Saturday, June 11, 2016

Are you curious about the weird beginnings of polyester production?

Hi! To all our followers! As always, I'm your commercial fabrics guy, eager to drop a few lines about truly interesting textile process and procedure concepts.

Correct my friend, I am your commercial fabrics guy, and I have yet another textiles historic insight to send your way.
Are you new?? Great!!
Hello! Roger Howard here, I'm your intrepid author, eager to get into all we've found today.

1.5 inch seat belt webbing is what I'm all about, so it may be a bit of a surprise to you that I only found two topics of interest today: poly web material and seatbelt webbing.

Just a quick note -- let me explain -- today's insights come from experts' posts that my assistant and I uncovered in today's careful examination of the "Interwebs".

Truth be told, the information we found today will be of great interest to those who love posts with lots of details in the world of commercial science.

While I'm thinking of it, would you rather see 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.

Let's 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!).

Let me be honest, my friends, we have even more to share on our main site. When you're ready for better details, take a peek here: 1.5 inch seat belt webbing.

Without further delay, here is what I am eager to share today. This article provides great background and insight to the science behind two-inch seat belt webbing material:

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.

Citation: http://textilesblogs.blogspot.com/2016/05/whats-most-effective-way-to-make.html

Recent Research Confirms All Of This: There Are Critical Process Steps In Molecular Polyester Fabrication.
Initial Fabrication

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.

You are right that I originally posted this detailed history on our Blogspot account, so feel free to visit our site and read the original info.

Polyester Historical Notes

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).

My Polyester Fabrics Are Just The Beginning...

->> 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.

->> 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.

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.

This is How We Use Polyester Material

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.

A - 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.

B - 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.

C - 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.

Commercial Thoughts of How It Is Manufactured

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


** Fiberfill

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

** Tow

Tow involves combining different filaments closely together.

** Staple

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

** Filament

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

Where Will It End?
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.

Well written! Am I right? I love this overview, although I may be biased, am I right?

Let's be clear, as I've said before, 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.

Many thanks my dear reader for reading our posts and sharing your ideas and insights on these articles.

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.

Watch this space my friends... 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?

Our love for online research and uncovering secrets and hidden bits 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!).

Be sure to tell us what you love too!

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

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