POLYESTER FILAMENT YARN

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Yarns for apparel and home furnishings usually have deniers ranging from 80 to 160. A dominant share of polyester filament yarn is used as textured yarn. Texturing modifies the filament yarn to increase properties such as bulk, resilience, abrasion resistance, warmth and insulation or to give a softer, more natural hand to the final fabric. The yarn must first be fully drawn to enable it to be subjected to a variety of texturing methods that add coils, crimp, curls, loops and other features to the flat yarn.

The most common methods are edge crimping, false twisting, gear crimping, knit-de-knit, stuffer box and air jet. In each of these methods the yarn is heated above its glass-transition temperature and then drawn and textured; the crimps, coils and loops are heat-set as the fiber is cooled. Filament yarn is drawn several times faster than staple and often in two or three stages before being wound onto a bobbin for shipment.

TECHNOLOGY/PROCESS/FEEDSTOCK

Polyester is manufactured by one of several methods. The one used depends on the form the finished polyester will take. The four basic forms are filament, staple, tow, and fiberfill. In the filament form, each individual strand of polyester fiber is continuous in length, producing smooth-surfaced fabrics. In staple form, filaments are cut to short, predetermined lengths. In this form polyester is easier to blend with other fibers. Tow is a form in which continuous filaments are drawn loosely together.

Polymerization

• To form polyester, dimethyl terephthalate is first reacted with ethylene glycol in the presence of a catalyst at a temperature of 302-410°F (150-210°C) OR
• A monomer (single, non-repeating molecule) alcohol is combined with purified terephthalic acid and raised to a temperature of 472°F (280°C). Newly-formed polyester, which is clear and molten, is extruded through a slot to form long ribbons.

• At the spinning stage, other chemicals may be added to the solution to make the resulting material flame retardant, antistatic, or easier to dye.

Drawing the fiber

• When polyester emerges from the spinneret, it is soft and easily elongated up to five times its original length. The stretching forces the random polyester molecules to align in a parallel formation. This increases the strength, tenacity, and resilience of the fiber. This time, when the filaments dry, the fibers become solid and strong instead of brittle.
• Drawn fibers may vary greatly in diameter and length, depending on the characteristics desired of the finished material. Also, as the fibers are drawn, they may be textured or twisted to create softer or duller fabrics.

Winding

• After the polyester yarn is drawn, it is wound on large bobbins or flat-wound packages, ready to be woven into material.

END USE

• Polyester yarns for apparel and home furnishings have typical denier levels ranging from 70 to 160.
• Polyester industrial yarns, also known as high-tenacity filament yarns, refer to very strong, heavy-denier filament fibers that are equal to or coarser than 500 denier. Typical applications for the heavy-duty industrial yarns include tire cord (about 1,000 denier), rope and cordage, seat belts, hoses and conveyor belts.

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE OF POLYESTER FILAMENT YARN

The top 10 largest producers of polyester filament yarn worldwide account for 25% of world capacity. The following table lists them in the order of their capacities worldwide: The top two producers Hualon and Zhejiang Tongkun together control over 6% of global PFY capacity
The YnFx Polyester Chain Report has them in the order of their capacities worldwide

The detailed Industry Structure and the Company names with capacity and % Share in the global market is available in the Polyester Chain Report by Yarnsandfibers.com

AN OVERVIEW

Polyester filament yarn demand exceeded 14 million tons valued at over US$20 billion. Total consumption of polyester fibers worldwide is expected to increase at an annual growth rate of 4.5% over the next four-year period from 2005 to 2008. An average production growth rate of over 5% is expected in Asian countries. Polyester filament yarn capacity continued to expand worldwide. Asia is now accounting for the bulk of worldwide production capabilities. In 2005, global capacity of polyester filament was about 21.5 million tons. Capacity utilization averaged 66%, which was much lower than the above 70% clocked between 2001 and 2003. Asia, accounts for 89% of global capacity and its capacity utilization rate averaged 65%, the lowest among the eight PSF producing regions.
Asia is a net exporter of PFY. Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are major exporter accounting of over 50% of global exports. China, however, is a net importer. Among major importers, Mexico imports over 35% of worldwise imports. Other importing countries are China and Brazil. The future projections, and country-wise demand for Polyester Filament Yarn is covered in the Polyester Chain Report by Yarnsandfibers.com. You may also get a view of Table of Contents  

The report also covers Various aspects in tabular as well as graphical form as shown below -

Price Trends –
The current prices and the trends are published weekly in theYnFx PriceWatch Report, which covers 22 textile products, starting from feedstock till yarn, and tracks the international price movement on a weekly basis.
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