Systems and methods for producing soot preforms

Abstract

Described herein includes systems and methods for producing a soot preform. In some embodiments, a lathe system for producing a soot preform may include a housing, an air intake, an exhaust, and an airflow pathway through the housing from the air intake to the exhaust. The lathe system may further include a rotating soot blank disposed inside the housing, and an air blade disposed downstream of the rotating soot blank along the airflow pathway and configured to deliver a cooling airflow toward a surface of the rotating soot blank. In some embodiments, a method of producing a soot preform may include depositing soot on a surface of a rotating soot blank using at least one combustion burner disposed upstream of the rotating soot blank and directing a cooling airflow toward the surface of the rotating soot blank using an air blade disposed downstream of the rotating soot blank.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.