In 1950 Orlon, the first commercially successful acrylic fibre, was introduced by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (now DuPont Company). Acrylic and modacrylic fibres are based on polyacrylonitrile. …polyacrylonitrile, DuPont introduced its trademarked Orlon, the first acrylic fibre to be produced in commercial quantities.