IndustrievereinigungChemiefaser e.V.

Man-Made FibresThe Way FromProduction To Use

Contents

Milestones in Man-made FibresLooking back at the history of man-made fibresFrom the natural fibre to the man-made fibreAn idea takes on a concrete formThe beginning of a new eraA triumph of science and technology

The Basic Structure of FibresThe structure of chain moleculesThe building blocks of single moleculesThe emergence of chain molecules

The Basics of Man-made FibresWhat all fibres have in commonThe main difference between man-made fibres and natural fibresThe subdivision of man-made fibresThe cellulosic fibresThe synthetic fibres

The Production of Spin MassesProducing the primary materialsThe methods of transformationPreparing the spin mass

Man-made Fibres for the Textile IndustryThe types of man-made fibres

Customised FibresThe spinning processProduction of polyesterProduction of polyamideProduction of acrylicProduction of viscoseDrawing man-made fibresThe intended use determines the degree of drawing

The Forms of Man-made FibresThe spinneretCross sections

TexturingThe procedureThe advantagesThe process

The Production of Staple Fibres The principleThe towThe cutting process

1.1–1.2

2.1–2.2

3.1–3.2

4.1–4.2

5.1–5.2

6.1–6.6

7.1–7.2

8.1–8.2

9.1

Contents

Fibres With a FutureThe versatility of man-made fibresThe variety of possibilities

The Properties of Man-made FibresThe technical advantagesThe advantages for the consumer

Designation of Man-made Fibres Titre designations

Heat-Setting The processThe advantages

Apparel Manufactured from Man-made Fibres The fabricsThe systemThe functions

The Care Properties Handling of textilesThe care symbols for textilesThe properties of textiles

The Significance of Man-made Fibres for the Textile Market The developmentThe future

10.1–10.2

11.1–11.2

12.1

13.1

14.1

15.1

16.1–16.2

Milestones in Man-made Fibres

Looking backat the history

of man-made fibresAs early as 1665 the EnglishmanRobert Hooke came up with the idea ofmaking artificial fibres from a viscousliquid mass.His idea, though, remained a utopia formore than two centuries. Only in 1884did Count Chardonnet succeed for thefirst time in producing artificial silkfrom dissolved cellulose.

From the natural fibreto the man-made fibre

When the German chemist HermannStaudinger was able to prove that natu-ral fibres are based on large chain-sha-ped molecules, he laid the foundationfor the development of modern man-made fibres. That was in 1925.

An idea takes ona concrete form

Under the direction of the chemistCarothers, a group of American scien-tists succeeded in synthetically produ-cing a spinnable polyamide. It was thebirth of the world-famous product“Nylon“. Five years later the first nylonstockings could be purchased.

Count Hilairede Chardonnet(1839–1924)

Prof. Dr. HermannStaudinger(1881–1965)

Dr. WallaceH. Carothers(1896–1937)

1.1

Milestones in Man-made Fibres

The beginningof a new era

The first perlon fibres were spun by theIG Farben in 1933. In the same yearBayer and Kurz discovered the basiccompound for acrylic fibres.

After the Second World War, an inven-tion by Whinfield and Dickson in Eng-land, realized 1941, enabled first thesuccessful production of polyester fib-res.

A triumph of scienceand technology

The triumphal march of man-madefibres was unstoppable. With the pro-duction of fibres as successful asACRYLIC, POLYAMIDE, POLYESTER,ELASTANE and VISCOSE, new opportu-nities were opened up for everyone,affecting the quality, as well as theenjoyment of life. Today, the world ofclothing, sports and leisure, as well asthat of technology, medicine andinterior design, would be unthinkablewithout man-made fibres.

1.2

The Basic Structure of Fibres

The structure ofchain molecules

All fibres used for manufacturing tex-tiles, whether natural or man-made, aremade up of chain molecules.

The building blocks ofsingle molecules

Every molecule in the chain consists ofidentical chemical elements or combi-nations of these elements: these arecarbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitro-gen.

2.1

Model of achain molecule

The Basic Structure of Fibres

The emergence of chainmolecules

Every single one of these moleculesmust be able to enter into chemicalreactions at both ends. Only then it ispossible to form a chain, the chainmolecule consisting of hundreds andthousands of molecules linked to-gether.

2.2

The Basics of Man-made Fibres

What all fibres havein common

The starting point is always nature (thesun), regardless of whether natural- orman-made fibres.

