• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / How is polyester fiber made?

How is polyester fiber made?

March 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

When you put colored sugar granules in the top of a hot metal cup that has tiny holes in it, it’s a lot like how polyester fiber is made.

The sugar melts, and when the cup rotates at a high speed, tiny threads of molten sugar come shooting out of the spinnerets (the little holes) and, when they hit the cool air, immediately harden into sweet cobwebby material.

The machine’s operator gathers the spun sugar around a cardboard cone and sells it at an inflated price, considering that it’s basically just a few tablespoons of sugar.

Now pretend that the polyester chips you saw are sugar, and essentially repeat the process above, but with a larger machine. That’s how they make the basic polyester fiber.

After being spun, it’s usually wrapped around a spool, heated again, stretched, and then wound into threads. During that process, polyester is often mixed with other fibers, notably cotton.

While polyester lessens wrinkling, the addition of the natural fibers lets perspiration absorb away from the body, solving the affliction of the “Disco Fever Sweats” that plagued wearers of 100 percent polyester clothes in the 1970s.

Related Facts

  • How much Fiber do Smoothies have and Where does Dietary Fiber come from?
  • How do they get the oat bran out of oats and Why is soluble fiber good for you?
  • Why does Dietary Fiber Contain Calories and Carbohydrates if it is Indigestible?
  • What were phonograph records made of and how are they made?
  • Why is the tip of the Washington Monument made of metal while the rest of the structure is made of stone?
  • What Are Stars Made Of and How Do Astronomers Determine What Stars Are Made Of?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How much Velcro would it take to stick a person on a wall?
Next Post: How high does a sound have to go before its frequency will damage the human ear? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy