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Vulcana® rubbRe™ sheet rubber materials are made from discarded tires that are recycled into a versatile earth friendly material. Landfills overflowing with old tires take up valuable green space. In addition, used tires often become breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Vulcana® products offer an alternative to leather and durable fabrics. rubbRe™ can be used in the same applications in which you would use any other sheet rubber material but want to add a “green” component to an existing product. rubbRe™ and füzun® are manufactured for companies who design with an eye to the future.
All of our products are manufactured in the United States by people earning decent wages. Our devulcanized rubber comes from tires taken from US landfills. The rubber is compounded, calendered, and cured in the USA. No child labor or unfair trade practices are involved in the manufacturing of these goods.
Originally, Vulcana developed recycled materials and produced a line of handbags and accessories. In 2007, we decided to develop materials for commercial and industrial uses.
The name “Vulcana” comes from the root word “Vulcan,” the ancient Roman god of fire, blacksmithing and handicrafts. In addition, our sheet rubber has been “vulcanized”; which means it has been treated with heat and pressure, thereby imparting greater strength, elasticity and durability.
Tires taken from landfills in the USA are broken down into their component parts. The fibers and the metals are extracted and the rubber from the tires is ground up into a crumb rubber. The crumb rubber is compounded with other materials and formed into a slab. The slab is then calendered into a sheet and then cured. Vulcana® received a patent on this process and the finished goods in 2003.
Presently, we can make rubbRe™ as thick as .080 inches, but no thinner than .030 inches. Vulcana® can also create textures on large runs; if this is of interest to you inquire with a Vulcana® representative. Vulcana® continues to experiment with new textures, colors and finishes.
Color can be mixed into the rubber compound, but the black tire crumb will never disappear entirely, especially since we’re trying to keep as much tire content in the mix as possible. Black is our stock color; however, we have produced the sheet rubber material in blue, burgundy, grey, green and peanut. All of our materials contain at least 30% car tire crumb in the compound.
Every fabric has differing properties; therefore not all fabrics will be suitable for bonding to Vulcana®’s rubbRe™.
Prior to production, each fabric must be evaluated and tested for an effective “bond” to rubbRe™. Various properties of the fabric will have an impact on the result of the bond to be achieved; some more critical than others. The composition of the material along with the weight, elasticity, tensile strength (bi-directionally), thickness, finish, weft and warp will influence the results.
Please contact us to discuss bonding your material to rubbRe™.
Some sensitive people may notice a slight rubbery scent. Any such scent, however, fades with time. We feel that the initial rubbery scent reminds people that our products are made from car tires, and that by purchasing our products, they are making an eco-friendly gesture. Some skeptics have to be convinced that Vulcana® products are, in fact, made from car tires by taking a good, strong whiff of the material!
We plan to continue our efforts in the development and design of the finest materials made from used car tires on the planet! We plan to concentrate on finding new and innovative uses for recycled tires to do our part in depleting the landfills. We are also experimenting with other recycled materials to increase our product line of sustainable materials.
Our füzun® line combines our patented rubbRe™ with a variety of different materials including hemp, nylon, foam, cotton and polyester. füzun® can be engineered many different ways – the rubbRe™ may coat one side or both sides, the rubbRe™ can be “sandwiched” in between two other types of material, etc. Our 840 füzun® is 840 denier nylon coated on one side with our rubbRe™. Inquire with a rep to see if your material can become a füzun® product.
The standard width for the rubbRe™ is 60 inches; however, for specialty orders over 500 yards we have the ability to produce our materials in a variety of widths up to 72 inches. If you have a specific with less than 60 inches, please contact us.
Vulcana® is made from tires that are “post consumer” waste. Yes, there are other companies that make a sheet rubber material made from car tires, but in most cases the tires are “post factory” waste meaning that the rubber has never “hit the road” for one reason or another – whether it be factory overruns, industrial waste from manufacturing the tire, defective tires, etc. Vulcana® takes pride in using materials that come from tires that have been “used.”
Vulcana® strives to make a consistent material that offers the same quality that you would expect from a product that is manufactured using premium materials.
For sampling and prototype orders we will allow for a purchase of one yard. Depending on the material you choose a minimum would be at least one roll – rolls are generally 10 yards. Most of our materials are made to order and a Vulcana® representative can advise you if the material you have chosen is a custom order. Lead times will vary depending upon our inventory. If the item is in stock we can ship within 7 business days. Custom orders and items not in stock require a lead time of at least 6-8 weeks. We do have swatch books that provide small samples of our each material in our line.