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Of all the fibers, rayon is probably the most perplexing to consumers. It can be found in cotton-like end uses, as well as sumptuous velvets and taffetas. It may function successfully in absorbent hygiene and incontinence pads and equally well-providing strength in tire cords.
Acrylic can be thought of as artificial wool. It is made from the unlikely combination of coal, air, water, oil, and limestone.
Polyester fibers, the synthetic fibers, are long-chain polymers derived from coal, air, water, and petroleum. They are formed through a chemical reaction between an acid and alcohol. Polyester is often blended with other fibers like cotton to get the best of both worlds.
Nylon does not absorb water – this is great for some uses, but also means that nylon fabric and movement combine to create static electricity.
Rayon is often used in fashion and home furnishings, but the fiber is also found in sanitary products, diapers, and medical supplies.
A useful filament was not produced until the last part of the 19th century when Swann and de Chardonnet extruded a solution of cellulose nitrate (collodion) through small holes (spinnerets). These pioneer manmade fibers were replaced by rayon fibers which were spun from an alkaline cellulose xanthate solution (viscose), which were in turn supplemented by cellulose acetate and many synthetic fibers.
Manmade fibers are manufactured using different mechanical and chemical processes for example Synthetic fibers from thermoplastics are produced by extruding the molten plastic through extrusion dies (spinnerets) into a stream of cold air that cools and solidifies the plastic. (The operation is referred to as melt spinning.)
A variety of inorganic materials are made into fine fibers and used for structural strengthening or insulation; they are known as man-made mineral fibers (MMMF). Types of man-made mineral fiber have names such as mineral wool (which includes rock wool, slag wool, and glass wool), continuous filament, superfine and refractory (or ceramic) man-made mineral fiber. The names of these classes of materials have different origins and are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
The synthetic man-made fibers include the polyamides (nylon), polyesters, acrylics, polyolefin, vinyl, and elastomeric fibers, while the regenerated fibers include rayon, the cellulose acetates, the regenerated proteins, glass, and rubber fibers.
Manmade protein fibers are produced by dissolving proteins like casein from milk, soya bean protein, and zein from corn in diluted alkali and forcing these solutions through a spinneret into an acid-formaldehyde coagulating bath.