Acrylic fabric, also known as polyacrylonitrile or acrylonitrile, is well-knitted with acrylic yarns. Acrylic does not denote the natural world. Instead, artificial production is mostly related to Acrylic. So, What is Acrylic Fabric Made of? This article will discuss what is acrylic fabric made of and its overall production process.
Table of Contents
What is Acrylic Fabric Made of?
Simply put, acrylic fabric is made of a synthetic polymer named acrylonitrile. Acrylic fabric is a fiber wholly based on fossil fuel. The production of this type of fabric involves the reaction of certain chemicals, such as petroleum or coal, with wide-ranging monomers. In most cases, Acrylic fabric refers to the Cheap Wool.
How it’s made? The Manufacturing Process
Synthetic fibers used to be way cheaper. After the acrylic fabric gets washed, dried, and cut, it will be spun into thread. After that, the threads go through the process of woven into fabric. Then, it goes through the process of ‘blend’ where acrylic fiber and threads become woven, mixing with other fiber types.
Here are the six steps of the Acrylic Fabric manufacturing process. They are:
Step 1: Polymerization
The polyacrylonitrile is created in a water-based solution using a Free-Radical Polymerization reaction.’
Step 2: Dissolution
After that, the polymer gets dissolved with the help of a chemical solvent.
Step 3: Extrusion
A gel-like material is created to be extruded through a spinneret to form Acrylic fiber.
Step 4: Spinning
The Acrylic fibers are then coagulated in a solvent solution, where the process is called wet or dry spinning. The dry spinning involves the evaporation of the solvent of the heated gas stream.
Step 5: Washing
The acrylic fibers then get washed and stretched to be turned into long filaments.
Step 6: Loading
After acrylic fibers get spun into yarn, they are shipped to the product manufacturers of textiles.
Is Acrylic Fabric Synthetic or Plastic-Made?
If you read the previous part carefully, you have the answer already! Well, yes, the Acrylic fabric is synthetic-polymer made. Acrylic fabric is well-considered to be synthetic. It is not directly plastic-made.
Acrolynitrile, the compound from which Acrylic fabric is made, is found in petroleum, air, water, coal, and limestone. Acrylic fabric’s properties may sometimes mix with plastics during manufacturing.
Characteristics
The characteristics of Acrylic fabric are multi-faceted. They are:
- Acrylic fabric is soft and comfortable to wear.
- It is a lightweight material.
- The heat retention of Acrylic fabric is popular.
- It has moisture-wicking properties.
- It retains its color.
- It is moth and mildew-resistant.
Final Words
Let us summarise before we finish this blog. Acrylic fabric is fully synthetic and is generated from petroleum or coal-derived molecules, making it essentially fossil-fuel dependent. It’s common in apparel items like sweatshirts, sweaters, gloves, boot liners, and athletic wear because of its heat-retention capabilities. Furthermore, it is well-known as a popular outdoor upholstery fabric.
That’s all there is to know about acrylic cloth. Happy Reading!
Mahedi Hasan is a Textile Engineer, as well as a Top Rated content writer at Upwork, a Level 02 Seller at Fiverr, Level 02 Publisher at Ezoic. A passionate textile and fashion content writer, fashion SEO expert, and fashion web designer. Having a B.Sc. in Textile Engineering Degree from Textile Engineering College, Noakhali (TECN). The department is Apparel Engineering. Highly Experienced fashion writer for the last 3+ years. Have extensive 7 years of experience in the wholesale clothing business.