How are sponges made?

Question

They're so squishie and wonderful. And I'm wondering how people make them. :P Those sponges that you use to wash dishes.

Answer 1

To gather natural sponges, specially trained divers descend into sponge-growing waters with a large two-pronged hook and a string bag. Traditional sponge divers in Greece used no special breathing equipment. The men of seaside villages were trained from childhood and were expert deep water divers. The sponge industry in the United States centers around Tarpon Springs, Florida, a community that was founded by Greek immigrant divers. Today's sponge divers use modern diving equipment such as wet suits and oxygen tanks. The divers pry sponges off the rocks or reefs where they grow, and bring them up in their string bags. The divers pile the sponges on the deck of their boat and cover them with wet cloths. The animals die on the boat, and their skins rot off. After the skins have decayed, the harvesters wash the sponges and string them on a long, thin rope to dry in the sun. After they have dried completely, the harvesters wash the sponges several more times. This is all the preparation the sponges need to be ready for sale.

The steps necessary in the manufacture of synthetic sponge is discussed below.

1. The cellulose used for sponges arrives at the sponge factory in large, stiff sheets. Workers take the sheets and soak them in a vat of water mixed with certain chemical softeners. The cellulose becomes soft and jelly-like. Then workers load the cellulose into a revolving mixer, which is a large rotating metal drum. Workers add the sodium sulphate crystals, cut hemp fibers, and dye, and close the mixer. The mixer is set to rotate, and it churns the ingredients so that they are thoroughly amalgamated.
2. From the mixer, workers pour the material into a large rectangular mold that may be 2 ft (61 cm) high, 2 ft (61 cm) wide, and 6 ft (1.8 m) long. The mold is heated, and the cellulose mixture cooks. As it cooks, the sodium sulphate crystals melt, and drain away through openings in the bottom of the mold. It is their melting that leaves the characteristic pores in the finished sponge. The size of the pores is determined by the size of the sodium sulphate crystals. A rough sponge used for washing a car, for instance, is made with coarse crystals, while a fine sponge of the type used for applying makeup is made with very fine crystals. As the celluolose mix cooks, then cools, it becomes a hard, porous block.
3. The sponge block is then soaked in a vat of bleach. This removes dirt and impurities, and also brightens the color. Next the sponge is cleaned in water. Additional washings alter the texture, making the sponge more pliable. The sponge is left to dry, to prepare it for cutting.
4. Some manufacturers make the sponge and cut and package it themselves. Others produce the raw blocks of sponge, and then sell them to a company known as a converter. The converter cuts the sponges according to its customers needs, and takes care of the packaging and distribution. Whether at the first manufacturing facility or at the converter, workers cut the sponges on an automatic cutter. They load each big rectangle of sponge into a machine that slices it into the desired size. Because the sponge block is rectangular, it can be cut into many smaller rectangles with little or no waste.
5. Many household sponges have a textured plastic scouring pad attached to one side. This is attached in a process called laminating, after the sponge is cut. The scouring pad, which is cut to the same size as the sponge, is affixed to the sponge in a laminating machine that uses a specialized sponge glue made of moisture-cured polyurethane. Next, the sponges move to a packaging area where they are sealed in plastic. The packaged sponges are boxed, and the boxes sent to a warehouse for further distribution.

Answer 2

What Are Sponges Made Of

Answer 3

Most of the sponges that you use for dishes are simply carbonated plastics. Kind of like hardened fizz.
There are also natural sponges. They are living organisms of the seas.
People dont make those. They kind of make each other, , , you know, , , boy meets girl, birds & bees kind of thing?

Answer 4

Some sponges are actually natural. They are called sea sponges. So, God made sea sponges.

http://www.handlethetruth.net

Answer 5

Sponges are a natural product, not a made one.

Answer 6

natural sponges come from the sea and the others are manufactured. have a nice day.

Answer 7

a natural sponge is the skeleton of an aquatic animal ,with numerous pores in its walls ,the total being the remarkable quality of being able to absorb liquids.The cheaper ones used around the house are blocks of synthetic foam.

Answer 8

You get a little girl sponge and a little boy sponge, put them in an aquarium for salt water fish and then they do their own squeezing for a while.

Answer 9

Sponges are not made, but grown. They are sea creatures that are harvested and transformed into what you buy at the store.

Answer 10

Real sponges are from the ocean...they live there!