gloves
Critical environments differ from one application to the next, but one aspect they all share is the need for adequate hand protection. Glove products can vary widely in sterility, weight, length, resistance to contaminants, and the materials from which they are made, affecting how you choose one hand-protection product over another for your application.
Compiled by Carrie Meadows
Secure grip in chemical environments
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Ansell offers AlphaTEC™ gloves, the first chemical-resistant gloves to incorporate Ansell Grip Technology™. Designed as a liquid-proof product requiring less force to grip oily or wet objects, AlphaTEC gloves have been successfully tested at the production sites of 25 major industrial companies throughout Europe. More than 83 percent of workers claimed they could perform tasks better with AlphaTEC gloves. The gloves integrate microscopic channels in a patented, ultra-thin nitrile layer to direct fluids away from the grip surface, leaving a significant dry contact area that provides almost the same grip that is possible under fluid-free conditions. This improved adherence promotes greater worker comfort and minimizes stress and fatigue. The production process ensures an exceptionally safe chemical barrier. The gloves’ polymer coating does not penetrate into the liner during the manufacturing process, which results in consistent protection for the skin. AlphaTEC’s nitrile coating is also designed for greater flexibility. For more information, visit the company’s web site or contact Customer Service at 800-800-0444.
Ansell Red Bank, NJ www.ansellpro.com
Suitable for strict industrial environments
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The CleaN-DEX® glove from Best Glove, Inc. is the answer to protecting technicians and products in clean environments. This Class 100 cleanroom specialist delivers ultra-low ESD and particulate counts, protecting high-end semiconductors and other clean manufactured products. The CleaN-DEX glove’s “clean” white color is ideal for environments where exacting standards of industrial hygiene are required. Its textured fingertips deliver enhanced grip and tactile discrimination. The glove’s 12-inch length and beaded cuff design ensure compatibility with cleanroom garments and apparel. Best Glove also offers a number of other glove choices, such as the N-DEX® S9905 (sterile) and two bagged N-DEX gloves, the N-DEX® B9905 and the N‑DEX® original B6005 that are ideal for many clean environments.
Best Glove, Inc. Menlo, GA www.bestglove.com
Range of glove offerings for various cleanroom classes
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Connecticut Clean Room Corporation (CCRC) offers a complete line of gloves including a wide selection of vinyl, latex, nitrile, and specialty gloves. The company’s gloves meet or exceed the stringent requirements needed in critical environments ranging from Class 100,000 to Class 1 (U.S. Fed. Std. 209E). Glove sizes vary depending on style and manufacturer. With more than 25 years of experience with cleanroom products, CCRC can assist in selecting the right glove for each application. The proper fit provides comfort and enhances wearability, dexterity, and safety. CCRC offers a new catalog that features an assortment of special products that meet all critical manufacturing, industrial, and sanitary standards. To receive a catalog or for information, call 860-589-0049 and ask the Customer Care Team for more details.
Connecticut Clean Room Corporation Bristol, CT www.ctcleanroom.com
New polymer alternative that withstands deterioration
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Harada USA Corporation is developing and manufacturing a new glove product developed for high-tech customers who require a higher level of cleanliness, especially for expanding 32 nm technologies. The company has succeeded in manufacturing a LYCRA® polymer that does not require additives, catalysts, emulsifiers, stabilizers, powders, or chlorination, which other cleanroom glove products depend upon. The ability for CE gloves to withstand physical abuse and remain intact without degradation, shedding or peeling is a prerequisite for reducing contamination. Although many CE gloves present positive data at the start-of-use when removed from the bag, performance during use deteriorates quickly. DuraCLEAN® with LYCRA® is the first and only CE glove that delivers leading performance in the areas of airborne molecular contamination, particle contamination, ionic contamination, and electrostatic discharge without compromise, according to Harada USA.
