Filament

Image Caption: Bundles of silk filament. National Archives and Records Administration / Public domain

A filament is a fiber of unlimited or very long length. Filaments are typically produced through extrusion, are of uniform length and quality. Silk is said to be a natural filament because it can be harvested in single lengths that are very long. Other common filaments include copper magnet wire, nylon, and rayon. Because of their uniform structure, they can often be very light and strong.

filaments are available as monofilaments or multifilaments. Monofilaments refer to a single continuous length of filament where multifilaments consist of several filaments twisted or braided together.

Primary Measurements

• type: the source of the filament
• fiber diameter: the cross-sectional diameter of the fiber, measured in µm or AWG