Rubber is a substance that has been around for many years and is used in a variety of different ways. From making wellington boots right through to mechanical parts and construction items. Rubber was initially quite hard to work with but since the invention of processes such as Rubber Injection Moulding it has become much easier to utilise rubber. This form of moulding allows items to be made in almost any shape and size.
Here are a few simple facts about what rubber is and where it comes from
Rubber comes in two main forms – natural and synthetic. Natural rubber comes from the milky white latex liquid that oozes from a number of different plants when their bark is cut. Most of the natural rubber that we used comes from the rubber tree or Hevea brasiliensis. Although this is the most common plant used to harvest rubber, it is thought that there are over 200 different plants that produce a liquid latex substance.
Synthetic rubber is made in a lab or chemical plant and is made from a number of different chemicals. A variety of different rubber types can be made including the more well known neoprene and PVC.