Extrusion Material Supply Device for Optical Transmission Bodies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing optical transmission bodies, such as optical fibers, face challenges in minimizing signal transmission loss due to impurities and foreign objects, which restricts productivity and are not suitable for plastics with poor thermal stability.
Innovation Solution
An extrusion material supply device that heat-melts a rod-like plastic material using a heat melting unit and applies gas pressure to supply the molten plastic to a metal die, controlling the melting time and using inert gases to prevent degradation, while maintaining a clean environment to minimize impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a screw extrusion method is used to enhance manufacturing freedom and productivity, then the degree of freedom in manufacture is improved, but the signal transmission loss increases due to foreign objects and impurities generated by screw shearing and heat
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful screw shearing action from the extrusion process. By using a plunger to push molten resin through a die without screw rotation, the source of foreign objects and impurities is eliminated while maintaining the ability to produce multi-layer optical fibers with different material compositions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces nitrogen gas into the extrusion system to create an inert atmosphere. This prevents oxidation of the polymer material during the extrusion process, eliminating oxidation degradation as a source of impurities and signal transmission loss, while allowing extended processing times for complex multi-layer structures
2Ease of manufacture
If a heat melting unit that entirely melts plastic material is used, then the material can be extruded, but the melting time becomes excessively long (several hours to one week) and the method cannot be applied to plastics with poor thermal stability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary heating of the resin in a heating section before the extrusion section. This pre-melting action reduces the time required in the subsequent extrusion section, enabling rapid production while handling materials with poor thermal stability that would degrade during extended melting processes
Solution Approach 2:
The heating and extrusion process is divided into separate sections: a heating section for preliminary melting and an extrusion section for forming. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized independently, reducing total processing time and enabling the use of thermally sensitive materials
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces signal transmission loss and enhances productivity by shortening the melting time, making it suitable for plastics with poor thermal stability and ensuring high-quality optical fibers with minimal impurity-related issues.
Implementation Method 1
a heat melting unit that is provided on a downstream side of the container and heat melts a lower end portion of the rod-like plastic material
Implementation Method 2
heating means for heating the heat melting unit
Implementation Method 3
gas pressurizing means for sequentially supplying molten plastics to the metal die by a gas pressure
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides an extrusion material supply device suitable for use in melt extrusion molding, and a method for manufacturing an optical transmission body, in which a deterioration of an optical signal transmission loss is extremely small, and productivity intrinsic to an extrusion molding method is provided in combination. An extrusion material supply device 1 includes: a vertical hopper 2, which has a cooling unit 3 and a heat melting unit 4 continuous with a lower portion thereof, and houses a material rod R; cooling means 5 for cooling the cooling unit 3; an electric heater 6 that heats the heat melting unit 4; and gas pressurizing means 7 for sequentially supplying molten plastics M to a metal die by a gas pressure. The heat melting unit 4 is formed into a cylinder shape in which an inner diameter is larger than an inner diameter of the cooling unit 3 arranged above, and enables the molten plastics M to spread in the heat melting unit 4. A portion between an outer circumference of the material rod R and an outer circumference of the molten plastics M is defined as an annular gas pressurizing surface 7a.