Saturday, May 14, 2016

What's the most effective way to make polyester? Check it out...

Amazingly, you guessed it, this is your commercial fabrics guy, and I have yet another compelling textiles post to lay on you. For those who're new: Hello! Roger Howard here, I'm your intrepid author, eager to get into all we've found today.

Narrow fabric seat belt web is what we've worked on all these years, so it may be a bit of a surprise to you that I only uncovered a few cool things of interest this afternoon: industrial strap and web strapping.

Before I go too far -- let me explain -- today's insights come from experts' posts that my assistant and I uncovered in our morning surf of the web. In fact, the information we found today will be of great interest to those who love posts with lots of details in the scientific arena.

Believe it or not, we have even more to share on our branded site. When you're ready for better details, take a peek here: more info.

Hey, do you prefer to watch videos? No problem! I'm building a list of relevant videos that will give a bit more depth and insight to commercial fabric manufacturing processes, and plan to include those in my posts in the coming days.

To be honest, I prefer the written word (because I like to study this type of material line by line, and take notes on how I’ll add new options for our clients' real-world webbing applications!) - more info.

Without further delay, here is what I am eager to share today. This article provides great background and insight to the science behind narrow seat belt webbing:
https://www.igotbiz.com/rosemontbelt

Correct indeed, I originally shared this detailed history on our Blogspot account, so feel free to visit our site and read the original info.

Polyester material creation overview

A strong woven fabric was needed by the industrial corporations at the turn of the century. The demand was loud and clear for a product based on a versatile component that could be reliably used in manufacturing and cargo transportation.

Today we know that most modern webbing is made of synthetic fibers such as polyester, but try to remember that is was not always that way. Cotton webbing and wool webbing used to be quite common. However, growing industries cried out for webbing that was both light and strong, with high breaking strengths suitable to all their needs.

Science and technology opened a door to a new molecule that clearly met all the needs of the market.

Polyester industry dates back in the 1920s when W.H. Carothers was contracted by the U.S. based company E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. to research large molecules and synthetic fibers. The research led to the discovery of nylon fabric. In the 1930s to early 1940s, Calico Printers Association and Co., a British owned company, further studied the work of W.H. Carothers and discovered ethylene, which paved the way to creation of polyester fibers.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. bought the rights to produce the fiber in the U.S.A. and renamed it Dacron. The company carried out extensive research and came up with different and diverse polyester fibers. The polyester industry has evolved over the years and has many varied uses. There are two types of polyester, namely PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PCDT (poly-1,4-cyclohexylene-dimethylene terephthalate).

Here Are The Ways Polyester Is Put Into Use:

With such a versatile component and foundation, this polyester industry has rapidly evolved, and lead to various and diverse uses for polyester. The applications include the following (of which there are surely dozens more we could add if space permitted):




Garment manufacturers all over the world make use of polyester to make clothes, furnishings, sheets, seat belts, carpets among many other purposes. The blending of polyester with wool and cotton to make unique types of clothing material makes it the preferred choice to many in the garment industry.

Outlined below are some of the qualities that make polyester an ideal choice for cloth making.

1. Tenacious and Durable
Polyester industry manufactures materials that are ideal for rock climbing, sleeping bags, and other outdoor uses. The reason why polyester is perfect for the outdoors is because it is not only durable but it can withstand damp and wet conditions. There are those polyester manufacturing companies that coat the material with water-resistant finishes. As such, for those who love surfing during winter, they use polyester made gear.

2. Insulation Properties
The polyester industry has come up with innovative ways to insulate the polyester fiber during the manufacturing process. They carry out the process by ensuring that they create hollow fibers that keep air trapped inside so that when one wears polyester made clothing, they body temperature warms the polyester clothes and maintains the heat without losing it. Another way to insulate the polyester is through the use of crimped polyester during the filling process.

3. Does not Wrinkle
The polyester industry has grown by leaps and bounds because more people are looking for clothes that do not crease. Polyester is an ideal choice for many since it does not crease and when blended with other materials like wool and cotton, it forms some unique pieces of clothing. The material does not stain therefore many people prefer it for pants, skirts, shirts among many other uses.