After being treated withchemicals, the short fibrescontained in wood aretransformed into a waterysolution and then pressedthrough spinnerets. Afterdrying, cellulosic fibres areobtained.

3.1

The main outlines in the production of fibres:

In addition to other basiccompounds, sunlightcauses the synthesis ofdextrose in plants, which isthe fundamental buildingblock of the cellulosemolecule.

1

2 5

63

4

Cellulose constitutes thefundamental structure ofcotton plants, which are thesource of the cotton fibre.

Nutrients in feed aretransformed into chemicalcompounds which form thebasis for the growth of wooland hair.

The silk worm collects aprotein depot from itsnourishment which is spunto endless threads throughits glands.

The raw materials forsynthetic fibres generallystem from crude oil, whichoriginates from thetransformation of hugequantities of marineorganisms.

The Basics of Man-made Fibres

The main differencebetween man-made

fibres and natural fibresIn contrast to natural fibres, the com-position and structure of man-madefibres can be humanly shaped. Thislends man-made fibres special pro-perties and renders them useful formany different purposes.In the case of requiring high, little orlow absorbancy, maximum tensilestrength, elasticity or stretchability,heat or cold resistancy - man-made fib-res are able to fulfil almost any wish.

The subdivsion ofman-made fibres

We distinguish between synthetic andcellulosic man-made fibres.

The cellulosic fibresThe primary material of cellulosic fib-res is cellulose. Cellulose is the mostcommon organic compound in nature.It is synthesised under the influence ofsunlight by a reaction of carbon dioxidewith water in plants. This process is cal-led photosynthesis. The fundamentalbuilding block of cellulose is the gluco-se molecule.

The synthetic fibresSynthetic fibres are also produced froman organic substance, namely crudeoil. Crude oil originates from the trans-formation of huge quantities of marineorganisms.

3.2

The Production of Spin Masses

Producing the primary materials

In order to manufacture man-made fib-res, viscous, stringy liquids are needed.The matter that results from dissolvingor heating (e.g. from a substance ingranular form) is called the spin mass.

This way of joining macromolecules isonly possible with single moleculeswhich have a double bond between twocarbon atoms (CH2=CH2). But thesealone cannot create an interconnectingmolecular bond. To do this they needthe support of substances which areknown as catalysts. These catalystsinitiate the interconnection process byensuring that the double bond bet-ween the two carbon atoms opens upto create a single bond -CH2-CH2-. Theopen single bond stimulates anothercarbon double bond to open and soon. The -CH2-CH2-groups link up anda macromolecule is formed. This pro-cess continues until it is stopped by thechemist. He achieves this by introdu-cing molecules which have no intenti-on of encouraging further interlinkingof the molecules. By this he can deter-mine the length of the macromoleculeand thereby the specific fibre pro-perties. This is how “customised“ fibresare created. Schematically, polymerisa-tion can be illustrated as follows:

Many identical small reactive molecu-les line up in a large long-chain mole-cule, or macromolecule.Depending on the polymerisation pro-cess, fibres, e.g. polyamide 6 (PA 6),acrylic (PAN), polyvinylchloride (CFL)and polypropylene (PP) fibres are pro-duced.

4.1

The methods oftransformation

Today, three manufacturing processesare primarily used to obtain spinnablematerial: POLYMERISATION, POLYCON-DENSATION and POLYADDITION.

POLYMERISATION

The Production of Spin Masses

In this process, only those single mole-cules can be formed that have reactiveatomic groups on both ends capable ofreacting with other atomic groups(molecules with bifunctional groups). Ifthe linking molecules are different, forexample the one containing an alcoholgroup and the other an acid group (e.g.a carboxilic acid group), the result is anester. Normally water molecules splitoff in the process. Illustrated schemati-cally:

Two different types of molecules linkup and produce a by-product (mostlywater). This process applies, for exam-ple, to polyester (PES) and polyamide6.6 (PA 6.6).

In this process, two different types ofsingle molecules link up to form amacromolecule. Instead of splitting offby-products, an alternating dislocationof the hydrogen molecules takes place.Illustrated schematically:

This is how, for example, elastanefibres (EL) are made.

Preparing thespin mass

The primary materials synthesised bypolymerisation, polycondensation andpolyaddition must be processed so thatthey can be formed into fibres. To dothis, they are dissolved into a liquid orheated to transform them into a syrup-like, viscous mass. The resulting spinn-able substance is called a polymer.