Harada USA Corporation San Diego, CA www.haradausa.com
Wide range of cleanroom gloves compatible up to Class 10
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High-Tech Conversions Inc. offers a wide range of cleanroom gloves. Available for most applications, the gloves are available in six main varieties and feature comfortable, high-quality construction. Additionally, they are Class 10 compatible and sterile. Powder-free, non-sterile nitrile and latex gloves are available in various sizes and in quantities of 100/double bag, 10 bags/case. They are Class 100 cleanroom compatible and come in 9 1/2 and 12 inch lengths. A Class 100 cleanroom compatible anti-static vinyl glove is also offered. Powder-free, non-medical gloves and lightly powdered non-medical gloves come in nitrile, latex, and vinyl versions. Vinyl gloves are translucent white and ESD safe. Both lightweight and heavyweight cotton gloves in both men’s and women’s sizes are overcast hemmed and unhemmed and come in quantities of one dozen per bag. Static dissipative (ESD) nylon cloth gloves are cleanroom quality gloves that are breathable, with conductive fibers running throughout the glove.
High-Tech Conversions Inc. East Windsor, CT www.high-techconversions.com
Hand protection offers reduced contamination, static removal
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Innotech Products offers a complete selection of gloves that will meet or exceed the requirements of each customer’s application. A diverse selection of bagged or boxed nitrile, latex, and vinyl disposable gloves, as well as nylon, vinyl coated, cotton, and chemical/acid-resistant gloves and glove dispensers are offered. The product line includes attributes such as powder-free, anti-static, ESD safe, sterile, and temperature resistant. Cleanroom gloves undergo special washing and cleaning processes to remove particulates, reducing contamination. Anti-static gloves are made from fibers that will control static generation and prevent static charges while handling objects. ESD safe gloves will remove static buildup while technicians handle sensitive components. Chemical gloves provide varying degrees of protection against harmful elements and resist abrasion or cutting. Finger cots offer added protection and are more cost-effective than double gloving; they are available in conductive, nitrile, and pink anti-static versions. To speak to a cleanroom specialist regarding these and other critical environment needs, call 888-270-0458.
Innotech Products Minneapolis, MN www.InnotechProducts.com
Aseptically packaged gloves for cleanroom environments
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KIMTECH PURE* G3 Sterile Latex Gloves from Kimberly-Clark Professional are designed for use in sterile cleanroom environments. The gloves are made from natural rubber latex with low proteins and low endotoxins. They are non-hemolytic and non-cytotoxic. The 12-inch long gloves are hand-specific and are packaged in polyethylene for aseptic donning. The gloves are available in hand sizes 6 through 10.
Kimberly-Clark Professional Roswell, GA www.kcprofessional.com
Additive-free polyethylene construction
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KNF Clean Room Products manufactures the Ultraglove™ using pure additive-free polyethylene film in a cleanroom environment according to the stringent Ultraclean™ cleanliness level, as with all of KNF’s products. A final test of the glove is performed to determine ash content and any presence of additives, such as slip, antiblock, AHTs, and BHTs. The Ultraglove™ is widely used in the polysilicon and wafer production industry due to its low cation and anion content. The sterilized, chemical-resistant gloves are suited to applications in the medical, biomedical, medical device, and veterinary medicine fields.
KNF Clean Room Products Ronkonkoma, NY www.knfcorporation.com
Cleanroom-fabricated and pre- laundered hand protection
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Magid Glove & Safety offers the Fiberlock® 132NYA cleanroom glove, which provides great dexterity and touch sensitivity and is low-linting. This glove is seamless and 100% nylon, with a high-density construction and double-hemmed edge, making it suitable for particulate restrictive areas in the electronic, semiconductor, and automotive paint industries. The 132NYA is manufactured entirely in a cleanroom with an ISO 6 rating by using heat-treated, texturized, stretched, cleaned, and packaged yarn. Once produced, the gloves are taken to an on-site laundering facility and pre-laundered to retain their size after multiple launderings and then packaged in heat-sealed BHT-free polybags. Online purchasing is available 24/7. Browse the online catalog of more than 30,000 safety items for virtually every industry. In addition to signature Magid products, the company offers brands such as Aearo, Ansell, Best, 3M, Uvex, MSA, and more.
