Crepe rubber is coagulated

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

that is rolled out in crinkled sheets and commonly used to make soles for shoes and boots but also a raw material for further processed

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...

products.

Processing

Colloidal A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others extend ...

latex is first mixed with formic acid to cause it to coagulate. The coagulum is processed in a "creping battery", a series of machines that crush, press and roll the coagula. The sheets are hung in a heated drying shed and then sorted by grade and packed for shipping.

Types

There are several types and grades of rubber crepe, mainly distinguished by the grade and pre-processing of the latex used in their manufacture. *Pale latex crepe (PLC) is a premium grade, made from raw field latex. *Estate brown crepe (EBC) is made from "cup lump" (raw, naturally

coagulate Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanism o ...

d rubber from the collection cup) and other coagula. *Re-milled crepe is made from "wet slab coagulum" (cured latex, still wet from the coagulation tanks), latex sheets (unsmoked) and cup lump. *Smoked blanket crepe is made from thick sheets of latex that have been processed in a smoker. *Flat bark crepe is made from scraps and other poor quality raw product.

Gallery

File:YosriMesinGetahBunga.jpg, Hand-powered latex creping machines File:RemovingCoagulumFromCoagulatingTroughs.jpg, Removing coagulum from coagulating troughs File:CrepingBattery.jpg, Creping battery File:MillingHoneyColoredCrepe.jpg, Milling honey-colored crepe File:MillingWhiteCrepe.jpg, Milling white crepe File:SpoolingCrepeFromLastFinishingMill.jpg, Spooling crepe from last finishing mill File:SmoothCrepeSpooledForTransferToDryers.jpg, Smooth crepe spooled for transfer to the drying shed File:LowQualityWetColagulumCrepeBlanket.jpg, Wet coagulum crepe blanket File:SmallholdersSheetinDryingShed.jpg, Smallholder's sheet in a drying shed File:WhiteCrepeHangingInDryingShed.jpg, White crepe hanging in a drying shed File:LaminatingWhiteCrepeForSoleCrepe.jpg, Laminating white crepe for sole crepe File:LaminatingHoneyColoredCrepe.jpg, Laminating honey-coloured crepe for sole crepe File:SoleCrepeInspectionAndPacking.jpg, Sole crepe inspection and packing

References

{{reflist Rubber