Patent ID: 8347656

Claim:
An apparatus configured to process a glass optical fiber drawn from an optical fiber preform when drawing an optical fiber while fusing by heating and pulling by a capstan roller one end of the optical fiber preform, the apparatus comprising: a guide configured to introduce the glass optical fiber that has passed the capstan roller, wherein the guide includes: a slidable cover including a notch configured to fit with the capstan roller; a sliding mechanism that attaches the slidable cover slidably with respect to a main body of the guide; and a fitting unit configured to restore the slidable cover to an initial position when the slidable cover has slid; a shredding unit including a casing connected to the guide and a shredder with rotating blades configured to shred the glass optical fiber introduced by the guide in the casing into glass optical-fiber pieces; a carrier pipe connected to the casing of the shredding unit and configured to carry the glass optical-fiber pieces; a vacuum connected to the carrier pipe and configured to suction the glass optical-fiber pieces via the carrier pipe; and a collector unit connected to the carrier pipe and the vacuum and configured to collect the glass optical-fiber pieces carried by the carrier pipe, wherein the collector unit includes: a cyclone configured to separate the glass optical-fiber pieces from a gas and particles that have been carried together with the glass optical-fiber pieces; and a collecting container consecutively connected at the bottom of the cyclone and configured to accommodate the separated glass optical-fiber pieces, and wherein the vacuum is connected to a top portion of the cyclone via a suction tube.