Latex (from Latin latex = liquid) is an emulsion of milky appearance and tacky, generally white color, which is located in the cells (the lactiferous) of many plants. The best and finest quality of natural latex is extracted from Hevea brasiliensis in the tropical forests of Asia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka in particular. It is by far the most resilient natural material known. Fundamental characteristic is the natural and instantaneous capacity of the original shape although subjected to pressure or stretch. The parameter derives its name from the State of Pará in Brazil, the original place of production. Para is the name given to natural rubber elastic obtained from the first processing of the latex that with the addition of acids is coagulated. Prepared in layers or sheets has numerous uses in industry.

The rubber does not really exist, in fact there are different types of elastomers which are commonly called rubber but which belong to two distinct families: Natural gums, obtained by coagulating the latex along with chemical additives. They have excellent mechanical properties, but poor resistance to atmospheric agents, to the temperature and to many chemical compounds. Synthetic rubbers, produced from hydrocarbons by generating polymerization latexes artificially coagulated. Currently there are many artificial elastomers with very diverse mechanical characteristics and chemical resistance.

The mostly widely used at an industrial level are the nitrile rubbers identified by the acronym NBR, terpolymers, butadiene-ethylene- propylene EPDMz, because of contained costs, provide discrete mechanical characteristics, good resistance to temperature, polar solvents and, above all, insensitivity to oxidation. caucciù naturale ed è impiegato per la preparazione di elastomeri con elevata resistenza alla luce e agli oli minerali.

SBR, Styrene Butadiene Rubber, is an elastomer that has good abrasion resistance, is stable against substances such as mineral oils, greases and hydrocarbons, acids, organic and inorganic bases and is particularly resistant to aging. The chloroprene or neoprene has properties similar to those of natural rubber and is used for the preparation of elastomers with high resistance to light and mineral oils.

The silicone has a different nature from that of all other elastomers, in that the molecules of which it is composed are not chains of carbon atoms, but of alternating silicon and oxygen. The main characteristic of silicone is the resistance to extreme temperatures, in fact it resists temperatures up to 250°C and maintains the elasticity up to -150°. Silicone elastomers, due to their non-allergenic aspects, are widely used for components in medical equipment, prosthetics, toys, masks and seals in the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals and laboratories. The PVC, polyvinyl chloride, is one of the world's most used plastic materials. The uses of PVC are innumerable, in particular it is used for the production of pipes for construction (for example, gutters and pipes for drinking water), window frames, vinyl flooring, rigid and plasticized film for the packaging and paper industry. In terms of application, the PVC plastic is the most versatile known but it is very sensitive to light and heat.

The polyetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is usually known as Teflon. It has excellent resistance to fire and does not propagate flames and has excellent surface flow properties: the coefficience of friction is the lowest among the industrial products. These characteristics remain virtually unchanged over a span of temperatures between -80°C and 250°C. The PTFE also presents of toxicity as long as it is kept at temperatures below 200°C. The outstanding features of PTFE have made it one of the most popular materials used in the technical field. In particular the chemical industry uses this product for the production of gaskets and parts intended for contact with corrosive agents (concentrated sulfuric acid). Viton is the registered trademark of DuPont.

It is a synthetic rubber (flouroelastomer) commonly used in the manufacture of O-rings and other molded or extruded products. This material has excellent resistance to certain aggressive chemicals, in particular hydrocarbons, therefore Viton hoses are used in applications in the automobile industry and for the transport of fuel.