Translating fluid bearings during an optical fiber draw process
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsSteven Joseph Gregorski, Kenneth Spencer Morgan, Richard Alan Quinn, Bradley Kent Shepard, John Christopher Thomas, David Andrew Tucker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, the method including drawing a bare optical fiber from an optical fiber preform along a draw pathway. The method further includes during the drawing step, moving a first fluid bearing from a first position to a second position, the first position being removed from the draw pathway and the second position being disposed in the draw pathway such that the movement of the first fluid bearing to the second position causes at least a first portion of the draw pathway to change direction.
Claims15
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, the method comprising:
- drawing a bare optical fiber from an optical fiber preform along a draw pathway;
- during the drawing step, moving a first fluid bearing from a first position of the first fluid bearing to a second position of the first fluid bearing,
- the first position of the first fluid bearing being removed from the draw pathway and the second position of the first fluid bearing being disposed in the draw pathway such that the movement of the first fluid bearing to the second position of the first fluid bearing causes at least a first portion of the draw pathway to change direction;
- and
- during the drawing step, moving a second fluid bearing from a first position of the second fluid bearing to a second position of the second fluid bearing,
- the first position of the second fluid bearing being removed from the draw pathway and the second position of the second fluid bearing being disposed in the draw pathway such that the movement of the second fluid bearing to the second position of the second fluid bearing causes at least a second portion of the draw pathway to change direction,
- wherein the second fluid bearing is moved to the second position of the second fluid bearing after the first fluid bearing moves to the second position of the first fluid bearing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.