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Safety & Quality

Glove Production

How is a glove produced?

While you are most likely aware of the different types of gloves that are manufactured today, there is an interesting process behind making each type of glove that many distributors and glove wearers are not as familiar with. An example of this is when you compare latex to nitrile and vinyl gloves. While latex gloves are created using natural latex rubber, nitrile and vinyl gloves come from synthetic materials, and are manufactured slightly differently as a result.

Making latex gloves for example, is a multi-stage process and starts from collecting the raw material needed. After workers tap the rubber trees the raw material is centrifuged with the effluent latex. After a 25-day maturity- and stabilization period, the latex is sent to the glove factory, where it’s combined with chemical compounds according to the glove specifications. This ensures the glove’s increased tensile strength and flexibility. The formulation plays a major role in determining the quality of the final product.

On a single or double line, glove formers go through stages of dipping, leaching, rinsing and drying. The speed of the line determines the thickness and strength, the formers the texture and size of the glove. Depending on the glove type, the formers are dipped horizontally (Online) or vertically (Batch).

After the forming process is completed, the gloves need to remove harsh chemicals through a vulcanization- and leaching process. During the leaching phase protein is minimized. Once the gloves pass through these stages, they are washed and dried before they are inspected for testing.

Raw Material

Natural Rubber Latex

Latex is made from the sap of rubber trees called Hevea Brasiliensis (Brazilian Rubber). Natural Rubber Latex has a milky white appearance and is made of various lipids, phospholipids and proteins. Latex has to be concentrated to about 60% dry rubber content and stabilized with chemicals to maintain its fluid state. The latex concentrate is then added with vulcanizing ingredients and other chemicals so that the mixed latex compound can be converted into finished gloves.

Nitrile

Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (acrylonitrile butadiene) is a synthetic polymer formed by defined ratios of acrylonitrile, butadiene and carboxylic acid. Acrylonitrile provides permeation resistance characteristics. Butadiene contributes to glove softness and carboxylic acid contributes to physical characteristics, such as strength and tear resistance. Other chemicals, typically used in most glove formulations, are also added such as accelerators, antioxidants, colorants and preservatives.

Vinyl

Vinyl, is a synthetic polymer, containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and DINP (Di-Isononyl Phthalate) that is used in many medical and industrial applications. Vinyl remains the cheapest material used to manufacture such gloves. Although not as elastic as latex or nitrile gloves, vinyl exam gloves protect against blood borne pathogens. In addition to being comfortable to wear, vinyl gloves have a soft feel.

Latex Glove Dipping

Glove Stripping

Glove Stripping & Layering