History of Development
Many people never go beyond thinking of latex as the material used to make balloons, surgical gloves, and even some types of chewing gum. Even more may not realize that latex is a naturally occurring compound found in the majority of plant life. A wounded plant will release a mixture of resins, proteins, gums and oils – yes, this mixture is latex – that fills an injury and hardens when exposed to air. So it turns out that the history of latex goes back as early as when plant life on earth began.
early uses
While nearly all plants create latex, not all latex is suitable for industrial needs. The most commonly used latex comes from the Hevea tree, which originated in South America – the first instances of latex being harvested dates back even before the ancient Mayans in 1600BC. But in terms of commercial use, latex has only been used since the late 1700’s, when European scientists brought back samples from South America and imported the tree for cultivation. Today, the majority of latex is produced in Southeast Asia.
use in commercial products
The first use in western culture was for rubbing off pencil marks (earning its name), but soon this tough compound and its strength and elasticity were used for everything from forming rubber hoses to boots and adhesives. People found all kinds of ways to manipulate the pliability of latex rubber for various products like the gloves and balloons mentioned before. Vulcanized rubber was a dominant breakthrough in 1839, when Charles Goodyear developed a method where a mixture of latex and sulfur, peroxide or bisphenol would create an improved rubber that was no longer perishable. This also allowed manufacturers to shape rubber to their exact specifications – such as balls and car tires.
the talalay revolution
In the late 1940’s, the Talalay process was created to shape and form latex foam rubber. Latex is poured into a mold that is then vacuumed, frozen, cured and heated in order to create the strong yet malleable air-filled compound. This is the basis for the majority of natural latex mattresses you find today.