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How are Synthetic Fibres Made?
Synthetic fibers are made from polymers, many of which are obtained from petroleum. Some common synthetic fibers are nylon, rayon, terylene, acrylon and cashmilon. They can be placed into two groups.

1. Fibers made from cellulose

2. Fibers made by joining monomers.

Synthetic materials are cheap, strong and attractive for clothing. They are easy to maintain as they are easy to wash, light in weight and resistant to wrinkles, moths and molds. When a new synthetic fiber is developed, it is given a new name by the trade commission. In order to receive such a name, the new product must have useful properties for the consumer.

Manufacture of synthetic fibers

Most synthetic fibers are made by forcing liquids through tiny holes in a metal plate and allowing them to harden. A wide range of liquids produces a great variety of fibers. The metal plates are called spinnerets. They are made of gold or platinum because these metals are not affected by most chemicals. The size of the spinneret is about the size of thimble and it has 10 to 150 small openings, depending on the thickness of the strand wanted. Different synthetic fibres are made from different raw materials.


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