The History Of Rubber And Today's Uses

Rubber is an abundant and valuable natural resource, and is an important element of many countries economies. Rubber as we think of it comes from the latex collected from rubber trees and has many qualities including strength, flexibility, durability and versatility.

Rubber was first created by the Olmecs, an ancient civilization from Mexico. They boiled the latex that they had collected from the rubber tree to create a ball which they used to play sport. Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are the main source of rubber today. In 1879 a method for producing synthetic rubber was developed. Today, synthetic rubber, which is derived from petroleum, makes up more than 50% of the rubber available on the market today. Both synthetic and natural rubber have many important uses in many different industries. The use of rubber is widespread and is found in both domestic and industrial products.

Natural rubber is often vulcanized in order to produce vehicle tyres and the vulcanization of rubber is closely associated with Charles Goodyear, Goodyear being one of several eminent tyre manufacturers. One of the largest uses of rubber is in creating tyres and tubes for the automotive industry. Other industries that use large amounts of rubber each year are those which produce items such as; rubber gloves, balloons, matting, flooring, hoses, belts, anti-vibration mounts for vehicles, adhesives, rubber gaskets, rubber bands and pencil erasers. Rubber is also used in the textile industry where it can be converted into elastic. While rubber is still used in textile manufacturing, its low tenacity limits its use in lightweight garments because latex lacks resistance to oxidizing agents and is damaged and weakened by aging, sunlight, oil, and perspiration.

Natural rubber was known to the indigenous people of the Americas long before the arrival of European explorers. In 1525, Mexican tribes started to use rubber to make balls for playing sport with. Today, the use of rubber is immersed in the household and commercial manufacturing industries. While natural rubber is a milky substance found in the sap of rubber trees, synthetic rubber is chemically synthesized using chemicals from the petroleum industry . Rubber is very recognizable to just about all of us as we see and use it almost every day of our lives. Numerous rubber products available to us on the market include things like tyres, hosepipes, gloves, balls and so on. There are also tools that can be made from rubber. In almost every aspect of our lives, rubber is indispensable. Small things like a pen, an eraser or a chair may just seem like everyday items, but it is undeniable that our lives would be very different without these.

Rubber can also be used in the manufacture of sports items like basketballs and footballs. These items will in the most simple way, give us enjoyment in our leisure time, as well as giving us exercise. There is also the variations of rubber, EPDM gaskets and Neoprene.

Next on the list for the use of rubber is that it can be used to make children's toys. These toys are always light and safe, which will not do any harm to the children who play with them. One of the most important uses of rubber is in the manufacture of tyres for our vehicles. There are countless other household uses for rubber.

To sum up, rubber is a very important part of our daily lives and an important part of our economy. Rubber is really an amazing substance

----------------------------------------------------
Graham Baylis works with many businesses, but none as unique as Alanto, a rubber moulding manufacturer in Birmingham. They produce all sorts of gaskets, foam in many types of materials and have over time helped many a company in solving packaging problems etc. See http://www.alanto.co.uk for more details.

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=258479