With all the new materials being invented, is there still a place for rubber? Yes, our guide outlines how rubber is still vital in today’s world of business, for its flexibility and durability as well as its range of attractive color properties.
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While its practical application in the industrial world has been around since the mid 19th century, rubber is still an essential material in modern manufacturing. Its use in manufacturing helps us produce high-quality products, including cars, refrigerators and phone cases. Rubber is also used in sealing, o-rings and fasteners, which helps improve the manufacturing process. Let’s take a closer look at why rubber is still vital in today’s world.
Rubber: A Brief History
Rubber has been used for centuries, first by South Americans, but it was first used in the industrial world in 1839. That was the year Charles Goodyear accidentally dripped rubber and sulfur on a hot stovetop, which caused it to char like leather, while still remaining plastic and elastic.
There are two main types of rubber, natural and synthetic, and each are used for a variety of products in several different industries.
Natural rubber is made from the sap of trees, which is then mixed with chemicals to harden the final product. Natural rubber can be made at home and is easy to synthesize, whereas synthetic rubber requires industrial space to make.
Synthetic rubber (also known as manmade rubber) emerged near the turn of the 20th century, when natural rubber was harder to come by and a bit more expensive.
The first synthetic rubber was created between 1879 and 1909. Soon after, its demand began to increase, due in part to the rising popularity of automobiles at the time, but also because during the first and second World Wars, a lot of the machinery was produced that used rubber. Rubber was also used to make certain supplies at home and for war.
Why Rubber Is Still Vital in Today’s World
It’s Used in Manufacturing
Rubber is especially useful in manufacturing because of its use in o-rings, sealing and fasteners. And advanced modern materials are being used every day to improve rubber’s qualities. For example, fluorocarbon rubber has the ability to withstand solvents, something that wasn’t possible when rubber was first introduced.
Rubber is used to make car tires, but it’s also used to make anti-vibration mounts in vehicles, engine belts, seals, hoses and brakes. The remotes used to lock and unlock vehicles and pop open trunks are partially made of rubber.
Since rubber can be easily molded into different shapes, the manufacturing industry uses rubber to produce thousands of products. In fact, the demand for natural rubber is forecast to reach $33.87 billion by 2027, up from $28.65 billion in 2019.
Products Made Using Rubber
Rubber is used in a variety of products that we use every day, including:
- Pencils (and grips)
- Erasers
- Rubber gloves
- Rubber bands
- Phone cases
- Different types of remote controls
- Buttons on electronic devices
- Computer mice
- Shoes
- Refrigerators
Rubber is also used in products like toys, earplugs, mattresses and cushions, raincoats, birth control devices, corks for lab flasks and vials, Tupperware, rubber stamps, air mattresses and so much more.
Why We Still Need Rubber (and Probably Always Will)
Rubber is still vital in today’s world. As you can see, it’s used in a variety of products from clothes and shoes to toys and phone cases. Rubber is so essential to modern manufacturing because it’s needed to make sealing, o-rings and fasteners that help make these modern products work the way we need them to. It also helps us make products that can withstand extreme pressure, temperature and weather conditions.
Gerhardt Richter is a writer and a trainer at trade technical colleges, specializing in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and construction.
