Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers

Acrylic fibers are synthetic fibers made of synthetic linear polymer consisting of at least 85% (m/m) of acrylonitrile units or acrylonitrile copolymers. Acrylonitrile, the base component of acrylic fiber, is a product of the petroleum industry. The fiber is produced by dissolving the polymer in a solvent such as aqueous N,N-dimethylformamide or sodium thiocyanate, metering it through multi-hole spinnerets, and coagulating the resulting filaments in an aqueous solution of the same solvent. The processing is completed with washing, stretching, drying and pressing. Acrylic fibers are either wet or dry spun.

It was first developed in the mid-1940s, but was not produced in large numbers until the 1950s. It is manufactured as a filament, then cut into short, wool-like lengths and spun into yarn. Acrylic fibers are produced in a range of deniers, typically 1 to 15. Acrylic is lightweight, soft, and warm, yet strong and flexible, retains its shape, and resists shrinkage and wrinkling. It dyes very well and has excellent color fastness. With a wool-like feel as it is quite varied in shape, it sometimes has a wool-like or cotton-like appearance. Due to these properties, acrylic has recently been used in clothing as a cheaper alternative to cashmere due to the similar feel of the material. 75% of acrylic fibers are used in clothing, 20% in home furnishings, and 5% in industrial end uses. In clothing, acrylic fibers are used, for example, in sweaters, vests, cardigans, jackets, socks, knee socks, training and jogging suits, either pure or mixed with, for example, wool. Modacrylic fiber is a modified acrylic, it is found in flame retardant garments, children’s and babies’ clothing, and in doll and stuffed animal clothing.

The downside of acrylic is that it tends to ruffle easily and doesn’t take as good care of the wearer as cashmere does. But acrylic is resistant to moths, oils, and chemicals, and is highly resistant to deterioration from exposure to sunlight.

The production of acrylic fibers is focused on the Far East. China has become a leading producer in the world and accounts for nearly a quarter of global capacity. China has a production capacity of 900 thousand tons in 2005, which has grown by 50% since 2000. China is also a major consumer of acrylic staple fibers. Japan, on the other hand, shares only 9.5% of global capacity, which has been falling steadily, while Turkey has maintained its global share at 7.8% over the last 5 years.

In 2005, the world production of acrylic staple fibers reached 2,791 thousand tons. Acrylic represents 8% of all the chemical fiber produced in the world. During the last five years ended in 2005, the production of acrylic staple fibers has increased at a rate of 1.25% per year, the slowest growth rate among all chemical fiber productions. In 2005, 192,000 tons of acrylic fibers were produced in Germany.

In 2005, the acrylic fiber industry was negatively affected by the rising cost of raw materials. Acrylonitrile was more expensive by almost 22-23% in the US, 16-17% in Europe, and 20% in Asia during 2005. During this time, acrylic staple fiber prices increased at a faster rate. slow. They were up 15% in the US, 4% in Europe and 3-5% in Asia.

Thai Acrylic Fiber Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Adyta Birla Group of Industries, is one of the world’s leading acrylic fiber producers. In Europe, Bayer was the first producer, since 1954 it has been manufacturing on a large scale.