| The ancient Mayan people used latex in order to | | | | to supply Macintosh's factory with masticated rubber. |
| make hollow human figures, rubber balls, and as | | | | On March 17, 1845, a man by the name of Stephen |
| bindings used to secure the axe heads to their | | | | Perry belonging to the rubber manufacturing |
| handles as well as for other functions. Latex is the | | | | company Messers Perry and Co., Rubber Manuf |
| result of various plants, the most important one being | | | | London patented the first rubber bands made of |
| the rubber tree which when it is exposed to the air, | | | | vulcanized rubber. He invented them in order to hold |
| it hardens into a springy mass. The Mayans learned | | | | papers and envelopes together. 31 years later, Sir |
| to mix together the rubber sap with the juice coming | | | | Henry Wickham collected about 70,000 rubber tree |
| from morning glory vines so that it became more | | | | seeds from the Para rubber tree. Commercial rubber |
| elastic and durable. | | | | production now takes place in Malaysia, Thailand, |
| Later on, in 1736, a few rolled sheets of rubber were | | | | Indonesia, and Sri Lanka (but not significantly in South |
| sent to France and in 1791; Samuel Peal invented a | | | | America). One year later, in 1877, Chapman Mitchell |
| new way of waterproofing cloth by mixing turpentine | | | | discovered that the rubber can be recycled into new |
| with rubber. Another British inventor by the name of | | | | products. |
| Joseph Priestly discovered that the rubber could be | | | | In the present, approximately ¾ of the rubber in |
| used to erase pencil marks. Thomas Hancock is the | | | | production is made out of crude oil. There are 20 |
| person who invented the British rubber industry. He | | | | grades of synthetic rubber and intended end use |
| designed the masticator – a machine capable of | | | | determines the selection. Generally speaking, in order |
| shredding rubber scraps thus allowing the rubber to | | | | to make synthetic rubber, byproducts of petroleum |
| be recycled after being formed into blocks or rolled | | | | refining called styrene and butadiene are mixed in a |
| into sheets. In the 19th century, to be more specific | | | | reactor containing soapsuds. From this, a milky looking |
| in the 1820s, he patented elastic fastenings for | | | | liquid results and the latex is coagulated from the |
| shoes, suspenders, stockings and gloves. | | | | liquid, resulting in rubber "crumbs" which are purchased |
| In order to help preserve the rubber, Hancock | | | | by numerous manufacturers and later on, melted in a |
| invented the masticator. The first one was a wooden | | | | variety of products. |
| machine that used a hollow cylinder studded with | | | | In the world today, there is only one kind of natural |
| teeth. In 1823, Charles Macintosh patented his | | | | rubber. Due to the reason that the rubber plants are |
| method of making waterproof garments using rubber | | | | located in hot, damp regions near the Equator, 90% |
| dissolved in coal-tar naphtha for cementing two | | | | of the rubber production takes place in the |
| pieces of cloth together. A few years later in 1837 | | | | Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Thailand and |
| he patented the masticator which was used on a | | | | Malaysia. Because the production in Indonesia has |
| large scale since then. The wooden masticator turned | | | | dropped in the last few years, several plantations |
| into a steam-driven metal machine which was used | | | | were built in Africa in order to fill in the gap. |