Polyester Manmade Fiber History Polyester began as a

Polyester Manmade Fiber

History… • Polyester began as a group of polymers in W. H. Carothers’ laboratory • Carothers was working for du. Pont at the time when he discovered that alcohols and carboxyl acids could be successfully combined to form fibers • Polyester was put on the back burner, however, once Carothers discovered nylon • A group of British scientists– J. R. Whinfield, J. T. Dickson, W. K. Birtwhistle, and C. G. Ritchie– took up Carothers’ work in 1939 • In 1941 they created the first polyester fabric called Terylene • In 1946 du. Pont bought all legal rights from the Brits and came up with another polyester fiber which they named Dacron

• Polyester was first introduced to the American public in 1951 – It was advertised as a miracle fiber that could be worn for 68 days straight without ironing and still look presentable • In 1958 another polyester fiber called Kodel was developed by Eastman Chemical Products, Inc. • The polyester market kept expanding since it was such an inexpensive and durable fiber • Polyester experienced a constant growth until the 1970 s when sales drastically declined due to the negative public image that emerged in the late 60 s as a result of the infamous polyester doubleknit fabric

Advantages • • Easily dyed Strong Light weight Resistant to: – Shrinking – Stretching – Mildew – Creasing – Fading from the sun • Easy to care for • Offered in many forms- knits, jerseys or cottons, and silk-like fabrics

Disadvantages • No breathe • Fabric shine can be • unattractive • Stains are difficult to remove • Retains body heat and • moisture like sweat • Not as comfortable as some of the natural fibers Can cause rashes and skin irritation on those with sensitive skin Not environmentally friendly

Care • Use warm water on normal cycle in washing machine • Add fabric softener before the final rinse cycle- polyester is sensitive to static electricity and fabric softner will help prevent that • Machine dry at a low/lowest temperature setting for about 10 minutes to remove wrinkles- polyester does shrink, so avoid heat as much as possible • Hang or lay the garment out for the completion of the drying time- if the garment becomes to dry in the dryer it may shrink so it is better to air dry • If ironing is needed, use a moderately warm ironif the iron is too hot it will burn the polyester

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