Why Is Organic Latex Considered Unique Among All Other Organic Products?

Organic latex products have numerous unique characteristics that make them suitable for a wide range of applications. One of the primary reasons why people choose natural rubber latex in their applications is its excellent elasticity and durability.

One of the primary reasons people choose natural rubber latex in their applications is its excellent elasticity and durability.

Another reason people prefer natural rubber latex is that it is biodegradable and environmentally beneficial. Since Liquid latex is used to make items naturally derived from the Hevea Brasiliensis, or "The Rubber Tree," organic latex products are considered biodegradable.

Many people are unaware that natural rubber latex is a sustainable renewable resource because the extracted liquid latex sap is tapped from an undamaged tree. The renewable source of latex flows through the tapping process.

The latex sap has many limitations in its natural state; it is highly affected by temperature, acting soft and sticky in the heat and brittle in the cold. It is also easily degraded in its natural state.

Vulcanization transforms latex into a product that can be used and remains firm and flexible over a wide temperature range. All of The Hygenic Corporation's natural rubber products are made with latex from the rubber tree.

The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec were the first to discover the rubber tree and its latex-producing powers, and they utilized latex to waterproof their clothing. The tree is endemic to South American rainforests in the Amazon area, including Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia.

However, because the trees have been cloned from their original areas, they are now cultivated in Southeast Asia and Western Africa.

Tapping and sap collection can begin when a rubber tree reaches the age of 6-7 years. The cambium of the tree, the layer just beneath the surface bark, must be avoided while tapping since it is important for the tree's growth as well as the production of wood and bark.

Tapping would have to cease if the cambium was severed. Tapping must be done around dawn, early in the morning, to obtain the maximum quantity of sap; doing so after this time may result in just 1/3 of the available sap being tapped.

When all of the bark from the accessible section of the tree has been harvested, latex harvesters must wait 7 years for it to regrow before continuing the tapping cycle.

Natural rubber latex finished goods have the qualities that are generally associated with highly flexible rubber - they have great elongation, tear resistance, and recovery.

One of the reasons why natural rubber latex tubing is often cut into bands for the orthodontic business or utilized in slingshot designs is because of its “stretchy” characteristic.

Natural rubber latex tubing may also be found in several other uses, such as fitness and materials transport. Natural rubber latex sheeting's unique stretch and recovery properties have also proven useful in a variety of industries.

The Bottom Line

If you believe your product design requires a flexible material that can return to its previous shape and size after being stretched or compressed, you should begin your material study with organic latex or anythng similar to its properties.

There are relatively few material substitutes that can closely imitate the characteristics of natural rubber latex, and there are no ideal substitutes for this incredible gift from Nature.