Corning Incorporated

Mark C Bertz

James Henry Faler

John S Abbott

John G Williams

William Schirmer, Iii

A method and apparatus for rapidly forming a porous glass preform is provided in which an array of burners is oscillated along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the preform. Unlike existing soot deposition techniques, the oscillation amplitude is limited so that each burner deposits soot on only a portion of the preform, e.g., 20% of the preform. By controlling inter-burner variability and the air flow in the burner-array/preform region, preforms having substantially uniform axial properties are obtained notwithstanding the fact that different burners are used to laydown different parts of the preform.

Method for forming a porous glass preform

Apparatus for rapidly forming a porous glass preform is provided in which an array of burners is oscillated along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of the preform. The oscillation amplitude is limited so that each burner deposits soot on only a portion of the preform, e.g., 20% of the preform. By controlling inter-burner variability and the air flow in the burner-array/preform region, preforms having substantially uniform diameter and axial properties are obtained.

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Greenville, SC, United States of America

Mark C Bertz