EXCELLENCE IN RUBBER COMPOUNDING Did you know? Native Brazilians called the rubber tree cau-chu, meaning the tree that weeps. Patented in England in 1845, rubber bands are the most common product found today that are usually made from natural rubber. Henry Ford planted about one million hectares of rubber trees in north Brazil in a failed attempt to provide rubber for his tyres. Rubber has been used by humans for more than 3,000 years. Rubber balls found in El Manatí, Mexico, date back to 1600BC. The white fluid inside a dandelion stalk is natural latex, although it isn't harvested or used commercially The first two-roll rubber mill was made by the founder of the UK rubber industry, Thomas Hancock, in about 1820 using two tree trunks as the boles. The biggest rubber band ball was created by Joel Waul in Florida in 2008 with more than 700,000 rubber bands. Robert William Thomson, of Stonehaven, Scotland, was the original inventor of the pneumatic tyre. He patented his invention in 1845, France in 1846 and the US in 1847. He made sets of ‘Aerial wheels’ that were tested on carriages in Regents Park, London in 1847, and gave a much better and quieter ride than the earlier steel tyres. The first oil resistant synthetic rubber was chloroprene (neoprene) made in 1932. Carbon black is mainly used as a reinforcing-filler in tyres and other rubber products. The first carbon black was used from collecting lamp black. SPC Europe Group Disclaimer T&C of Purchase T&C of Sale Contact Us