Translatable fiber stripper

This invention relates generally to stripping optical fibers, and in particular to a method and apparatus for rapidly and efficiently stripping optical fibers without using chemicals and without reducing the tensile strength of the fiber. A system for stripping an optical fiber includes a source of air and means for generating very short bursts of air. A heater heats the bursts of air to a temperature sufficient to remove the outer coating from an optical fiber, while maintaining the air isolated from the heat source. A single burst of heated air removes the outer coating of an optical fiber, within less than about one second. A series of closely spaced bursts or a prolonged burst of heated air may be used to remove an expanded length of fiber coating. Stripping may include translation of the fiber or the heater or portions thereof. The stripper may be configured to strip several loaded fibers or a single fiber.