Patent ID: 8317972

Claim:
A method for removing a protective coating material from a portion of an optical fiber, said optical fiber including a glass optical fiber having an outer surface surrounded by said protective coating material, said method comprising the steps of: (i) providing a fiber collection and support device having: (A) a coarse conical fiber collector having an input port, the input port has a diameter Da that exceeds typical radial distribution of fiber presented to the fiber collection and support device, and (B) a fine fiber centering collector including an input opening adjacent to said coarse conical fiber collector and a fiber collection tube having an output port such that (a) said input opening of said fine fiber centering collector is smaller than the input port of coarse conical fiber collector and is larger then said output port, (b) said input port of said coarse conical fiber collector larger then said output port, (c) and the output port has a diameter D b that is at least 1.5 times larger than the outside diameter of the coated fiber, and D b <Da, and (d) the ratio L b /D b is between 1 and 10, where L b is the length of the fiber collection tube D b is output port; (ii) threading the fiber through the coarse conical fiber collector and into the fiber collection tube of the fine fiber centering collector via said input opening of said fine fiber centering collector; (iii) contacting the fiber, as it exits from the output port of the fiber collection tube, with a stream of hot gas; and (iv) directing a stream of hot gas onto the protective coating material that is to be removed, the temperature and velocity of said hot gas being sufficiently high to soften and remove the protective coating material without damaging the outer surface of the optical glass fiber.