Technologies for the manufacture of synthetic polymer fibers

Key words synthetic fibers, fiber extrusion, fiber melt spinning equipment, fiber solution spinning processes. 

Synthetic fibers are ubiquitous in modern day life. They literally surround us in our clothing, bedding, and home furnishings. They are also hidden in dust covers under sofas and beds, as filters in our heating and air conditioning systems, sound absorbers in our car doors, and stuffed in pillows and cushions. They are the primary ingredients in diapers for our children, wipes for cleaning, and many window treatments. They brush and floss our teeth and 

2 Textile filament and bulk continuous fiber (BCF) spinning 

Often continuous filament fibers require some type of bulk or twist before they can be used in textile applications. This is accomplished in carpet yarns generally produced from nylon 6, nylon 66 or polypropylene by using a BCF machine (Oerlikon Textile GMBH and CO., 2011). These lines are similar to the one-step fiber lines described above, except that the spinning speed 

Most bulked continuous filament fibers are produced for apparel applications and are processed using a two-step method. In the first step the fibers are spun as straight flat yarns at speeds between 3500 and 5500 m per min, which results in a fiber that is only partially oriented but fully crystallized. 

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For the purpose of discussion of the chemistry and technology of man-made, fiber-forming polymers, the term "synthetic fiber" will be used to denote all man-made fibers manufactured from noncellulosic raw materials. The term "cellulosics" will apply to those man-made fibers that are manufactured from cellulosic raw materials. The term "man-made fibers" will apply to all fibers except the naturally occurring cellulosic and protein fibers. 

Contact electrification has been known for over two thousand years. It is, however, only since the widespread use of synthetic polymers in the decade following World War Two that serious attempts have been made to understand and rationalize their contact electrification. Personal discomfort, explosions, dust collection, film and fiber manufacturing problems, etc. can all be attributed to contact electrification (Table I). Modern technologies such as electrospraying, electroprecipitation and xerography depend on contact electrification. 

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