Fibers
Fiber is a threadlike strand which is used for spinning yarn. On the basis of
source, fibers are classified as natural and man made or synthetic fibers. Natural
fibers like cotton, silk, linen, wool etc. are obtained from natural products. Synthetic
fibers like fiberglass, nylon, rayon etc. are artificially made. They are
usually long-chain polymers, produced industrially by the condensation of many
small units.
On the basis of composition, fibers have two categories - Filament and Staple
Fibers. Filament Fibers, further classified as Mono filaments and Multi
filaments are of continuous length and measured in yards or meters. Staple
Fibers are short fibers and are measured in inches. On the basis of usage,
fibers are classified as textile, cordage, brush, felt, filling, and plaiting
fibers.
Natural Fibers
Natural fibers are obtained from plants, animals and geological processes. They
can be classified as Plant Fiber, Animal Fiber and Mineral Fiber.
Plant fibers include cotton, flax, jute, bamboo, ramie, kapok, hemp and sisal
among others. Flax is the oldest known fiber crop and is used for linen
production. Cotton Fiber, obtained from the seeds of the cotton plant, is the
most widely used natural-fiber. Jute Fiber is the cheapest and strongest of all
natural fiber and ranks second in production after cotton. It is used in
traditional packaging fabrics, carpet backing, mats, bags, tarpaulins, ropes
and twines etc. Bamboo Fiber is environment-friendly and is sometimes mixed
with cotton or other raw materials. It is mainly used for bathrobes, towels,
foot mats, bed clothes, underwear, close-fitting T-shirt, stockings etc. Kapok,
obtained from a tropical tree is used as stuffing, especially for life
preservers, bedding, upholstery, and for insulation against sound and heat.
Hemp is used for making various kinds of cordage, canvas and other cloths.
Wool fiber and silk fiber are the most widely used Animal Fibers. Wool is
derived from the fur or hair of animals like sheep, goats, llamas and rabbits
and then coated with an oil, lanolin, which is waterproof and dirt proof. Silk
is a protein fiber obtained from the cocoon of silkworm. It is smooth, shiny
with sleek texture.
Asbestos has long, thin fibrous crystals and is the only naturally occurring
long mineral fiber. It is resistant to heat, electricity and chemical damage.
Other Mineral Fibers include Wollastinite, Attapulgite and Halloysite which are
short, fiber-like minerals used for sheeting, stage curtains, and fire
blankets.
Threads
Sewing threads are made for efficient, smooth stitching that will not break or
become distorted for the life of the sewn product. Its main function is to hold
together parts that could be of textile, leather etc to form garments or other
end products. Sewing machines are used to join the parts with the sewing thread
in a process called Sewing.
Industrial Sewing is an extremely high-speed operation which does up to 12,000
stitches per minute. Various forces such as braking force, thread tightening,
extremely high temperatures etc. are exerted on threads during sewing. Thus,
sewing thread finishing becomes important as the finishing agents impart
certain properties to the sewing thread. The traditional finishing agents
include Paraffin wax, Silicones, Anti static agents etc. Finishing through
these agents is done by various methods such as Lick roll method, Dye bath
lubrication, Dip tank lubrication, Solid wax lubrication etc. For more details
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