Magid Glove & Safety Chicago, IL www.magidglove.com
Glove products meet critical environment standards
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PIP Technical offers many styles of gloves used in the critical environment industry. PIP Technical products range from disposable nitrile and latex to pure vinyl and co-polymer vinyl, as well as a wide variety of glove liners. These products are designed and manufactured to meet strict standards for critical environments. PIP Technical’s Cleanteam® products can provide assurance of documented performance. Contact the company at 800-262-5755, by e-mail at [email protected], or visit the web site.
PIP Technical Uniontown, OH www.pipusa.com
Drybox and isolator gloves
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Renco has added a full range of sterile, Hypalon®, and nitrile drybox gloves to its product line. Renco’s Hypalon® drybox gloves are leak-tested and powder-free. The company will sterilize to customer specifications. Products are available to fit hand sizes 7-10.5, left/right and ambidextrous, and port sizes of 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches. Nuclear, chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech companies around the world have chosen Renco products for more than 40 years. Renco also holds two GSA (Government Services Administration) schedules. The company’s product line includes a wide range of drybox and isolator gloves, sleeves, and the patented Titeline Glove System. In addition to Hypalon® and nitrile, butyl, polyurethane/Hypalon®, latex, neoprene, Viton®, and butadyl protection solutions are offered. Renco also supplies stainless steel, polypropylene, and PVC glove ports, cleanroom/ESD safety shoes, and supplies. For product questions, estimates, and to place an order, call 800-257-8284, or e-mail [email protected].
Renco Corporation Manchester, MA www.rencogloves.com
Customized options, reconditioned gloves available
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More than 80% of Riverstone Holdings’ cleanroom gloves are made from nitrile and ~20% from natural rubber. The gloves are ambidextrous, ranging from 9 to 14 inches, and come in sizes from extra small to 3X large. For better gripping, gloves with textured fingertips or tacky gloves are also available. Riverstone currently produces Class 10 gloves, Class 100 gloves, Class 100 chemical-resistant gloves, and Class 100 gloves with enhanced ESD protection. The company is able to customize individual product batches to meet customers’ varying requirements. Currently available in the Asian market, used Riverstone gloves in good condition can be sent back for reconditioning instead of disposal, spearheading sustainable development. Riverstone’s proprietary program ensures that there will not be any cross-contamination involved. The company’s manufacturing plants in Malaysia, Thailand, and China are ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certified. Riverstone also distributes finger cots, cleanroom packaging materials, and other cleanroom consumables including swabs, face masks, wipers, and coveralls.
Riverstone Holdings Ltd. Selangor, Malaysia www.riverstone.com.my
Puncture-resistant gloves in PVC dispenser
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Techni-Cleaned Class 10 nitrile gloves are manufactured in three colors-white, blue, and green-which allows coding by size, coding by product, coded double gloving, and many other opportunities. Techniglove products contain no natural rubber or silicone and meet the most stringent requirements for particles and extractables. The proprietary Microtexture Formers offer an exceptional fit and a soft, supple feel. Exclusive on-line batch testing is available for this product. According to the company, the Technipak is the world’s only plastic (PVC) dispenser box with 5-mil thick powder-free nitrile gloves for controlled environments. The clean PVC dispenser reduces the particulate found on paper boxes and can be wiped clean in wet applications. The gloves are puncture-resistant and are 100% nitrile, reducing the potential for allergic reactions to natural rubber latex proteins.
Techniglove International Corona, CA www.techniglove.com
Tri-blend chemical glove
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Valutek offers a variety of latex, PVC, and nitrile gloves to fit any customer’s cleanroom and controlled environment needs. The latest addition to the company’s product line is a tri-blend chemical glove, made from a unique polymer blend of latex, nitrile, and neoprene, which provides complete protection against all chemicals in an immersion application. The combination of protection against acids and solvents makes the chemical gloves ideal in microelectronics environments for a number of critical functions: chemical mixing and transporting; acid etching; handling Quartzware instruments and equipment; and handling silicon wafers in acid baths. It comes in a natural color, 15-inch cuff length, and 20-mil thickness, and each pair is carefully inspected and packaged in individual poly bags. The gloves will debut on December 1 and are able to be pre-ordered.
Valutek Phoenix, AZ www.valutek.com