1. Definitions and terminology

Although, to the best of our knowledge, these concepts have not yet been the subject of precise, approved terminology, we will use the term textile spinning to describe, in a deliberately restrictive way, the operation (or set of operations) consisting in transforming a viscous mass of organic polymer (melted or dissolved in a suitable solvent) into a set of continuous parallel and contiguous filaments, most often wound, in the final stage, in the form of a continuous multifilament, also known as continuous yarn. The products thus obtained, wound or "cabled", are essentially intermediate products destined for the usual downstream textile operations (transformation into staple fibers, texturing, weaving, knitting, etc.) or for certain types of composite manufacturing technology. Defined in this way, textile spinning belongs to the group of processes known as "material shaping" (essentially,...