The textile and
clothing industry majorly deals with the production of cloth (or yarn) and
the subsequent processes of design, manufacturing and distribution.
The
industry’s raw materials may involve both natural and synthetic products. The
industrial processes involve: manufacturing of cotton, synthetic fibers and
natural fibers. Cotton, being the world’s most important natural fiber, is
cultivated in more than 50 countries which involve the stages of cultivating and
harvesting, preparation, spinning (yarn), weaving (fabrics), and finishing
(textiles).
Synthetic
fibers are artificial fibers made from extruding a polymer into a medium where
it becomes hard. There are two kinds of spinning techniques used for this: Wet
spinning, Dry spinning and Melt spinning. Wet spinning, for example in rayon,
uses a coagulating medium. Whereas dry spinning, one used in acetate and
triacetate, the polymer is contained in a solvent that evaporates in a heated
gas chamber. On the other hand, in melt spinning, the polymer that is extruded
is cooled down in gas/ air and then set, for example in nylons and polyesters. Synthetic
fibers can be processed and cut like natural fibers.
Natural
fibers are made from animals (sheep, goat, silk-worm, etc), minerals (such as
asbestos) or plants (e.g. cotton and flax). Plant fibers are obtained from
seed, stem or leaf.
With
the continuously growing demands in cotton and textile industry, the production
and use of synthetic fibers have increased by a good percentage. People have
started looking beyond the conventional raw materials such as cotton, wool and
cellulose to synthetic fibers that use polymers for market
research growth.
This trend indicates a radical change and shift in the
textile industry with a rising demand for textile products (both natural as
well as synthetic), and employment of a huge workforce.
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