Human beings discovered this art thousands of years ago, and they have invented several devices to make it easier and faster.
In fiber processing the word ‘spinning’
means two quite different things. ( ① )
One is the formation of individual fibers by squeezing a liquid through one or more small openings in a nozzle called a spinneret and letting it harden. ( ② )
Spiders and silkworms have been spinning fibers in this way for millions of years, but chemists and engineers learned the procedure from them only about a century ago. ( ③ )
In the other kind of spinning ―
sometimes called throwing to prevent confusion with the first kind ―
two or more fibers are twisted together to form a thread. ( ④ )
The ancient distaff and spindle are examples that were replaced by the spinning wheel in the Middle Ages. ( ⑤ )
Later came the spinning jenny, the water frame, and Crompton’s
mule ―
spinning machines that became symbols of the Industrial Revolution. *
distaff and spindle: 실을 감는 막대와 추