Rubber Tubing

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Examples of rubber tubing include latex tubing, sometimes called gum rubber tubing, which is derived from natural latex produced by the Pará rubber tree and other latex producing plants. Natural rubber is valued as a raw material for chemically-inert flexible rubber tubing. For this reason it is often applied as surgical tubing and in other sensitive applications. Latex can also be used to make rubber hoses, black rubber tubing, conductive rubber tubing and many other kinds of rubber tubes. Despite those favorable qualities, natural rubber can be unsuitable for certain applications. Many people suffer from latex allergies; for this reason, latex-based tubing is often inappropriate for uses in which it will come into contact with people. Synthetic rubber materials like neoprene are used as substitutes for natural rubber. Neoprene tubing is chemical and abrasion resistant, waterproof, lightweight, stretchable, buoyant and hypoallergenic. Silicone tubing, which is also derived from synthetic rubber, is smooth, pliable, elastic and highly resistant to water, heat and weather. Viton tubing is made from the world's first fluoroelastomer, a high performance synthetic rubber that is exceptionally resilient to substances and conditions that other rubber tubing cannot withstand. EPDM rubber tubing is a synthetic rubber made from ethylene propylene diene monomers. It is commonly used for automotive and industrial purposes.

Rubber tubing is used in flow lines to move and dispense liquids or gases. Rubber tubing can range in terms of inner diameter, outer diameter and thickness from a few thousandths of an inch to several inches. Tubing requires fittings, hose barbs or other attachments in order to be connected to tools, instruments or more tubing. The natural rubber harvesting process involves extracting latex from plants that produce it naturally. When tapped, latex-producing plants produce a free-flowing stream of latex that can be easily collected using nothing but a bucket and gravity, though more advanced methods have streamlined that process. The extracted latex is then mixed with other substances in order to impart upon it qualities necessary to make it useful. In some cases, the latex is vulcanized; vulcanization is a process in which heat and sulfur are applied to latex in order to make it stronger. Synthetic or man-made rubber is made from various molecules derived from petroleum. These tubes can be spark-resistant, explosion-proof, sterilized, reinforced or conductive and are inherently flexible, resilient and elastic.

Because rubber tubing can be made from a wide variety of chemicals and substances, the characteristics and attributes also vary. Rubber tubing can be manufactured with a specific use in mind. Conductive rubber tubing, for example, prevents the buildup of static electricity and is used also to shield sensitive electronic equipment from electromagnetic interference or radio frequency interference. Flexible rubber tubing is valuable in applications where the rubber tube must be bent or contorted to fit into a space. Some materials allow for a product that resists kinks and can be repeatedly stretched or bent without becoming weak. Surgical tubing is sterile and inert because it is used for medical processes; this kind of tubing usually has extremely thin walls to permit free flow. Various colors are available, though some materials hold color better than others; black rubber tubing is commonly used for industrial or manufacturing applications. It also absorbs heat better than a clear tube would, for instance, and can provide insulation or heat retention. A rubber hose is a large rubber tube that is usually reinforced by thin metal wires or stiff rubber to hold the shape even when no liquid is flowing through it.

The scientific community continues to develop new kinds of rubber and rubber tubing with new characteristics for new uses. The Viton fluoroelastomer was created in 1957 to meet the high performance needs of the aerospace industry. Because of its unique qualities, particularly its corrosion resistance, new varieties are still being developed and improved. Other rubber tubes can be explosion-proof, which means they are able to contain an internal explosion to prevent flames or hot gases from escaping from the flow line and cause an external explosion. Microbore tubing is used in the medical field for intravenous lines and delicate placement inside veins and arteries. The walls of the tubing are strong enough to support themselves while also allowing free flow of necessary liquids such as blood or drugs. It is ultra-smooth, inert and sterile to minimize any discomfort or danger for the patient. Another innovation is the development of a strong material called metal rubber. Flexible and lightweight, metal rubber can be stretched, frozen and subjected to chemicals and then snap back to its original shape and form. It is made from polymers with metal ions and is self-assembling, meaning that the components form an organized structure or pattern without external direction.

