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US 2026/0219452 A1Published application
Fiber stripper with heated rollers
AssigneeCommScope Technologies LLC
InventorsJozef Christiaan Mathieu VERSLEEGERS, Thierry Mike DECLERCK, Walter MATTHEUS, Alfons Rudi HERMANS, Ruben L. WICOT
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a stripping machine which includes heated rollers and stripping tapes to remove coating from optical fibers with high precision.
Claims20
A fiber stripping device for stripping a coating from an optical fiber, the fiber stripping device comprising:
- first and second heated rollers separated by a gap, the first and second heated rollers defining a mouth of the fiber stripping device;
- first and second tapes respectively routed about the first and second heated rollers, the first and second tapes being configured to receive the optical fiber between the first and second tapes when the optical fiber is inserted along a fiber insertion/withdrawal axis in a fiber insertion direction into the mouth of the fiber stripping device, wherein the first and second heated rollers are configured to be pressed together to create a fiber pinch location at the gap with the fiber pinch location being defined between portions of the first and second tapes, the first and second tapes being respectively moveable along tape routing paths that extend along the fiber insertion/withdrawal orientation;
- and
- a tape puller for pulling the first and second tapes along the tape routing paths in the fiber insertion direction.
1 more element
The fiber stripping device 4, wherein the carrier includes a station defining a clip mounting location for receiving a fiber holding clip adapted to hold the optical fiber.
A method for stripping a coating from an optical fiber, the method comprising:
- inserting the optical fiber in a fiber insertion direction to an inserted position between first and second tapes, the optical fiber having a distal end;
- pressing the inserted optical fiber between the first and second tapes at a pinch location using opposed heated rollers, the pinch location being offset from the distal end of the optical fiber by a desired strip length;
- and
- moving the first and second tapes relative to the optical fiber in the fiber insertion direction toward the distal end of the optical fiber while concurrently pulling the inserted optical fiber from the inserted position in a fiber withdrawal direction opposite from fiber insertion direction thereby causing the coating to be stripped from a cladding of the optical fiber by the first and second tapes, wherein first and second tapes are pressed against the optical fiber at the pinch location by the opposed heated rollers during fiber withdrawal.
1 more element
A method for stripping a coating from an optical fiber, the method comprising:
- pressing the optical fiber between first and second tapes at a pinch location using opposed heated rollers;
- and
- moving the first and second tapes relative to the optical fiber in a first direction while concurrently moving the optical fiber in a second direction opposite from the first direction thereby causing the coating to be stripped from a cladding of the optical fiber by the first and second tapes along a desired strip length, wherein first and second tapes are pressed against the optical fiber at the pinch location by the opposed heated rollers during fiber movement in the second direction.
A method for stripping a coating from an optical fiber, the method comprising:
- inserting the optical fiber in a fiber insertion direction through a pinch location between first and second tapes and through a diverter used to separate the first and second tapes, wherein the diverter also diverts the inserted fiber away from the first and second tapes;
- pressing the inserted optical fiber between the first and second tapes at the pinch location;
- and
- stripping the optical fiber at a mid-span location of the optical fiber via contact between the first and second tapes and the optical fiber at the pinch location as the optical fiber is pulled in a fiber withdrawal direction opposite from the fiber insertion direction.
1 more element
A method for stripping a coating from an optical fiber, the method comprising:
- inserting the optical fiber in a fiber insertion direction to an inserted position between first and second tapes, the optical fiber having a distal end;
- pressing the inserted optical fiber between the first and second tapes at a pinch location using opposed heated rollers, the pinch location being offset from the distal end of the optical fiber by a desired strip length;
- and
- moving the first and second tapes relative to the optical fiber in the fiber insertion direction toward the distal end of the optical fiber thereby causing the coating to be stripped from a cladding of the optical fiber by the first and second tapes, wherein first and second tapes are pressed against the optical fiber at the pinch location by the opposed heated rollers during fiber stripping.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.