A fiber in general is a very thin strand of any material. It can be characterized by its great length, compared to which its width is almost negligible, as it is at least a hundred times smaller. Fibers are the smallest constituent elements of any textiles that are visible. Fibers are naturally present in any kind of organic matter (for example, in plants or animals)

Fiber production is a very widely spread industrial activity and very often it deals with natural fibers, like silk, cotton, wool, hair, etc. But, in fact, fibers can also be artificially manufactured. depending on the specific type of the fiber manufacturing process, as several fibers are differentiated. One of the types bears the name of regenerated fibers, which are produced using natural materials. The manufacturing process of regenerated fibers involves modifying these materials in order to be able to compose a fiber structure for them. This kind of fibers can also be referred to as cellulosics, and these fibers are made on the basis of cellulose extracted from wood pulp or cotton. The most common and widely known regenerated fibers are acetate and rayon.

The other type of fibers encapsulates the so-called synthetic fibers, which are produced exclusively form chemicals. One specific characteristic feature of synthetic fibers is their exceptional strength. In this respect, synthetic fibers rank first if compared to both natural and regenerated fibers. Synthetic fibers are also very thermoplastic, which means that they are susceptible to being softened and modified under the impact of high temperatures. In this way during the manufacturing process of synthetic fibers, they can be attributed the desirable characteristics, for example, creases or pleats. To name a few of the most common synthetic fibers, they are nylon, polyester, olefin and acrylic.

Synthetic fiber production makes for a very significant sphere of industry all over the world. The total value of the synthetic fibers produced worldwide is slightly smaller than that of natural fibers, mostly represented by those produced from wool and cotton. Despite the fact that natural fibers have recently gained tremendous popularity with general public, the demand for synthetic fibers still remains very significant. The reason for synthetic fibers unfailing appeal is the fact that they can be made to contain certain specific and original properties, which is not possible while dealing with natural fibers.

The fiber manufacturing process is a field of constant research and innovation, it is the domain of chemical engineers, who basically are the main developers and improvers of the operations connected with fiber manufacturing. It is a very complicated process, which can be described in details only on the basis of fundamental concepts of chemical engineering. Put in brief the fiber forming process is a multistage process that includes a number of different operations, like spinning (which can be melt, wet and dry), optional cooling, and finally twisting, maintaining constant speed.