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Types of Rubber Tubing

• Black rubber tubing is made from either a natural or artificial elastomer that has undergone a finishing process that colors it black and leaves it highly flexible, tear resistant and resilient. Some synthetic rubber varieties are always black.
• Conductive rubber tubing is made from natural or synthetic materials and provides a pathway for liquids and gases that allows electrical currents to travel along the flow line in order to avoid electrostatic discharge.
  
• EPDM tubing is made of one of the most economical and rapidly growing synthetic rubbers (ethylene propylene rubber monomers) offering a number of key qualities: resistance to heat, ozone, oxidation, weather, flame, electricity, acids, abrasion, tearing and more.
  
• Explosion proof rubber tubing is designed to handle gas, vapor and dust bursts.
  
• Flexible rubber tubing is designed to facilitate effective transport liquids and gases through sharp bends or corners. It is made from natural or synthetic rubber and is usually tear resistant, durable and supple. 
• Gum rubber tubing is another name for natural rubber tubing that provides a pathway for liquids and gases. Natural rubber is derived from natural latex, and synthetic rubber comes from synthetic latex; the term gum rubber distinguishes the naturally obtained version.
• Latex tubing is any tubing derived from the latex that is produced naturally by several plant varieties. Its amber translucency allows visible liquid flow, and its smoothness, elasticity and memory after repeated stretching make it useful in many applications.
  
• Natural rubber tubing is any tubing derived from natural latex.
• Neoprene tubing is made from synthetic rubber and is used to transports liquids and gases. Neoprene tubes can also protect cables and wires. It is chemical, heat, flame and abrasion resistant in addition to being waterproof, lightweight, stretchable and buoyant.
• Reinforced rubber tubes are produced to provide extra strength through the integration of fibers or banding. Also, in vacuum applications, rubber tubes with interior diameters of 1 1/2" or more will likely need additional metal reinforcing wire.
  
• Rubber hose is used for the reliable transportation of liquids and gases in large volumes. It can be reinforced with textile braiding, spiral wiring or metal embedding, or a combination of any or all of these.
  
• Rubber tube is made from natural latex or synthetic rubber and is used in flow lines to transport liquids or gases.
• Rubber vacuum tubing, or rubber pressure tubing, has seamless, flexible, acid-proof, heavy-wall properties that make it suitable for vacuum applications.
  
• Silicone tubing offers flexibility, high purity, a long service life and resistance to chemicals, temperature fluctuations and abrasions. It is often used as sanitary tubing.
  
• Spark resistant rubber tubing is made to stand firm against electrical discharge.
  
• Sterilized rubber tubing is disinfected using dry heat, gamma irradiation or chemical treating. Medical or surgical tubing commonly comes sterile and in small diameters.
• Surgical tubing is used in sterile and medical environments to provide a flow path for liquids and gases.
• Viton tubing is made of a brand name fluoroelastomer known for extraordinary heat resistance and withstanding caustic fuels and chemicals.

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Rubber Tubing Terms

Butyl - A type of rubber with excellent air retention and good flex that was first widely used for tire innertubes.

Neoprene - A very versatile type of synthetic rubber because of a combination of properties: sun, ozone, weather, oil and chemical resistance, a wide temperature tolerance range and physical toughness to stand up to burning, flexing and twisting.

Nitrile - A type of rubber, also known as NBR, used in the industrial and automotive rubber products industries, offering oil, fuel and chemical resistance for applications such as fuel and oil handling hose, seals and grommets.

Polysulfide - A type of synthetic rubber compound known for resistance to water, oils and many other organic solvents.

SBR - An abbreviation for styrene-butadiene rubber, a synthetic rubber that was developed when stores of natural rubber were cut off during World War II. SBR, which can be vulcanized, is harder and more chemical resistant than natural rubber.

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