4.2

POLYCONDENSATION POLYADDITION

Man-made Fibres for the Textile Industry

The types of man-made fibres

As a rule, a distinction is made betweenfibres from synthetic polymers and tho-se from cellulosic polymers.The ACRYLIC-, POLYAMIDE-, POLY-ESTER-and ELASTANE FIBRES belongto the fibres made from synthetic poly-mers.In the case of man-made fibres manu-factured from cellulosic polymers themain distinction is between VISCOSE-and ACETATE FIBRES.

The polyamide fibres most often usedin utility textiles are polyamide 6 andpolyamide 6.6. Polyamide 6 is produ-ced by applying the polymerisation pro-cess, polyamide 6.6 by the polycon-densation process. Both are spun withthe melt spinning process.

Polyester fibres result from the poly-condensation process. When spinning,the melt spinning process is employed.

5.1

POLYAMIDE FIBRES

POLYESTER FIBRES

These fibres are produced by polyaddi-tion and are usually spun in the dryspinning process.

This fibre is produced using the poly-merisation process. The two spinningprocesses employed are dry spinningand wet spinning.

ELASTANE FIBRES

ACRYLIC FIBRES

Man-made Fibres for the Textile Industry 5.2

VISCOSE FIBRES ACETATE FIBRES

The primary material for the cellulosicspin masses is cellulose from trees cul-tivated on plantations.For fibre production a spin mass is nee-ded in which the cellulose is dissolved.For this purpose the pulp boards areimmersed in sodium hydroxide. Bytreating it further with carbon disulfide,a spinnable mass is obtained: viscose.Viscose fibres are wet spun.

In this process the cellulose is subjec-ted to a permanent transformation by areaction with acetic acid.By further chemical treatment cellulo-se acetate is finally achieved.This dry, grainy substance is dissolvedin acetone to form a spin mass fromwhich the acetate filaments are spun inthe dry spinning process.

Customised Fibres

The spinning processIn order to produce filaments (endlessyarns) from the spin mass, variousspinning processes are employed. Thespinnable matter is pressed throughthe extremely small openings of a spin-neret. Upon exiting the spinneret, thefilaments produced are either gatheredto a filament yarn and spooled, or joi-ned to form tows.

In the dry spinning process the spinmass exits the spinneret into a spin-ning duct into which warm air is blown.This causes the solvent to evaporateand the filaments to solidify.

In the wet spinning process the spinmass is pressed into a so-called coagu-lating bath which ensures that the fila-ments clot (coagulate).

This process is employed for meltablefibre raw materials. Upon being heated,a melt is formed which is pressedthrough the spinnerets.

6.1

THE DRY SPINNING PROCESS THE MELT SPINNING PROCESS

THE WET SPINNING PROCESS

The spinning processesconsist of common basicprocesses which can beseen in the illustrations:the container holding thespin mass (1) – the spinpump for dosing the spinmass (2) – the spinneret(3) – a medium in whichthe filament is formed (4)– the device used forgathering and spoolingthe filament (5).

Customised Fibres

Polyestercrude oil

dimethylterephthalate/terephthalonic acidglycol

polyethylene terephthalate

melt

production of polyesterfilament yarn, one-stepproduction of polyesterfilament yarn, multi-stepproduction of polyesterstaple fibres

melt spinning

drawing

flat polyesterfilament yarn

spinning bobbin

tow

drawing

crimping

polyester tow

polyester staple fibres

6.2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Customised Fibres 6.3

Polyamidecrude oil

aromatics

production of polyamide 6.6

production of polyamide 6

adipic acid

hexamethylene diamine

caprolactampolyamide 6 orpolyamide 6.6 polymermeltproduction of polyamidefilament yarn, one-stepproduction of polyamidefilament yarn, multi-stepproduction of polyamidestaple fibresmelt spinning

drawingflat polyamidefilament yarn

spinning bobbin

tow

drawing

crimping

polyamide tow

polyamide staple fibres

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Customised Fibres 6.4

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Acryliccrude oil

propylene

acrylonitrile

polyacrylonitrile

spinning solution

dry spinning

wet spinning

acrylic tow

drawing

washing

drying

crimping

acrylic tow

acrylic staple fibres

washing

drying

drawing

Customised Fibres 6.5

Viscosecellulose extracted fromwood ➔ cellulosealkalise

choppingimmersepress

preripening

dissolve

filter

ripening

spinning solution

production ofviscose filament yarn

production ofviscose staple fibres

wet spinning

wash/desulphurization

bleach/brighten

dry

viscose filament yarn

drawing

cutting

washing/after-treatment

drying

viscose staple fibres

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Customised Fibres

Drawing man-made fibres

After spinning the man-made fibres,the parallel alignment of the moleculesis not yet optimal. Man-made fibreshave to be drawn in order to acquireultimate properties for the yarns.

