Plastic, rubber, synthetics—they’re all the same, and it really doesn’t matter which you use, yes?
No. The production materials you use impact your entire production line, from concept to finished product. Your business will find financial and conceptual benefit if you switch to more sustainable manufacturing solutions.
What’s the difference between rubber and plastic, and why should you choose rubber compounding for your production needs?
Many manufacturers default to plastic because it’s easy to source. Most plastics are synthetic polymers derived from petroleum. Heavy crude oil is broken down and separated, combined with hydrocarbons and other chemicals, and finalized to create the plastic products we’re familiar with today.
Global plastic production from 1950 to 2019 churned out more than 359 million metric tons. The market value of all of that plastic is projected to reach $721 billion by the year 2025.
Most plastics are not elastic at room temperature due to their high glass transition temperatures (Tg). Tg is the glassy-elastic transformation threshold temperature. Below it, polymer chains are frozen and cannot mobilize, which makes a plastic rigid. An example is a polystyrene, whose Tg is about 90C. it is a rigid plastic at room temperature. If the temperature is above the Tg, polymer chains are unfrozen and are mobile, which rends the plastic soft and elastic. An example is polyethylene, whose Tg is about -125C. it is therefore an elastic material at room temperature.
Most rubbers have very low Tg, in the range of -50 to -100C. They are elastic at room temperature.
Of course, it is insufficient, just to select plastic or rubber for your application based on its Tg, there are other factors one needs to consider. Such as physical and chemical properties under service conditions. For plastics without being crosslinked, or vulcanized, or 3D networked, even they are elastic at room temperature, they will have very poor elastic retention, or long-term elasticity, under most service conditions. This makes plastics not suitable for applications where elastic retention is needed.
Natural latex rubber compounds, like the ones we use at Airboss Rubber Solutions, are sustainable alternatives to plastics. Natural latex rubber is pulled straight from nature’s more than 2,500 different rubber-producing plants.
The long-chain polymers that form natural latex (elastomers) stretch, flex, and give rubber its unique properties.
Unlike its plastic counterparts, latex rubber is renewable and sustainable. Latex rubber compounding—the process of adding specific chemicals and additives—allows for complex customization for a diverse range of applications.
Silicone is a synthetic substance, it is made using a process of heating sand to a temperature of 1800⁰C. This creates pure isolated Silicone that is then combined with various other chemicals to produce the rubber-like substance. This silicone can be used instead of rubber for several everyday items taking pressure off the supply.
Silicone is an effective rubber substitute because it has low toxicity levels and it’s heat resistant. This is partly why it’s used in cookware, feeding nipples and pacifiers. It is also used for industrial processes, silicone is an excellent lubricant and adhesive. It’s no surprise manufacturers turn to silicone as a rubber substitute.
For more information, please visit cheapest plastic material for plastic sheet, High Polymer Polyethylene Guide, what is the cheapest plastic sheet material.