So Many Ways To Benefit From Polyester

1. Pet Bottles
Before the advent of polyester, bottles were made of glass, but the discovery of polyester gave rise to plastic bottles which are a cheaper version in comparison with the glass ones hence the popular use.

2. Mylar
Many events rarely end without balloons, what many people do not know is that the balloons are made of polyester and aluminum foil.

The polyester industry has given rise to many companies all over the world that are of the substance.

Key Components In This Material
Ethylene is a compound derived from petroleum and it is the key component used in the manufacture of polyester.

The process of making polyester is called polymerization; ethylene the ingredient derived from petroleum is used as the polymer.


Manufacturing Process

There are four manufacturing processes involved in the manufacture of polyester namely; filament, staple, fiberfill and tow.

1. Filament
During the production of filaments, the strand is made into one long continuous strand.

2. Staple
Staple manufacturing involves cutting of the strands into specific sizes. The process allows for blending with other materials like wool and cotton.

3. Tow
Tow involves combining different filaments closely together.

4. Fiberfill
Pillows, quilts, and other fillings are manufactured using this process.

What Is Involved In Making Each Product?

Polymerization
A catalyst is mixed with ethylene glycol and dimethyl terephthalate at a temperature of 150-210 degrees centigrade. The resulting substance is then combined with terephthalic acid. It is allowed to boil at a temperature of 280 degrees centigrade where it forms polyester which is in liquid form. The liquid is allowed to pass through a machine that makes the filaments, tow, fiberfill or staple.

Drying
The liquid polyester ribbons are allowed to cool until hard enough. They are then cut into tiny pieces to ensure that no air was trapped in the filament during the manufacturing process.

Spinning
Melting of the chips is done at 260-270 degree centigrade, and the resulting solution passes through a spinneret which is metallic and has tiny holes. The holes are of various sizes and forms’ depending on what the company is looking to achieve. It is during this process that different chemicals are added for instance those that will make the final product non-flammable.

After the spinning process is complete, the fiber is allowed to dry. Specialized machines do the draw of fiber. The fibers are soft, and it is at this stage that texturing, twisting and other processes take place. The fiber is then packaged into a form that it will be easier to weave it into the desired material.

The manufacturing process of tow is quite different from that of filament manufacture.in that the spinneret machine has smaller holes. The tow fiber that is produced is stored in containers which are specifically for cooling. With technology advancements and the fact that polyester blends easily with natural materials like cotton, wool among others makes it the best choice for many fashion designers.

Are There More Ethylene Products On The Way?
The truth is that polyester continues to prove itself to be a light and strong synthetic fiber that continues to open new doors. Especially with the introduction of microfiber in the early 1990s (a polyester fabric that bears the striking resemblance to silk), the polyester industry has no signs of slowing down.

Durability and strength of the material make it a sought after option for many businesses across the globe. Simple things, like the way the woven material can be preshrunk during the manufacturing process makes it a valuable asset to business that require a fabric with consistently non-shrinking properties.
Allergy sufferers love polyester fabric for its non-allergic properties. In fact, many people prefer the material for making quilts, pillows, bed sheets (among other uses) for this target audience that is willing to pay more to get the relief they need in hypoallergenic materials.

[applause!]

Amazing overview, am I right?

Cheers my dear reader for following our blog and sending us your comments and insights on these articles.

Once again, I very much appreciate this venue in which we can share exciting articles like this, and open our minds to the history of commercial fabrics like two-inch seat belt webbing material.
Our love for online research and uncovering secrets posted by the world’s most clever people is nearly boundless (especially when my assistant and I get together and start talking about the history, science, and amazingly diverse applications of our product lines!).

Looking forward to all you can share there.

For our video-loving-readers, share your thoughts too! If you find that videos add depth and insight to commercial fabric manufacturing processes, then tell us all about it!
Since my preference continues to be for the written word, I believe there will always be debate among us as to the best balance of content in these posts.

Stay tuned, because my assistant and I have more articles in the queue nearly ready to share in the days to come. Cheers!
*Also* Listen, if you loved the content today, will you do me a kind favor and be honest as to how much it is in line with your interests?

One last request, if I may, be sure to note if you are open to do a guest post about polyester manufacturer or strap polyester. We'd appreciate it if you could better help explain these concepts with a few pictures of narrow seat belt webbing.

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