Patent ID: 8658257

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber, comprising: applying a UV curable resin via a resin-applying apparatus to an outer circumference of a running glass optical fiber; supplying an inert gas via an inert gas supply unit into a protecting tube directly connected to the resin-applying apparatus and forming an accompanying flow composed of the inert gas near a surface of the resin by passing the glass optical fiber, immediately after having the resin being applied, through an atmosphere of the inert gas in the protecting tube; and forming a coating by irradiating the resin covered with the accompanying flow with an ultraviolet ray to cure the resin while the glass optical fiber accompanied by the accompanying flow is passed through a UV transmission tube to which a gas containing oxygen is supplied, wherein the inert gas and the gas containing oxygen form a two-layer flow, wherein the gas containing oxygen is supplied to the UV transmission tube by an oxygen containing gas supply unit arranged between the inert gas supply unit and the UV transmission tube, and wherein the ultraviolet ray is emitted from an ultraviolet source arranged on the outer circumference of the UV transmission tube, the UV transmission tube connected to the protecting tube.