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Balloon Facts

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Photo copied from the Latex Engineering B.V., a company that has been producing balloon and other product dipping lines for over 50 years. The following information is taken from the Latex Engineering web site: A good balloon has the following conditions: regular peripheral wall thickness, good end gelation, pinhole free, good bead rolling, and a 'favourable' taste.

The above are controlled by: surface tension control of coagulant and good antisettling of 'chalk', even speed immersion and withdrawal with still liquid surface, correct compound viscosity and correct chemical stability, clean formers and efficient filters good step back of film thickness, well-leached film, and dryness state chemically friendly formula.

An even latex film depends upon a consistent coagulant deposit. This, in turn, depends upon a fast drying time and an even speed of withdrawal from the coagulant (which implies a hot coagulant and former). With small time cycles leading up to the coagulant dip, it is important not to lose heat necessarily after the stripping.

Balloons are manufactured from a liquid rubber called latex. The balloon gets its color from the pigment that is added to the latex. Pigments are both organic and inorganic compounds that absorb certain wavelengths of visible light and reflect others. For example, a red balloon is red because the balloon absorbs all the visible light except red frequency light which is reflected back to the eye.

The strength of balloons can be affected by the pigment if the pigment particle is large in size and interferes with the film continuity and if the pigment reacts with any of the other ingredients in the balloon. As far as which colour has the most effect on the balloons strength, we have not done any in depth study. Since we use pigments that are water dispersions of very, very, small particle size, and they do not react with any other ingredients in the latex, we do not detect any difference.

The natural rubber latex that we use comes from the sap of the rubber tree , Heveabrasiliensis, that grows in Malaysia. This sap looks like milk and is shipped to America in large ocean tanker ships. Once removed from the tree, the sap is called latex. To make this suitable for balloon production, curing agents, accelerators, oil, colour, and water must be added. After these are added, the completed latex is put in an open top tank, and the balloon form, which is in the shape of a balloon, is dipped. Before the form is dipped into latex, it is dipped into a coagulant that causes the rubber particles of the latex to collect on the form. This coagulant is calcium nitrate, water, and/or alcohol. After the coagulant coated form is dried, it is then dipped into the compounded latex. Then the latex coated form passed through a set of revolving brushes that rolls the balloon neck into the bead that is used to aid in the inflation of the balloon. The latex coated form is then washed in hot water to remove any unused nitrate. Following the leaching, the form is put in a 200-220 degrees Fahrenheit oven to cure for 20-25 minutes. When cured, the rubber balloon is removed from the form (stripped).

How the Rolled Lip on Balloons is Formed

Each balloon mould is the shape and size of the uninflated balloon. For example, a balloon mould for a round balloon is shaped like an inverted light bulb. The moulds are arranged into rows and dipped into liquid latex in assembly line fashion. The latex at the top (thin) end of the mould becomes the "lip" when it is rolled down (toward the wide end) by a device which looks like a small motorized brush. As the rows of moulds progress down the line, they pass between rotating, cone shaped brushes that are positioned horizontally, one on each side of each row of moulds, pointing at the approaching moulds. The brushes turn in opposite directions and are positioned so they touch the moulds on each side. The point of the brushes start rolling the lip, and the lips continues to form as the row of moulds moves along the line from the point to the larger end of the brushes. This occurs while the latex is still uncured, just before it is vulcanized.

For making a balloon, the formers pass the following stages