Photo of a man in a lab coat (Benjamin Schmuck, SLU) sitting in the lab with a sample of artificially spun spider silk in his hand.
Photo: Lisa Chröisty, SLU

Artificial spider silk 2.0: Time for large-scale production of the “super fiber”

Page reviewed:  04/10/2025

For 20 years, the artificial spider silk research group at SLU has demonstrated that it is possible to mimic spiders and produce what may be one of the world's most durable and environmentally friendly materials. However, is it possible to scale up production for future large-scale manufacturing?

A fiber that can help heal nerves in the human body? Alternatively, become a high-performance material for space suits? Or replace the environmentally harmful materials in today's clothing? Yes, the possibilities for artificial spider silk are many and grand. But for them to move from possibility to action, one question needs to be answered: How can production be scaled up, from today's spinning of individual threads to the giant machinery of the future?'

We have found a process for spinning artificial spider silk, but there is a long way to go from a single thread to producing textiles – and what we are spinning is so unique that we simply need to tailor a solution, says Benjamin Schmuck, researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), who is leading the project.

Scaling up fragile production – to enable the “super fiber” to reach the market

For those who are unfamiliar with the background to the success story of the spider silk team at SLU, it began 20 years ago with researcher Wilhelm Engström and his doctoral student Anna Rising, who went on to start their own research group. Since then, many different avenues have been explored by the multifaceted research group, and several different projects are still running in parallel today. Unique to the research group at SLU is that artificial spider silk is produced in a way that mimics the natural spinning process of a spider, making the fiber both environmentally friendly and (like the spider's own thread) incredibly stretchy and durable.

Researcher Benjamin Schmuck has been working within the large research team for five years, and now he faces the major task of finding a way to scale up production, thanks to the SEK 4 million he has received from the Formas research council.

Photo of a ball of artificially spun spider silk in a laboratory.
The harvest after a full day of spinning, based on current methods. Now Benjamin Schmuck needs to find solutions to scale up production—to give the super material a chance to show what it can do. Photo: Lisa Chröisty

Thanks to the fact that “superfiber,” artificial spider silk, is environmentally friendly, recyclable, and created entirely without chemicals, the invention is a welcome addition to our world, which today faces major challenges in replacing environmentally harmful materials and finding new sustainable solutions.

Currently, the team at SLU spins individual threads in a process that is both time-consuming and not particularly efficient. After a whole day of spinning, a bundle of fiber small enough to fit in Benjamin's palm can be shown off. Impressive, absolutely, but in order to manufacture products from the fibers, production needs to be scaled up many times over.

“Will I see artificial spider silk being worn and used in my lifetime?”

Many parameters must be correct for the precise process of spinning artificial spindle thread, entirely without spindles, to work. The right temperature, the right speed, the right material for the tools, the right substances in the right concentrations... Yes, the list is long.

That is why it is a challenge to make production both larger and faster. Because if a single parameter in the process changes, the properties of the artificial spindle thread also change.

So we need to find a solution to something that doesn't exist today, says the researcher, continuing:
... both in terms of the process and the equipment needed to make it possible on a large scale. But it's also the kind of research I like and am good at! says Benjamin Schmuck.

So, when will it be practically possible to scale up production? Is there a chance that you and I will see artificial spider silk being worn and used in our lifetime?

Towards a large-scale goal

The project is expected to run for four years, until 2028. And the goal is clear: to be able to present a finished yarn and some kind of prototype of an actual textile at the end of the project. This would be a major step forward in the success story of producing artificial spider silk that can be used in practice.

If I had to guess... I would think that initially it will be useful in areas that are not so price-sensitive, such as sports or functionality, but perhaps not so much in inexpensive clothing to begin with, says Benjamin, continuing:
Perhaps in 10 years, we will have the first direct application out in society?

 

With a dream of working on something that matters to society and has a clear practical application, Benjamin Schmuck seems to be the right person in the right context. And while acknowledging that it is no easy task to take a research discovery to large-scale production, he is optimistic about the possibilities for the future.

I have come quite a long way this year alone, and I look forward to the continued challenge, concludes researcher Benjamin Schmuck.
Photo of a man in a lab coat (Benjamin Schmuck, SLU) reaching out his hand toward the camera to show a piece of artificially spun spider silk.
“White gold” – a unique superfiber. Photo: Lisa Chröisty

Facts about this project:

  • The research project is funded by the national research council Formas by 3,997,998 (almost 4 million) SEK.
  • Launched in January 2024 and expected to run until 2028.
  • The project is led by Benjamin Schmuck, researcher in molecular biotechnology and bioprocessing at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), together with a research group consisting of:
    • Anna Rising, researcher and professor of veterinary biochemistry at SLU and KI.
    • Gabriele Greco, postdoctoral researcher at SLU.
    • Tomás Bohn Pessatti, researcher at SLU.
    • Elin Karlsson, Postdoctoral researcher at SLU. 
    • Viktoria Langwallner, doctoral student at SLU.
    • Karin Tufvesson, doctoral student at SLU.
    • Tobias Fietze, PhD student at KI.
    • och Johan Reimegård, researcher in bioinformatics at Uppsala University. 

The project is divided into two stages, which can be described very simply as follows:

  1. Start by optimizing the spinning process on a small scale.
  2. Move on to the large spinning machine and look at the various spinning parameters, alternating between improving the mechanical properties and streamlining the spinning process.
  3. Finally, produce a yarn that can be showcased and used to create a textile.

More about artificial spider silk research:

Here you can read a researcher profile featuring one of the doctoral students in the spider silk research group, Viktoria Langwallner: Artificial spider silk – the environmentally friendly clothing material of the future?

Contact