The present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber which includes a resin coating step in which a resin is supplied to a resin coating section via piping, and a glass fiber is passed through the resin coating section such that the resin is coated on the outer circumference of the glass fiber. In the resin coating step, the temperature of the resin inside the piping is measured, and a heating unit provided on the outer circumference of at least some of the piping is controlled such that the temperature of the resin inside the piping reaches a set target temperature; and a viscometer is disposed in between the resin coating section and the piping on which the heating unit is provided, and the set value of the target temperature is adjusted such that the viscosity of the resin measured by the viscometer reaches a target viscosity.

The present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical fiber which includes a resin coating step in which a resin is supplied to a resin coating section via piping, and a glass fiber is passed through the resin coating section such that the resin is coated on the outer circumference of the glass fiber. In the resin coating step, the temperature of the resin inside the piping is measured, and a heating unit provided on the outer circumference of at least some of the piping is controlled such that the temperature of the resin inside the piping reaches a set target temperature; and a viscometer is disposed in between the resin coating section and the piping on which the heating unit is provided, and the set value of the target temperature is adjusted such that the viscosity of the resin measured by the viscometer reaches a target viscosity.

A method for producing mineral wool composites, including: (a) producing a first mineral wool composite by extracting a portion of circulating water to prepare a first binder composition and spraying it onto mineral fibers, while providing clean water to the circulating water; (b) performing (b1) and (b2) in any order or at the same time (b1) pausing extraction of the circulating water for preparation of the first binder composition and (b2) extracting a portion of the circulating water and storing the extracted circulating water in a first tank; (c) producing a second, different mineral wool composite by extracting a portion of the circulating water to prepare a second binder composition, and spraying it onto mineral fibers, while providing clean water to the circulating water, wherein the circulating water is used to clean a production apparatus for producing mineral wool composites and is filtered and reused in the production apparatus.

In curing a matrix material of a rollable optical fiber ribbon, ultraviolet light may be concentrated in a selected range of wavelengths to avoid further curing the primary coating of each fiber. A ribbon may be made by aligning the fibers, each having at least a primary coating, into a ribbon shape, applying a matrix material in intermittently distributed portions along the ribbon-shaped group of fibers, and exposing the ribbon-shaped group of fibers and applied matrix material to ultraviolet light concentrated in a range of wavelengths absorbed more by the matrix material than by the primary coating.

An optical fiber coating die assembly is provided. The optical fiber coating die assembly includes a housing defining a guide chamber having an inlet for receiving optical fiber and an outlet, a guide die located at the outlet of the guide chamber, and a sizing die. The optical fiber coating die assembly also includes a coating applicator disposed between the guide die and the sizing die, and a tube operatively coupled to the inlet of the guide chamber and axially aligned with the chamber to receive the optical fiber fed into the guide chamber and provide a barrier to air flow.

A method for producing an optical fiber coated with a UV-curable resin material around a glass fiber includes: a step of applying the UV-curable resin material to the periphery of the glass fiber; a step of passing the glass fiber coated with the UV-curable resin material through an interior of a cylindrical body (illustrated with a quartz tube) capable of transmitting UV light; a step of irradiating UV light from outside the cylindrical body by using a light source (illustrated with a UV bulb) to cure the glass fiber and form a coating; and a step of controlling (illustrated with a power controller) a power input to the light source so that a cure extent of the coating is constant based on the illuminance of the UV light from the light source and the illuminance of the UV light transmitted through the cylindrical body.

Herein is described a process for drying wet glass fibre forming packages, the process comprising: providing a wet glass fibre forming package comprising a strand of glass fibres with an aqueous sizing applied to the glass fibres; and subjecting the wet glass fibre forming package to microwave radiation having a frequency in the range of about 750 to about 1050 MHz.

Herein is described a process for drying wet glass fibre forming packages, the process comprising: providing a wet glass fibre forming package comprising a strand of glass fibres with an aqueous sizing applied to the glass fibres; and subjecting the wet glass fibre forming package to microwave radiation having a frequency in the range of about 750 to about 1050 MHz.

A curing apparatus for curing a coating composition disposed on an optical fiber, the curing apparatus including a first light source and a second light source such that the second light source is spaced from the first light with a gap. The curing apparatus further including a first reflector and a second reflector such that the second reflector is spaced from the first reflector with the gap. Furthermore, a spacer is disposed within the gap, the spacer being formed of a material configured to reflect at least about 90% of light emitted from the first light source and from the second light source, and incident on the spacer, to an optical fiber such that the reflected light has sufficient intensity to cure a coating on the optical fiber.

A curing apparatus for curing a coating composition disposed on an optical fiber, the curing apparatus including a first light source and a second light source such that the second light source is spaced from the first light with a gap. The curing apparatus further including a first reflector and a second reflector such that the second reflector is spaced from the first reflector with the gap. Furthermore, a spacer is disposed within the gap, the spacer being formed of a material configured to reflect at least about 90% of light emitted from the first light source and from the second light source, and incident on the spacer, to an optical fiber such that the reflected light has sufficient intensity to cure a coating on the optical fiber.