APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING MELTING TYPE OPTICAL COUPLER

PURPOSE:To allow the coating of the tapered parts of optical fibers while the fibers are held placed on stretching bases by surely aligning and fixing the optical fibers without exerting undue force thereupon at the time of producing the optical coupler by melting and stretching the optical fibers. CONSTITUTION:Air chucks 7 which can support the optical fibers 1, 2 from below and can suck and fix the fibers 1, 2 are provided on the stretching bases 3 at the time of forming the tapered parts by melting and stretching, under heating, the bare fiber parts 4, 5 of the fibers 1, 2 from which parts the coatings are removed. The air chucks 7 are so constituted as to be removable from the fibers 1, 2. The bare fiber parts 4, 5 are surely aligned and fixed in this way. The chucks 7 are removed from the stretching bases 3 after the formation of the tapered parts to provide a space below the fibers 1, 2 so that the tapered parts and other parts can be coated.