Rubber coating is coating with a layer of rubber. Why provide the surface with a rubber layer? Several reasons can be mentioned, their main goal is to increase the object's resistance and the safety of its use.
Why do we rubberize objects?
The rubber is soft and flexible, but at the same time tough and relatively strong. Thus, the rubber surface is resistant to impact, for example when an object falls to the ground, while to a certain extent it dampens the destructive effect of the fall on the object. We therefore often encounter rubber coating on items intended for sports and outdoor use, where there is an increased risk of damage. Another reason for rubberizing the surface is protection against moisture, the rubber can be immersed in water for a long time without letting a single drop pass. For example, rubberizing a textile will give it perfect resistance to rain, although in this case a coating with a layer of polyurethane or softened PVC is more often used, which have similar properties to rubber, but better resist UV radiation contained in sunlight. Another important property of the rubber is the non-slip grip. For this reason, the handles of tools (such as knives) are often rubberized, which makes them more resistant to slipping out of the hand.
Properties of rubber
Classic rubber based on natural rubber is generally an excellent material, the use for consumer products is mentioned above. Some of its properties can be influenced to a certain extent by production procedures, for example the hardness of the rubber can be very well influenced from very hard to very soft. It is also possible to mention a not insignificant property of rubber, which is its health safety. In addition to the mentioned good features, of course it also has its weaknesses. For example, it does not withstand the weather very well, especially sunlight, which manifests itself in so-called blistering, i.e. gradual decomposition from the surface layer to the depth with the formation of cracks. Low resistance to fats and oils, in which the rubber swells and loses strength, can be unpleasant. With the development of the chemical industry, several types of artificial rubber have been synthesized, examples of which include oil-resistant NBR rubber and weather-resistant EPDM rubber.
Silicone rubber
It is a synthetic rubber based on organic silicon compounds. This type of rubber has some specific properties that distinguish it from other materials. This is primarily due to its excellent resistance to higher temperatures, so silicone rubber is used to produce seals for equipment with hot media. Due to its other very good properties, for example resistance to weather and some types of organic liquids, it is often used as a more expensive substitute for rubber.