As far back as 1665 a British scientist predicted that artificial fibers would one day by produced. The first experiments were carried out about 200 years later by a Swiss scientist in Lausanne and the first industrial production of the fiber took place in 1884 under the Frenchman Chardonnet.

Naturally it took some time for the fibers to become popular. In the first decades of the twentieth century rayon was being produced from cellulose. Protein fibers, made from such natural materials as casein, in skimmed milk, peanuts and soya beans, were also produced.

Today, the production of synthetic resins has made artificial fibers into a vast industry. Its products include nylon, dralon, orlon and Dacron which are used all over the world.