Melt spinning of textile fibres

Melt spinning is the most commonly used production method for synthetic textile fibres. In melt spinning, a molten thermoplastic polymer is extruded through a die and elongated to form thin fibres. Typically, several fibres are extruded in parallel, resulting in a multifilament yarn where each filament (fibre) has a diameter of between two and twenty micrometres. RISE provides expert knowledge in melt spinning and post-spinning operations (texturing, cutting and heat-setting) of textile fibres and yarns for a wide range of application areas including apparel, upholstery, industrial and technical textiles. Examples of functionality in fibres developed at RISE are electrical conductivity, piezoelectricity, temperature regulation, flame resistance/retardance, resistance to soiling or anti-bacterial properties.

Multi-component fibres

At RISE we have a variety of fibre extrusion equipment, from small scale (10g) mono-filament extrusion suitable for spinnability evaluation of new materials, to melt spinning in both lab and pilot scale rangeing from 0.1 to 6 kg/h production rates. For prototype production, runs of mono- to quad-component fibres with various cross-section geometries and material combinations can be carried out. This means that, at the same time, up to four different polymers can be separately extruded, transferred through thermally insulated channels and finally all together constitute a single fibre.

Other Equipment

• Polymerisation, polycondensation equipment (2 kg batch).
• A modern twin-screw extruder with gravimetric additive dosage and degassing (5-25 kg/h), to prepare specific compounds for melt spinning.
• Texturing and twisting equipment, and machinery for producing nonwovens, yarn spinning, and knitting.
• Physical and chemical characterisation equipment for evaluating raw materials and finished fibres, e.g. TGA, DSC, FTIR, XRD and tensile testing of fibres (both under dry and wet conditions), as well as a complete testing lab for standardised testing of textile materials.
• RISE also provides expertise in scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which may be used to study fibre cross-sections and particle distribution.  

Our offer

At RISE, research and development is carried out in collaboration with industry and/or academia. We can take on small testing commissions as well as carry out large research projects.

Our melt spinning experts work closely with the chemistry, polymer and textiles teams, and can offer:

• Feasibility studies on a fibre related concept or spinnability of a material, for example recycled polymer or new compounds.
• Development of functional yarns based on new additives and cross-sections.
• Fibre development including desktop pre-study, material characterisation, melt spinning trials on small or large scale, fibre characterisation (fibre testing), and development suggestions tailored to your needs.