Disposable gloves are essential for working in a huge range of industries including medicine, food processing, automotive, body art. However, because they are single-use, wearers do not give much thought to the glove’s composition.
Disposable Glove Materials:
Nitrile is a synthetic rubber that provides excellent protection against hazardous chemicals, solvents, oils and animal fats. It also provides excellent resistance to abrasion, snags, punctures and cuts. Nitrile gloves have better abrasion and cut resistance than Natural Rubber and PVC gloves. Our Nitrile gloves are USFDA compliant.
Nitrile is increasingly becoming the preferred material for single-use gloves. The primary reason for this is that, unlike latex, a natural rubber, nitrile is synthetic and does not induce allergic responses.
Latex is the most elastic substance known. It provides outstanding grip, excellent resistance to abrasion, cuts and tears, yet is very flexible and comfortable to wear. Natural Rubber is a hydrocarbon and degrades when in contact with hydrocarbon fluids such as kerosene and petrol. Latex is not recommended for handling oils, grease or petroleum solvents. Our Latex disposable gloves are mostly USFDA compliant.
Vinyl offers a low cost, powder and latex free alternative to latex and nitrile. Disposable vinyl gloves are suitable for low risk environments such as hair dressing or food service as they are less durable and offer less protection against harsh chemicals
Polyethylene (PE) is a low cost, economical option for a lightweight disposable gloves – suitable for light duties and regular glove changes, they are usually looser fitting to make getting them on and off easier.
How are Disposable Nitrile Gloves Manufactured?
Nitrile, also known as acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), is a copolymer created by emulsion polymerizing butadiene and acrylonitrile. These molecules provide nitrile gloves with two distinct advantages:
Acrylonitrile strengthens chemical resistance.
Butadiene imparts pliability and tear resistance.
Once the synthetic materials are manufactured, they are delivered to the plant for production.
Step 1: Preparing the Glove Formers
To clean and remove residue, the ceramic, hand-shaped formers are washed with water and acid. After that, the formers are dried to remove any leftover moisture. The formers are then dipped in a solution of calcium carbonate and calcium nitrate to aid in the solidification of the nitrile around the formers.
Step 2: Nitrile Dipping
The formers are dipped in a tank of NBR compound, which may contain various additives and colours.
Step 3: Vulcanizing Nitrile Rubber
To form the gloves while they dry, the NBR coating must be heated to a high temperature. The gloves are then leached by being immersed in water tanks to remove any residues and extractable chemicals. This is especially important for medical and food-grade gloves.
Step 4: Beading the Cuffs
After the leaching process is finished, the cuffs are rolled to make the glove easier to remove and less prone to tear around the wrist. After beading, gloves may be leached again.
Step 5: Finishing
At this phase, gloves can be treated in several ways to make them simpler to put on:
- Powders were traditionally used by glove producers however, many manufacturers are moving away from powdered gloves.
- Chlorination is the process of exposing gloves to chlorine in order to make the material tougher and slicker.
- Polymer coating adds a layer of polymer to the glove surface to lubricate it.
Step 6: Stripping
The final stage of production is the stripping phase. When the gloves are finished, employees manually remove them from the formers. At this step, the gloves must be inspected for quality control problems. Special care is taken to ensure that there are no holes or snags in the material.
Check out this video to see the full step by step process!
Testing Protection and Strength
Gloves are rigorously tested to guarantee that they are not defective or will cause contamination for glove users.
Pinhole Leak Test:
The pinhole leak test is one test based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and controlled by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A variety of gloves (usually one glove per batch) are filled with water and hung upside down for two minutes to determine how long they can withstand the weight.
Most gloves are also stretched and inflated to test their strength and check for any defects or holes.
These tests follow acceptable quality limits (AQLs), which are percentages that indicate how many gloves in a batch can fail the test in order to determine if the entire batch fails.
If the nitrile gloves pass these quality assurance testing, they are boxed and dispatched.
Glove Specifications
Heavy duty disposable nitrile gloves can be 8 – 15 mils thick, whereas general purpose nitrile gloves are usually 2 – 5 mils thick. For comparison, 1 mil equates to one-thousandth of an inch (0.001″).
