ABSTRACT
Products were being made from natural rubber latex long before the advent of solid rubber processing. In the eighteenth century it was reported that the Amazonian Indians were producing rubber latex shoes and bottles. The latex industry has various similarities and differences compared to its dry rubber counterpart. Latex plant has much less in the way of heavy machinery and high torque motors and drives, as are found in internal mixers, mills, and calenders. Synthetic latex based on styrene-butadiene copolymer or carboxylated styrene butadiene terpolymer finds the major use in carpet backing and nonwoven fabric production. Latices are compounded with chemicals, which are classified: stabilizers, vulcanization system, antidegradive system, fillers, processing adhesives, gelling system, and pigments. Latex is commonly used as a binder in various fiber applications because of its ability to wet and bond materials such as hair, coir, leather, and cellulosic fibers.
