Optimization of furnace design in a polymer fiber drawing tower

In this paper, the optimisation of the furnace design in an in-house polymer fiber drawing tower was investigated. An optimum furnace design is important to ensure that the fiber drawing process is more efficient and produced fibers with consistent diameters. The optimization process was done by increasing the number of IR bulbs, minimization of the furnace heat loss and central positioning of the preform in the furnace. The results show that after the optimization process, the temperature trend was more sensitive and the heat loss inside the furnace was reduced. A preliminary drawing process was performed using a PMMA preform rod. For future optimisation of the furnace design, the number of IR bulbs can be increased and stainless steel irises can be installed on the top and lower opening of the furnace to minimize heat loss.