The thicker the disposable nitrile glove, the more viscous the NBR compound is during the dipping phase. These heavier disposable gloves will only be used for certain tasks.
Thicker gloves are advantageous in more industrial settings because they operate as a thicker barrier of protection from severe conditions. When working with chemicals, thicker nitrile gloves provide a longer permeation duration.
Tensile Strength refers to a material’s capacity to withstand tension when pulled apart. It is determined by the maximum stress that a material can sustain when stretched without breaking. The industry standard for disposable glove tensile strength is 14 megaPascal (MPa).
The thickness of a glove used to be directly proportional to its tensile strength. Thinner gloves are now achieving the same tensile strength as thicker gloves as a result of innovation and technical improvement.
Elongation refers to how stretchy the material is, and how much it can expand before breaking. This is measured as percentage.
Colour Coding
Color coding gloves is one of the simplest and most effective Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) compliance strategies.
It might be especially useful if you are concerned about pathogens, allergies, or other external contaminants in your operations.
Different colours can be assigned to different steps of a task or to different manufacturing lines. Green gloves, for example, could be assigned to facilities and processing lines that handle cooked or processed meats.
Because blue is easily recognisable, blue-colored gloves are commonly utilised in the poultry and other food processing sectors. If glove particles contaminate a product, they are easy to spot since they are a hue that is not commonly present in foods.
By designating colours to each stage, it is easy to tell if a glove has been misplaced or if someone is working in the wrong location. This level of traceability can reduce costly recalls and potentially fatal infections.
Black is a popular choice among mechanical, industrial, automotive, and other tradespeople because it conceals dirt, oil, and grip, allowing them to maintain a professional appearance. Tattoo artists favour black because it hides ink stains and blood, and it prevents their clients from worrying when they glance down.
Powdered or Powder Free?
The powder used in disposable gloves is cornstarch, which helps prevent skin irriation and makes the glove easier to put on. Many manufacturers are stopping production of powdered gloves because of the risk of contamination and illness when used for surgeries etc.
Some people believe non-powdered gloves are not as durable and more at risk of ripping and not protecting the user. According to the FDA, non-powdered nitrile gloves provide the same level of protection, dexterity, and performance as powdered gloves.
There are other methods for creating a powderless glove that slides on just as easily and provides the same level of protection and dexterity.
Chlorination: During the finishing stage of production, gloves are washed with a chlorine gas or a hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid solution and then cleaned to prevent the chemical from further reacting with the glove. This treatment decreases the ‘tackiness’ of the glove’s surface and gives it a softer feel.
Polymer coating: Polymers such as silicones, acrylics, and hydrogels are used by manufacturers. The polymer coating is simpler to slip on the hand since it has less surface friction than the glove material. Typically, the polymer is applied while the glove is still on the former..
How to Choose the Right Disposable Glove
Now that you’ve learned everything there is to know about disposable gloves, you must decide which disposable gloves are suitable for your needs. These variables should be taken into account:
Thickness: When it comes to disposable gloves, the rule of thumb is that the thicker the glove material is, the less dexterity you will have.
The difference in thickness between a 3 mil and an 8 mil glove is 5/1000th of an inch. It may not appear to make much of a difference, but for someone working in food processing for eight hours a day, choosing thinner gloves means less sweaty, fatigued hands.
Tattoo artists, painters, and finishers, on the other hand, require thicker gloves due to the increased risk of puncture and wear and tear connected with their work.
Color: As we discussed above, several industries have specific glove colours that are necessary. Check the colour requirements for gloves in your business.
Fit: If the glove is too small, it will tear; if it is too large, it will be difficult to work in and may slip off. A reputable glove manufacturer will be able to supply gloves in sizes ranging from small to extra-large. Some of our gloves are one-size-fits all, and others also fit up to 3XL.
Trial: Choose a few gloves that meet your requirements from a variety of manufacturers. Have a group of people wear them for a range of tasks to get different perspectives.
Employees should record feedback about the gloves and any concerns they have throughout the day. Did one glove rip at the wrist when you put it on, or did another have a considerably superior grip? Staff should also make a point of noting how long each glove lasted. To guarantee uniformity, have the same group participate in the wear trials for each of the gloves.
Once you have completed a trial, you should be able to decide on a glove that best meets your needs and budget.