Patent ID: 7722777

Claim:
A method of cleaning core rods for rod in tube (RIT) optical fiber preforms, comprising: providing two or more first sleeves each having an axis, an entrance end, and an exit end axially opposite to the entrance end; loading one or more core rods into each of the first sleeves; partially obstructing the entrance and the exit ends of each of the first sleeves for retaining the loaded core rods inside the first sleeves; providing a second sleeve having an axis, an entrance end, and an exit end axially opposite to the entrance end of the second sleeve; placing the loaded first sleeves together inside the second sleeve so that the entrance ends of the first sleeves face toward the entrance end of the second sleeve; coupling the entrance end of the second sleeve with a fluid delivery system; supplying one or more fluids from the delivery system to the entrance end of the second sleeve so that the fluids flow into the entrance ends of the first sleeves and make contact with exposed surfaces of the core rods to clean or to etch the rods; and purging the fluids from the exit ends of the first sleeves, and directing the purged fluids out of the exit end of the second sleeve.