A system for precoating a preform for drawing optical fiber including a diameter sensor to determine a diameter of pulled optical fiber, a cooling system to cool the optical fiber once it is pulled from a furnace, a coating system to apply a coating to the optical fiber once it has cooled and an ultra-violet lamp to cure the coating.

A system for precoating a preform for drawing optical fiber including a diameter sensor to determine a diameter of pulled optical fiber, a cooling system to cool the optical fiber once it is pulled from a furnace, a coating system to apply a coating to the optical fiber once it has cooled and an ultra-violet lamp to cure the coating.

A system for precoating a preform for drawing optical fiber including a diameter sensor to determine a diameter of pulled optical fiber, a cooling system to cool the optical fiber once it is pulled from a furnace, a coating system to apply a coating to the optical fiber once it has cooled and an ultra-violet lamp to cure the coating.

A sensor system to provide data for use to control manufacture of an optical fiber in microgravity including a diameter sensor to monitor a diameter of a fiber drawn from a preform material, a tension sensor to monitor tension of the fiber as the fiber is pulled from the preform material to a storage device and a controller in communication with at least one of the diameter sensor and the tension sensor to evaluate sensor data to determine at least one of a speed and rate at which the fiber is pulled from the preform material.

A system for drawing optical fiber in microgravity including a sealed housing to prevent infiltration of at least humidity and filled with a dry environment, a preform holder located within the sealed housing to hold preform material, a furnace located within the sealed housing to receive the preform material from the preform holder and to heat the preform material from which the optical fiber is pulled, a feed system to move the preform material from the preform holder to the furnace, a drawing mechanism located within the sealed housing to pull the optical fiber from the preform material within the furnace, a diameter monitor located within the sealed housing to measure a diameter of the optical fiber and a fiber collection mechanism located within the sealed housing to gather and store the optical fiber.

An optical fiber draw system and method of operating thereof. The method includes positioning a downfeed handle for supporting an optical fiber preform within a furnace such that the downfeed handle is movable within the furnace. The method further includes operating one or more heating elements to thermally heat at least a portion of an upper muffle extension disposed within the furnace, the one or more heating elements being moveable with the downfeed handle.

A system for processing an optical fiber includes: a draw furnace, said draw furnace containing an optical fiber preform; a bare optical fiber drawn from said optical fiber preform, said bare optical fiber extending from said draw furnace along a process pathway; and a slow cooling device operatively coupled to and downstream from said draw furnace, said slow cooling device exposing said bare optical fiber to a slow cooling device process temperature in the range from 1000° C. to 1400° C., wherein the bare optical fiber passes through the slow cooling device at least two times.

In a method for manufacturing an optical fiber, a dummy rod is connected to a vicinity of an upper end of a glass preform which includes a diameter-reduced portion at an upper portion thereof, and the glass preform is heated to be melt in a drawing furnace to draw an optical fiber. A cap member is provided at a position of the diameter-reduced portion, and an upper end of the cap member is disposed close to a lower end of the dummy rod. When an orthogonal coordinate axis is set, in which an outer diameter ratio of the cap member to the glass preform is set as a horizontal axis x, and an outer diameter ratio of the dummy rod to the glass preform is set as a vertical axis y, the x and the y satisfy an expression y≥0.1527×x.sup.−3.103.

A device for connecting a fiber preform including a plurality of elongate holes extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fiber preform to a pressure supply system, the device including a first surface to be connected to an end face of the fiber preform where the plurality of elongate holes end, a second surface including at least two ports configured to be in fluid connection with the pressure supply system, and a channel system within the device connecting the plurality of elongate holes at the first surface to the at least two ports, wherein a density of the at least two ports at the second surface is smaller than a density of the plurality of corresponding elongate holes at the first surface.

A suspension structure of the present embodiment conveys an optical fiber preform into a drawing furnace. A suspension portion formed in a depressed shape or a projected shape or as a hole is formed in a dummy rod connected on an upper side of the optical fiber preform conveyed into the drawing furnace. The suspension structure includes: a joining mechanism configured to cover at least a part of circumference of the dummy rod and include an arm that extends on both sides in a direction perpendicular to a drawing direction and a retention portion that engages with the suspension portion and retains the optical fiber preform; and an engagement mechanism including a gripping portion with which the arm engages and which hangs the optical fiber preform.