spinneret

Spinneret is a term used for devices or organs that extrude a silk-like or filamentous material from a fluid. In biology, it refers to the silk-spinning organs of spiders and some insects. Spiders have several spinnerets located at the rear of the abdomen, each bearing numerous tiny openings called spigots. Silk is produced in specialized glands and is drawn out through the spinnerets to form threads used for webs, egg sacs, lining, and locomotion. The composition and properties of the silk vary by gland, allowing the animal to produce fibers suited to different functions. In moths and silkworms, the spinning apparatus serves a similar role in producing cocoons or protective coatings.

In materials science and textile engineering, a spinneret is a device used to shape polymer streams into continuous filaments. It is typically a perforated plate or nozzle with many tiny orifices through which a polymer solution or melt is extruded. The geometry, size, and arrangement of the holes determine the filament diameter and uniformity. Spinnerets are used in processes such as melt spinning, dry spinning, and wet spinning to produce fibers for textiles, composites, and specialty applications. Materials for spinnerets include metal, ceramic, and sometimes sapphire to resist wear and corrosion; hole shapes can be round, elliptical, or slot-based to tailor fiber properties.

Overall, spinnerets are central to both natural silk production and industrial fiber manufacturing, illustrating a shared function of converting a viscous fluid into solid filaments.