The intended usedetermines the degree

of drawingUpon being drawn, a crucial eventtakes place inside the filaments: thechain molecules align themselves inthe longitudinal direction of the fila-ment. The chains align themselves par-allel to each other. The cross-forcesbetween the chains improve the tenaci-ty. The filaments become stronger. Theextent to which they are drawndepends on their intended use.

6.6

The Forms of Man-made Fibres

The spinneretThe spin mass is pressed through theso-called spinnerets. Depending on thenumber of holes in the spinneret orstrainer, the corresponding number offilaments is produced. If the spinnerethas only one hole, one mono-filamentis spun. Spinnerets with many ope-nings produce multifilament yarns end-lessly. Joining a large number of fila-ments (several ten thousand) producesa tow.

7.1

The Forms of Man-made Fibres

Cross sectionsDepending on the shape of the spinne-ret holes, different cross section sha-pes are obtained in the melt spun man-made fibres.The spectrum ranges from round tomulti-lobed, triangular and star-shapedto ribbon-shaped. The different crosssection shapes of the fibres exert adecisive influence on the properties ofthe textiles produced from them. Forexample, the texture of the textilevaries, becoming grained or softer, orthe textile changes in appearance,taking on a different sheen or none atall.

7.2

Different cross section shapesDifferent cross section shapes

Texturing

The procedureTexturing is a procedure used to increa-se the volume and the elasticity of afilament yarn. When textured, flat fila-ments acquire volume and bulk. Thetexturing process can be carried outseparately subsequent to the drawingprocess. Sometimes, however, the dra-wing process is carried out in a singlestep together with texturing on the tex-turing machine (draw-texturing).

The advantagesTexturing flat filament yarns changestheir structure permanently and makesthem even more like textiles.The essential properties of texturedyarns and the products made fromthem are softness, fullness, a highdegree of elasticity, thermal insulationand moisture-transporting properties.

8.1

Texturing

The processAll yarns which can be shaped by heatare suitable for texturing. These arepredominantly polyamide and poly-ester yarns.The most important texturing proces-ses are FALSE-TWIST TEXTURING,STUFFER-BOX TEXTURING and AIR-JETTEXTURING.

8.2

Textured Filament Yarns – ClassificationMechanical process

Air-jet yarn

Mechanical-thermal processFalse-twist yarn

Stuffer box crimping yarn

Knit-de-knit yarn

Gear crimped yarn

Edge crimped yarn

Chemical-thermal processMulti-component yarn

According to: DIN 60900-5

The Production of Staple Fibres

The principleIn all spinning processes, filaments areformed from the spin mass by the spin-nerets. If the production of staple fib-res is desired, i. e. short fibre sectionsfor the spinning mill, thousands of fila-ments are combined to form tow andcut into staple fibres.

The towWhile during the production of filamentyarns each single filament bundle exit-ing the spinnerets is wound onto aspool, in the production of staple fibresnumerous filament bundles are firstcombined to form a thick filament towwhich can be crimped and cut into sta-ple fibres.

The cutting processBy cutting the tow, staple fibres areobtained which can be compared, forexample, with wool or cotton in length.Depending on the process used, the towis either cut directly by the manufactu-rer and pressed into bales for delivery,or cut or torn into staple fibres using aso-called converter at a later stage by adownstream manufacturer.

9.1

Fibres With a Future

The versatility ofman-made fibres

The chemists and technicians who spe-cialise in man-made fibres today arecapable of manufacturing customisedfibres or developing completely newsubstances which match the demandsposed by the different applications to avery high extent.Customised fibres can be createdspecifically for use in apparel, for homefurnishings or for industrial uses.

10.1

Fibres With a Future

The variety of possibilities

The manufacturers of man-made fibrestoday are able, for example, to:– Vary the fineness of filament yarns,

the number of filaments and staplefibres;

– Determine the length of fibres depen-ding on the application and mixture;

– Produce anything from a brilliantsheen to an ultra-dull look;

– Produce the cross-sections of the fila-ments in a round shape, in three, six,eight-sided or any other form;

– Alter the affinity for dyes of variousclasses;

– Determine the structure of yarns, bethey flat, or textured or bulked yarnsproduced in various manufacturingprocesses.

