A rubber band, also sometimes known as a binder, elastic band, lackey band, laggy band, lacka band or gumband, is a short length of rubber in the shape of a loop. The uses for these handy elastic holders are endless. The U.K’s Royal Mail Service decided to change the color of their rubber bands to red in 2004 in an attempt to cut back on lost bands. As of 2006 there were 342 million of these red rubber bands used every year.
The Rubber Tree:-
The rubber tree first grew in the Amazon rain forest. Christopher Columbus first noticed the native people using the tree sap to make rubber balls. The substance that we harvest from the rubber tree is latex. The tree is tapped, exposing the latex to the air which causes it to harden and become rubbery. Rubber trees only survive in tropical climates. Today most latex tapped from rubber trees comes from plantations in Southeast Asia.
How its Made:-
- There are a series of steps in rubber band making. The ingredients of rubber are mixed together with sulfur, which initiates the vulcanization process. Vulcanization is a heating process designed to stabilize and strengthen the rubber so it does not become brittle at cold temperatures. The rubber is heated to 500 degrees then rolled out like pie dough into sheets. The sheets are made into tubes; the tubes are cut very thin to produce rubber bands.
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