How is rubber produced?

The basic process of producing rubber from general natural rubber (also known as "raw rubber", which is different from rubber) includes four basic processes: plastication, mixing, calendering and vulcanization.

1. Plasticization is the process of degrading long-chain molecules of raw rubber to form plasticity.

There are two ways to plasticize raw rubber: mechanical plasticization and thermal plasticization. Mechanical plasticization is to shorten the long chain and change it from high elastic state to plastic state through mechanical extrusion and friction of plasticizing machine at low temperature. Thermoplastic rubber mixing is to introduce hot compressed air into raw rubber. Under the action of heat and oxygen, the degradation of long chain is shortened and plasticity is obtained.

2. Mixing is the process of mixing the plasticated raw rubber with compounding ingredients, putting them into a rubber mixer, and making the compounding ingredients completely and evenly dispersed in the raw rubber through mechanical mixing.

3. Vulcanization is the process of transforming plastic rubber into elastic rubber by cross-linking vulcanizing agents (such as sulfur and vulcanization accelerators). ) and raw rubber semi-finished products form a network structure. The vulcanized elastic rubber is called vulcanized rubber, also called soft rubber, commonly known as "rubber".

4. Auxiliary measures can be added in the production process to obtain rubber with special properties.