How is Rayon Made?

Rayon is a fiber made of cellulosic material, or plant life, that is made to resemble silk. In fact, it used to be known as artificial silk before the term was changed in the early 1920s. The process to manufacture rayon begins with the plants that make it possible, such as wood. Once the materials have been harvested, it can then be manipulated and changed into the common rayon material with which most people are familiar. The wood fibers used in the makeup of rayon come from one of three major species of trees. Pine, spruce and hemlock are the most popular choices, but these are not the only ones that can be used. However, the ease of cultivation of these trees, along with their abundance, make them some of the most economical to use. Cotton can also be used. The fact these natural products are used means rayon is not a synthetic product, even though its purpose is to imitate another natural product. Once the material has been collected, the wood is ready for processing. The wood ...  more

Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulosic fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic fiber . Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry. It usually has a high lustre quality giving it a bright shine. Rayon contains the chemical elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.  more

Rayon, a textile material, is composed of cellulose obtained from cotton linters or from the pulp of trees such as spruce. At first rayon was called artificial silk because, in its filament form, it somewhat resembles silk. The manufacture of rayon filaments (and all manufactured fibers) is done by means of an extrusion process called spinning. In this procedure the fiber-forming liquid is forced through tiny holes in a nozzle or spinneret into a liquid bath containing a solution that produces filaments of pure cellulose, which can be spun into yarn. The filaments are drawn together to form both fibers and yarn in a single, continuous process.  more