tape fiber 1 may pass in a state in which it is positioned obliquely with respect to the cross-sectional shape of the die hole 23a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the coating layer 6 on the circumference of the bare tape fiber 1 becomes nonuniform, and there is a disadvantage that a good tape fiber 5 cannot be obtained.
In order to solve such a problem, it is possible to forcibly guide the bare tape fiber 1 by using a guide roller or the like so as not to be twisted as shown in FIG. As described above, the fiber surface may be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a tape fiber manufacturing apparatus and a tape fiber manufacturing method capable of preventing twisting of a tape fiber during manufacturing and performing uniform coating. It is intended to be provided.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a tape fiber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a plurality of optical fiber preforms arranged in parallel and in a line, and these are formed into a plate shape. Melt-spinning means for forming a bare tape fiber by melt-spinning a tape fiber base material held by a quartz jacket, and a coating means for applying a coating resin on the circumference of the bare tape fiber, A device for manufacturing a tape fiber having a resin curing means for curing the coated resin, wherein the coating means is a tubular elastic body through which a bare tape fiber is inserted, and the cross-sectional shape near the outlet is substantially deformed by elastic deformation. It is characterized in that it is provided with a tubular coating portion which is formed into a flat shape in an oval shape and which is filled with a coating resin inside.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a tape fiber preform by arranging a plurality of optical fiber preforms in parallel and in a line and sandwiching them with a plate-shaped quartz jacket. On the circumference of the bare tape fiber, the bare tape fiber is obtained by melt-spinning the tape fiber base material, and the bare tape fiber is inserted into a tubular coating part having a coating resin filled therein. A method of manufacturing a tape fiber, comprising applying the coating resin to a coating resin and then curing the coating resin, wherein the tubular coating portion is made of an elastic body, and the cross-sectional shape near the outlet is substantially long due to elastic deformation. It is characterized by being formed into a flat shape in a circular shape.

[0009]

According to the present invention, when the bare tape fiber is inserted through the tubular covering portion which is made of a tubular elastic body and has a flat cross section near the outlet due to elastic deformation, the bare tape fiber is It is gripped without twist by the tubular covering. At this time, since the coating resin is filled inside the tubular covering portion and the resin is present between the tape fiber bare wire and the inner wall of the tubular covering portion, the surface of the bare tape fiber may be damaged. There is no. Then, the bare tape fiber passes through this tubular coating portion without twisting, and at this time, the coating resin is uniformly applied on the circumference.

[0010]

The present invention will be described in detail below. The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is different from the conventional one in that a coating apparatus having a tubular coating portion is used as a means for applying the coating resin on the circumference of the bare tape fiber. 1A and 1B show an example of a coating apparatus suitably used in the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, where FIG. 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a side view. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a bare tape fiber, 2 is a coating die, 3 is a tube, and 4 is a holding jig. 2 is a perspective view of the tube 3, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

In this coating apparatus, the bare tape fiber 1 is constructed so as to pass through a tube 3 following a coating die 2. The tube 3 is made of an elastic body having a circular cross section, and is preferably formed in a state where the diameter is gradually reduced toward the outlet. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vicinity of the outlet is elastically deformed by the flat plate-shaped pressing jig 4, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is formed into a substantially oval flat shape. As such a tube 3, any tube can be appropriately used as long as it can form the end shape into a flat shape by elastic deformation, but a tube made of, for example, a silicone resin is preferably used. And it is preferable that the diameter of the tube is gradually reduced from one end to the other end. The size of the tube 3 is appropriately selected according to the size of the target tape fiber, and the tube thickness is also appropriately selected according to the elastic modulus of the tube 3 and the like.

The coating die 2 is not particularly limited,
Any one can be used. The coating die 2 and the tube 3 are joined in a liquid-tight state, and the inside of these is filled with a coating resin. As a result, in the tube 3, the gap between the tape fiber bare wire 1 and the tube 3 is filled with the coating resin, and when passing through this, the coating resin is applied on the circumference of the tape fiber bare wire 1. It is supposed to be done.

The holding jig 4 may be of any type as long as it can elastically deform the vicinity of the outlet of the tube 3 to a desired degree. Further, it is preferable that the section near the outlet of the tube 3 is deformed to have a flat cross section over an appropriate length in the length direction of the bare tape fiber 1. The length of the deformed portion is appropriately set depending on the length of the holding jig 4 in the tape fiber length direction, the holding position, and the like. If the length of the deformed portion of the tube 3 is too short, it is difficult to stably hold the bare tape fiber 1, and if it is too long, the bare bare fiber 1 passing therethrough and the circumference thereof are covered. Since there is a possibility that extra stress will be generated in the resin to be applied, for example, in the length direction of the bare tape fiber 1, the length from the tip of the outlet of the tube 3 to the upper end of the holding jig 4 (in FIG. L
Is preferably set to about 4 to 10 mm.