10.2

Man-made Fibre Shapes

Man-made fibres

Tow

Staplefibres

Flock

Top

Spunyarn

Filament yarn

Multifilamentyarn

Monofilamentyarn

Flatfilament yarn

Texturedfilament yarn

Intermingledfilament yarn

Monofil

Bristle

Spunlaid

According to:DIN 60001-2DIN 60900-1DIN 61210

The Properties of Man-made Fibres

The technicaladvantages

The use of man-made fibres givesnumerous advantages to the manufac-turing industry:– Spinning mills, twister and texturizer

appreciate the good running pro-perties,

– Weavers and knitters take advantageof the good processing qualities,evenness and yarn strength,

– As a result of the various degrees ofcolourability and heat fixation, dyersand finishers attain colourful, near tocrease-free products which keep theirshape while employing environment-friendly finishing technology.

11.1

The Properties of Man-made Fibres

The advantages for theconsumer

Consumers particularly appreciate thefollowing properties of man-madefibres:– Fashion oriented variety– Durability– For washable items the ability to keep

their shape– Colour-fastness– Fastness to light– Easy care– Thermal insulation– Elasticity– Long life of technical products due to

high-tenacity yarns.

11.2

Designation of Man-made Fibres

Titre designationsIn addition to the type of material (vis-cose, polyester, polyamide, etc.) a yarnis defined by its fineness. For this rea-son it is given a titre. A titre is the unitof measurement for the fineness ofyarns.

In the case of filament yarn, theDEClTEX is the unit of measurementstill employed today, just as manufac-turers and processors of staple fibresexpress the titre by using the metricnumber Nm.

The titre expressed in dtex corre-sponds to the mass of a yarn in gramsat a length of 10,000 metres.

The titre in metric numbers (Nm) indi-cates the length of the yarn in metersper gram.

The designation of the titre using theinternational TEX unit is only slowly gai-ning acceptance. The titre in TEX cor-responds to the mass of the yarn ingrams at a length of 1000 m. For towthe unit KILOTEX is used (weight ingrams per meter).

12.1

Titre DesignationsTex system = tex = g/1000 m

dtex = g/10,000 m

For spun yarn there is also the Nm system = m/1 g

Examples:Filament yarn

44 dtex f10Number of filaments in the yarn = 1010,000 meters weigh 44 g

Staple fibres

1.7 dtex/40Lenght of cut = 40 mm10,000 m weigh 1.7 g

Heat-Setting

The processIn the yarn, the molecules are more orless aligned in the direction of the yarnaxis.Upon weaving and knitting, the straightyarn is mechanically forced into anarched form. The chain molecules, however, want tobend back into a straight line, i.e. thestitches or folds are unstable.If the yarns are heated, the macro-molecules can enter into new ancho-ring and retain this shape upon cooling.

The advantagesDuring heat-setting, weaved and knittedmaterials manufactured from syntheticfibres become form-stable. They do notshrink and do not change in shapeeven upon washing.

13.1

Apparel Manufactured from Man-made Fibres

The fabricsWhen processed into apparel fabrics,the man-made fibres fulfil all desiresand demands on textile fabrics: in allcolours, in all patterns and structures,as ornamentation, as a symbol of sta-tus or way of life, soft and fluffy, fineand delicate, coarse and tough, forstaying cool or keeping warm.

The systemOur clothing consists of a system ofdifferent layers of fabric, each with itsown tasks of supporting the life func-tions of the human organism. On theone hand, the body is to be shieldedfrom external influences and on theother hand, natural perspiration absor-bed and transported to the externalsurface. Dampness can best be chan-nelled away from the body when theyarns of a fabric do not lie flat on theskin. In this way, a fine cushion of air iscreated to ensure ventilation. In thecase of spun yarn, this effect is achie-ved by the ends of the yarns standingout from their surface. The same effectis achieved for textured yarns by thecrimped arches of the yarns.

The functionsMany factors determine the value ofmodern apparel fabrics. They must pro-tect our body from adverse weatherand environmental influences, bothday and night, in cold and in warmclimates, inside and outside buildings,at low exertion levels as well as duringstrenuous physical efforts.

