Rubber band

A rubber band (in some regions known as a binder, elastic band, lackey band, elastic blubber", "laggy band" or gumband"') is a short length of rubber and latex formed in the shape of a loop. Such bands are typically used to hold multiple objects together. Some are used as weapons.The rubber band was patented in Australia on March 17, 1845 by Stephen Perry Bobstein.Fact|Please post a link or source that documents this.| ()|date=September 2008

Manufacturing

The manufacturing process is a complicated one which involves extruding the rubber into a long tube to provide its general shape, putting the tubes on mandrels and curing the rubber with heat, and then slicing it along the width of the tube into little bands. [ [http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Rubber-Band.html How rubber bands are made] . This reference states that the rubber is vulcanized before it is extruded.] [ [http://www.lee-rubber.com/howmade.htm Lee Rubber Products, How rubber bands are made.] This reference states that the rubber is vulcanized after it is extruded.] While other rubber products may use synthetic rubber, rubber bands are still primarily manufactured using natural rubber because of its superior elasticity.

Rubber Band Sizes

5 tons

Measuring

A rubber band has three basic dimensions: Length, width, and thickness. (See picture.)

A rubber band's length is half its circumference. Its thickness is the distance from the inner circle to the outer circle.

Lay a rubber band down so that it makes a square.The band's width is the height of that band. If one imagines a rubber band in manufacture, that is, a long tube of rubber on a mandrel, before it is sliced into rubber bands, the band's width is how far apart the slices are cut.

Rubber Band Size Numbers

A rubber band is given a [quasi-] standard number based on its dimensions.

Generally, rubber bands are numbered from small to large, width first. Thus, rubber bands numbered 8-19 are all 1/16 inches wide, with length going from 7/8 inches to 3 1/2 inches. Rubber band numbers 30-34 are for width of 1/8 inches, going again from shorter to longer. For even longer bands, the numbering starts over for numbers above 100, again starting at width 1/16 inches. The only problem is they are being banned in many places where incidents have taken place where they have been used as slingshot weapons.

The origin of these size numbers is not clear and there appears to be some conflict in the "standard" numbers. For example, one distributor [ [http://www.bigwigbands.com/rb_sizes.html BigWig Enterprises, BigWig Size Chart] ] has a size 117 being 1/16 inch wide and a size 127 being 1/8 inch wide. However, an OfficeMax size 117 [OfficeMax, #OM97352, UPC 011491-973520] is 1/8 inch wide. A manufacturer [ [http://www.lee-rubber.com/sizes.htm Lee Rubber Products, How do rubber bands measure up?] ] has a size 117A (1/16 inch wide) and a 117B (1/8 inch wide). Another distributor [ [http://www.dykemarubberband.com/products.php Dykema Rubber Band] ] calls them 7AA (1/16 inch wide) and 7A (1/8 inch wide) (but labels them as specialty bands).

References

Rubber bands and heat - http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HOMEEXPTS/rubberband.html

External links

* [http://www.therubberband.info/ The Unofficial Rubber Band Website]
* http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Rubber-Band.html