Patent ID: 7364678

Claim:
Process for making a polyethylene multi-filament yarn comprising the steps of a) spinning at least one filament from a solution of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene in a solvent; b) cooling the filament obtained to form a gel filament; c) removing at least partly the solvent from the gel filament; d) drawing the filament in at least one drawing step before, during or after removing solvent; e) applying a spin finish at least once in an amount of 0.1-10 mass % based on the filament, to a filament that contains less than 50 mass % of the solvent; the spin finish comprising at least 95 mass % of at least one volatile compound having a boiling point at 0.1 MPa pressure of from 30 to 25000; and f) removing the spin finish by subsequently exposing the filament to a temperature of below the melting temperature of the filament, such that carbon and oxygen atomic concentrations at the surface of the filament of at least 95% C and at most 5% O, as measured by XPS analysis, result.