Rayon is a cellulosic fiber material made from wood pulp, which can be manipulated to resemble silk. The process involves treating the wood pulp with sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide, spinning the fibers, and adding trims for unique characteristics.
Rayon is a cellulosic, or vegetable, fiber material that resembles silk. In fact, it was known as artificial silk before the term was changed in the early 1920s. The process for making rayon begins with the plants that make it possible, such as wood. Once the materials have been gathered, they can be manipulated and transformed into the common rayon material most people are familiar with.
The wood fibers used in the composition of the rayon come from one of the three main tree species. Pine, spruce, and hemlock are the most popular choices, but they’re not the only ones that can be used. However, the ease of growing these trees, along with their abundance, makes them some of the cheapest to use. Cotton can also be used. The fact that these natural products are used means that rayon is not a synthetic product, even if its purpose is to mimic another natural product.
Once the material has been collected, the wood is ready for processing. The wood pulp is ground and treated with sodium hydroxide. This is then dried over a period of several days. The resulting product is then mixed with liquid carbon disulfide. This becomes a very thick liquid with the approximate consistency of honey.
Once this is done, the liquid is then kept for a few more days for maturation. Then, the liquid is forced through a device with many holes to create individual threads. These filaments are fed into acid, where they solidify. This helps create the foundation for the solid material. Without this step, there would be no solid and, therefore, no tissue.
After the filaments have been created, the rest of the process is very similar to the process of manufacturing any other clothing material. It must be spun. The equipment to do this is the same as that used for many other different fiber types. The most common spinning methods for rayon include reel, pot, and continuous spinning.
Once the fibers have been spun, trims can be added. These include treating the rayon fabric for fire resistance, shrinkage and water resistance. Even the smoothness of the fabric can be affected, depending on the type of treatment carried out. These treatments help make the fabrics unique from each other. While these are the basic steps for making rayon, there are other steps that can be added depending on the type of rayon fabric being created.
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