FIBER OPTIC DRAW FURNACE FEATURING A FIBER OPTIC PREFORM HEATING AND FIBER DRAWING PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER

摘要

The present invention provides a fiber optic draw furnace having a fiber optic heating and draw control system that controls the heating of a fiber optic preform which is partially melted by a furnace and the drawing of an optical fiber from the fiber optic preform by a fiber drawing device. The fiber optic heating and draw control system features a fiber optic heating and drawing device controller that responds to a furnace power consumption control signal from a fiber optic preform heating device in the furnace, for providing a furnace heating control signal to the fiber optic preform heating device in the furnace and a fiber tension draw control signal to the fiber drawing device to maintain a desired fiber draw tension on the optical fiber. In one embodiment, the fiber optic heating and drawing device controller is a programmable logic controller. One advantage of the present invention is that it eliminates the need for an optical pyrometer port, which results in a symmetrical temperature profile around the circumference of the preform and also helps eliminate induced stresses that can cause defects in an optical fiber.