A Guide to Natural Rubber
21st June, 2023
Natural rubber is a stretchy and flexible material that is durable and cost-effective. It's used to make things like rubber bands, tires, and waterproof items. Natural rubber is also a renewable resource, it can be harvested without causing harm to rubber trees. Here is our guide to natural rubber and how it is used.
What is natural rubber?
Natural rubber is a substance that comes from the rubber tree. The rubber tree produces a special kind of sap. When you tap the tree, you collect this sap, which is called latex. Latex looks like a sticky, milky liquid. But when you let it sit for a while, it undergoes a process called coagulation. This means it becomes thicker and forms into a solid material. This solid material is what we call natural rubber.
What are the benefits of natural rubber?
Natural rubber is flexible, has a high degree of resilience, tensile strength and tear resistance. It has outstanding wear resistance and good flexing capabilities at low temperatures. The durability of natural rubber makes it a very cost-effective option compared to other materials available.
Natural rubber has a unique property called elasticity, which means it can stretch and then return back to its original shape. This makes it very useful for making things like rubber bands, tires, and even gloves. Rubber is also waterproof, this property makes it suitable for many different applications, such as waterproof clothing and seals for containers.
Also, natural rubber is a renewable resource. This means we can keep tapping the rubber trees to collect more latex without harming the trees. Therefore, natural rubber has a much smaller carbon footprint than synthetic rubber.
What can natural rubber be used for?
Natural rubber is stretchy and flexible. It has a unique property called elasticity, which means it can stretch and then return to its original shape. At Aquaseal we use natural rubber in our products such as belting, hoses, tubing, insulators, valves and gaskets.
When considering any material, it’s important to assess what your material will be used for. For example, natural rubber has good flexing capabilities at temperatures from -60°C to 75°C, if your material will be used in temperatures outside this range, you’ll need to explore other rubber options.
Natural Rubber is a versatile and durable material that has an array of uses all while being a renewable resource. To learn more about the products available at Aquaseal that use natural rubber please contact us here.
