With the introduction of the first vehicle with the windscreen, there was a need for something to wipe the windscreen of water when it rained and dirt that was thrown from the road. In the first automobiles this was accomplished by using a cloth or something similar to wipe the windscreen, which normally meant that the vehicle had to stop to achieve this. This is why windshields were small and literally just a windbreak, and most drivers used goggles and used the back of their driving gloves to wipe the water and dirt from their goggles.

As cars evolved over time, so did the necessity for something to clear the windscreen of water and dirt, and so wiper blades were invented. At first blades were created from hard rubber strips that were tapered down one edge to create a shape like a blade; this was then placed in a strong metal frame. These wiper blades were a big step forward and cleared water and dirt from the windscreen as they operated on the move, but they were poor at keeping the windscreen clear in forceful rain.

The first wiper blades would frequently squeak and shudder when when operating, making them jump and miss out sectors of the windscreen as they went backwards and forwards. The design of the wiper blades frames were improved to help stop this, and instead of a solid metal frame, the new frames were createdfrom metal that was sprung and only cradled the wiper blades at limited points along the wiper blade, allowing them to follow the curves of the windscreen. These new wiper blades were created from soft rubber and were the first generation of wiper blades; these made it necessary to regularly purchase replacement wiper blades to continue their effectiveness at removing water and dirt from the windscreen.

Now that the wiper blade can effectively clear water and mud from the windscreen, creators now initiated attempting to further the operational life, while maintaining or developing their operation. This was accomplished by making the edge of the wiper blade flat as opposed to a point, basically putting two wages on the wiper blade. This developed the operational life of a wiper blade, as one edge of the blade cleaned the windscreen on the away-from stroke and the other edge cleaned the windscreen on the return stroke. These double edged wiper blades meant that the need to purchase replacement wiper blades happened less often, whilst developing the wiper blades technique to clean water and dirt from the windscreen.

The next improvement to wiper blades was made by switching from wiper blades created from rubber, to wiper blades created from pure extruded silicon resin, and this furthered the life of the wiper blade by 3 to 5 times. These silicon wiper blades also enhanced the temperature range which wiper blades could be used at, therefore increasing safety whilst driving in extreme conditions. The majority of replacement wiper blades built from silicon come with a year’s guarantee.

Wiper blades today, incorporate the majority of these improvements, but there is one more improvement that has been developed. This is the introduction of a flat wiper blade. This is a frameless wiper blade that essentially means there is no metal frame to rust and rupture. These flat wiper blades also make sure that there is an even pressure along the blade, stopping almost all squeaking and shuddering. These flat wiper blades are created from silicon and are the epitomy of today’s wiper blade technology. These wiper blades make sure that you will have a clear and dirt free windscreen in even the most difficult weather conditions.