Overview

The development of Orlon® acrylic fiber stemmed from DuPont’s work on rayon. In 1941 a DuPont scientist seeking to improve rayon discovered a means of spinning acrylic polymer – which unlike nylon, decomposes rather than melts – through a solution. DuPont began developing the substance dubbed “Fiber A.” Initially the material was targeted as a replacement for wool, but difficulties in spinning and dyeing soon cropped up. In 1950 the May Plant in Camden, South Carolina, went into production of the material renamed Orlon® .

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