A method of manufacturing a tape fiber using such an apparatus will be described. First, a plurality of optical fiber preforms having a core-clad structure are arranged in parallel and in a row, and these optical fiber preforms are sandwiched between two quartz plates to form a tape fiber preform. Next, the tape fiber preform is melt-spun to obtain the bare tape fiber 1.
Then, the bare tape fiber 1 is inserted into the coating die 2 and the tube 3 to apply the coating resin on the circumference thereof. Then, the coating resin is cured by any means to obtain a tape fiber. In this way, the tape fiber 5 in which the uniform coating layer 6 is formed on the circumference of the bare tape fiber 1 can be obtained as shown in the cross section in FIG.

In the manufacturing method of the present invention, the fiber diameter is measured before the coating step, and preferably, the fiber diameter is measured immediately before the tape fiber bare wire 1 is introduced into the coating die 2. As a result, the fiber diameter can be measured while the tape fiber is not twisted, and the wire diameter can be accurately controlled.

(Example) A silicon tube having an outer diameter of 15 mm at one end and an outer diameter of 5 mm at the other end, a thickness of 1 mm, and a length of 25 mm was prepared. This silicon tube was liquid-tightly bonded to the lower part of the coating die in a tapered state. The vicinity of the outlet of this silicone tube is deformed with a holding jig so that the cross-sectional shape of the outlet has an outer diameter of 7.2 m.
m and a flat ellipse with a short diameter of 2.5 mm. Also, in the length direction of the bare tape fiber, the length of the holding jig is 3.5 mm, and the length L from the tip of the outlet of the tube to the upper end of the holding jig is 5.5 mm. A holding jig was attached. Further, the coating die was filled with a UV curable resin as a coating resin.

200 optical fiber preforms having a core diameter of 160 μm and an outer diameter of 200 μm and having a core-clad structure were prepared. These were arranged in parallel and in a line, and sandwiched between two quartz plates having a width of 40 mm and a thickness of 3 mm to form a tape fiber preform. The tape fiber base material was melt-spun in a heating furnace to form a substantially rectangular bare tape fiber having a cross-sectional shape with a long side length of 2000 μm and a short side length of 300 μm. The fiber diameter was measured, and thereby the spinning conditions were adjusted to control the wire diameter. Next, the bare tape fiber was inserted through a coating die and a tube, and a coating resin was applied on the circumference thereof. Then, the coating resin was cured in a crosslinking furnace to obtain a tape fiber.

The tape fiber thus obtained has a cross-sectional shape similar to that of the tube outlet,
The coating layer on the bare circumference of the tape fiber was uniform. Moreover, the strength deterioration of the bare tape fiber when passing through the tube was not observed. Further, in the fiber diameter measuring step, the tape fiber can be measured in a twist-free state, and the accuracy of the wire diameter control is also good.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The bare tape fiber is gripped by the tubular sheath without twisting, and since the resin is filled between the tubular sheath and the bare bare fiber, the bare bare fiber is twisted without damaging it. Can be prevented. Further, the coating layer can be uniformly formed on the circumference of the bare tape fiber.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a coating apparatus preferably used in the present invention, (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a tubular covering portion that is preferably used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example of a tape fiber obtained by the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of (a) a tape fiber preform and (b) a bare tape fiber, respectively.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional tape fiber manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of a die hole of a conventional coating die.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing an example of a tape fiber formed by using a conventional coating die.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bare tape fiber, 3 ... Tube (tubular covering part), 5 ... Tape fiber, 6 ... Coating layer, 11 ... Optical fiber preform, 12 ... Quartz jacket, 13 ... Tape fiber preform

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Katsuyuki Seto 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Co., Ltd.Sakura Plant (72) Inventor Takashi Tsumumauma 1440, Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Sakura Plant, Inc. ( 72) Inventor Kazuo Sanada 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Co., Ltd. Sakura Factory

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A melt-spun process in which a plurality of optical fiber preforms are arranged in parallel and in a line and sandwiched by a plate-shaped quartz jacket to melt-spin a tape fiber preform to form a bare tape fiber. A tape fiber manufacturing apparatus having a means, a coating means for applying a coating resin on the circumference of the bare tape fiber, and a resin curing means for curing the applied coating resin, wherein the coating means comprises: It is composed of a tubular elastic body through which the bare tape fiber is inserted, and the cross-sectional shape near the outlet is elastically deformed to be formed into a flat shape in a substantially elliptical shape, and is provided with a tubular coating portion filled with a coating resin inside. A tape fiber manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above. 2. A plurality of optical fiber preforms are arranged in parallel and in a line, and these are sandwiched by a plate-shaped quartz jacket to form a tape fiber preform, and the tape fiber preform is melt-spun to form a tape fiber. A bare wire is obtained, and the bare tape fiber is inserted into a tubular coating portion having a coating resin filled therein, and the coating resin is applied onto the circumference of the bare tape fiber, and then, A method of manufacturing a tape fiber for curing a resin for coating, wherein the tubular coating portion is made of an elastic body, and a cross-sectional shape near the outlet is formed to be flat in a substantially oval shape by elastic deformation. Method for manufacturing tape fiber.