14.1

Underwear

Shirt/blouse

Lining

Men’s/women’s suit

Coat

The layersof clothing

The Care Properties

Handling of textilesTextiles manufactured from man-madefibres reduce efforts made in cleaningand care. They are labour-saving, ener-gy-saving and save on laundry-deter-gent.The large selection of modern fabricsmanufactured from man-made fibresand their combinations with naturalfibres must, however, be handledproperly.

The care symbolsfor textiles

Before washing or cleaning one shouldbe sure to check the care label and pro-ceed according to the instructionsgiven.

The properties oftextiles

Utility textiles can be divided into twogroups according to their properties:Group One: For this group, dry cleaningis absolutely necessary. Men's andwomen's suits and coats made of wooland some wool-man-made fibre mixtu-res belong to this category.Group Two: This group does not requi-re dry cleaning. Washable items belongto this category. For the most part theycan be cared for at home and are usual-ly made of man-made fibres or otherfibres which have been chemically trea-ted.

15.1

Washcycle

Bleaching(triangle)

Ironing(iron)

Dry cleaning(Cleaning

drum)

Tumble drying(dryer drum)

Normalwashcycle

Gentlewashcycle

Gentlewashcycle

Gentlewashcycle

Gentlewashcycle

Handwash

Do notwash

Specialgentlewashcycle

Normalwashcycle

Normalwashcycle

The figures in the wash basin are the maximum washing temperatures, which may not beexceeded. The bar under the wash basin indicates a (mechanical) milder treatment, forexample, a gentle wash cycle. It indicates wash cycles suitable, for example, for easy-careand mechanically sensitive articles.

Chlorine bleach possibleChlorine bleach

not possible

Iron hot Iron medium hot Do not iron hot Do not iron

The dots indicate the temperature range for ironing.

No dry cleaningpossible

The letters are for dry cleaning. They indicate which solvents may be used.The bars underneath the circles indicate a limitation of the mechanical stress, addition ofmoisture and the temperature when dry cleaning.

Dry at normal heat Dry at reduced heat Do not tumble dry

The dots indicate the dryer setting of the tumble dryer.

The Significance of Man-made Fibresfor the Textile Market

16.1

The developmentIn this century man-made fibres havebrought about an almost revolutionarydevelopment in all parts of the textileindustry. In Germany just as in theother industrialised countries of theworld, man-made fibres have becomethe most significant textile raw materi-als by far.

World-productionof Cotton, Wool and

Man-made fibres

39%Cotton

Production ofMan-made fibres

Germany

22%Polyamide

World-productionof

Man-made fibres

58%Man-made-fibres

58%Polyester

9%Acrylic

14%Polyamide

31%Polyester

20%Cellulosicman-made

fibres

8%othersynth.

19%Acrylic

1,052,000 tons

47.8 million tons

Processing of Cotton,Wool and Man-made fibres

Germany

20%Cotton

End-uses:MAN-MADE FIBRES

Germany

42%Industrial

uses

75%Man-made fibres

37%Home furnishing

21%Apparel

779,000 tons

585,000 tons

10%Cellu-losic

man-madefibres

27.8 million tons

3%Wool

9%other

synthe-tics

5%Wool

The Significance of Man-made Fibresfor the Textile Market

16.2

End-uses:APPARELGermany

10%Wool

54% Man-made

fibres36%Cotton

228,000 t= 29% of totalconsumption

End-uses:INDUSTRIAL USES

Germany

259,000 t= 33% of totalconsumption

End-uses:HOME FURNISHING

Germany

20%Cotton

74%Man-made fibres

292,000 t= 38% of totalconsumption

The futureThe large market share of man-madefibres underscores the advantages ofman-made fibres in processing andusage. The textile market is no longerthinkable without man-made fibres.

Productionin 1,000 t 990 1.052

of which:

Polyamide 220 235

Polyester 333 323

Acrylic 187 201

Other synthetic man-made fibres 70 85

Cellulosic man-made fibres 180 208

Turnoverin Billion DM 6.4 6.0

Employees 29,400 19,700

1990 1998

Man-made fibresin Germany

5%Cotton

95%Man-made fibres

6%Wool

Published by:IndustrievereinigungChemiefaser e.V.Karlstraße 21D-60329 Frankfurt/MainPhone: ++49-69/27 99 71-30Fax: ++49-69/23 3185E-Mail: ivc@ivc-ev.deInternet: www.ivc-ev.de