Chemistry in the Manufacture of Rubber Goods
Too much stress cannot be laid upon the importance in all rubber factories of the chemical department. During the last two or three years there has been an unusual development along these lines, and to-day no factory for the manufacture of rubber goods is complete that does not possess a well-equipped laboratory. Not only does this department enable the manufacturer to control the purity and uniformity of his compounding ingredients and the innumerable grades of crude rubber, but, what is of even greater importance, it enables him to inaugurate research work as applied to his particular line of manufacture. This part of laboratory work is already producing results not only of scientific interest, but of very great practical and economic value. Still another rôle of the modern chemical laboratory is to exercise a control over the finished material, so that the manager of the works may be in possession daily of reasons for any variation detrimental to the standard of his products.