Getting a handle on gloves
06/01/2002
by Mark A. DeSorbo
For a full, updated list of gloves manufacturers and distributors, go to cleanrooms.com and search "gloves" in our online Product Guide.
Putting a finger on the right cleanroom glove for a specific application can be a handful for even the savviest of contamination control professionals.
On one hand, the search will undoubtedly lead to the discovery of several manufacturers and distributors, and many will recall CleanRooms East 2001 in Boston, where 17 glove manufacturers exhibited. On the other hand, there are numerous factors to consider, like ISO Class 4 or ISO Class 5 cleanliness, dexterity and, of course, the material the make up the glove itself.
 This cleanroom glove from North Safety Products (Cranston, RI) is made of nitrile, a soft, elastic material that is known for puncture and abrasion resistance. |
It could be made from latex, neoprene, nitrile, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, polyurethane, PTFE or vinyl, all of which link similarities in respective product lines, yet each of these materials have qualities that may make one better for certain applications than others.
Nitrile, for example, is a soft, elastic material that is known for having greater puncture and abrasion resistance than latex and vinyl disposable gloves. Nylon gloves are regarded for strength and durability as well as low moisture absorption and comfort. Vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene are cost-effective choices, when durability is not an issue, while latex, or natural rubber, is easily cleaned, cost-effective, but could pose a problem for those who are allergic.
Neoprene, a trade name of The DuPont Co. (Wilmington, DE) for its synthetic rubber, is another cleanroom glove material that provides intermittent protection against exposure to extremely high temperatures as well as chemical resistance and durability.
Another DuPont trade name, Lycra, has also been thrown into the cleanroom glove material mix. Two years ago, DuPont Lycra and Wilshire Technologies Inc. (Carlsbad, CA) combined Lycra with polyurethane to make disposable cleanroom glove. [See "Dupont to put Lycra to new use," September 2000, p. 1.]
Originally developed as a replacement for rubber, Lycra has the ability to stretch up to six times its original length and then snap back to its starting size with no loss to its spring, according to DuPont.
Like the Lycra-laced variety, many cleanroom gloves are also made with fibers for eliminating and controlling static. Unlike gloves with anti-static properties that will not build up a static charge on items handled, static dissipative gloves will remove static buildup from an item. Static Dissipative gloves are commonly used in the cleanroom, semiconductor and photographic and imaging industries.
PTFE, better known as Teflon, is probably the oldest of DuPont's fluoro-plastic fibers. Teflon gives cleanroom gloves durability as well as wide-range resistance to ultraviolet light, heat and chemicals.
The task at hand
A large percentage of cleanroom gloves are used in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, where chemicals, cleanliness and extractables, which can be anything that washes out of a glove when it comes into contact with a fluid.
"We have our gloves tested for particles as well as extractables," says Jim Brown, technical services special for North Safety Products (Cranston, RI). "End users want to know how clean the glove is and if it gives off extractables in water or solvents. They also want comfort, dexterity and strength in a cleanroom glove."
Dexterity is really important, especially when handling small parts, adds Lisa Rizzo, product manager for hand protection at North.
"Some gloves are great for protection, but you can't pick up a dime with them," Brown says.
Both Rizzo and Brown say concerns are heavily weighted toward chemical-resistant gloves made from nitrile and natural rubber. "Nitrile is more chemical-resistant than natural rubber," Rizzo says. "Nitrile is more expensive, and natural rubber is cheaper, but some people are allergic to it."
Plus, one type of glove that works in one situation will not work in others. While it is often thought that it protects the end-user, the glove is sometimes there to protect the product.
"Touch a chip with a bare hand, and you'll ruin it," Brown adds. "If you are using a thin-wall nitrile glove for pharmaceutical purposes, it may not work in a situation where acetone is being used. Whatever the case, the gloves have to match the chemicals in the cleanroom as well as the degree of cleanliness."
Getting a grip
What may sound challenging for the end user makes for a rather unappealing industry for the vendor, says John Uhran, general manager of scientific products for CT International (San Luis Obispo, CA), which manufacturers 15 types of latex, cleanroom and surgical gloves.
"The reality of it all is the glove market is not all that sexy," he says. "A manufacturer differentiates itself on very limited number of characteristics; quality, customer service, and how willing you are to be a contract manufacturer." Even community involvement, Uhran says, comes in to play, noting CT International's use of cancer-survivor artwork on product packaging through its involvement with the National Childhood Cancer Foundation (Arcadia, CA).
Aside from facing customer demands, the market continually deals with competition. For example, the market got even tougher when The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, MI) jumped into the crowded cleanroom glove market late last year with its INTACTA IC 1000, a polyurethane glove that the company touts as having "excellent ESD properties and extremely low extractables."
Competition, combined with a market-wide concentration on "recession-proof industries," like the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, as well as a pool of end-users who are often reluctant to switch to a new product, makes for one tough environment for commerce.
"It's really a dog fight out there," says Carl Lineberger, executive vice president of TechNiGlove International, a Yorba Linda, CA-based manufacturer of acid-resistant, latex and nitrile gloves.
Established four years ago, TechNiGlove is relatively new to the industry, but in that time, Lineberger says the company quickly learned what it takes to survive and prosper in the cleanroom glove market.
"Low cost wins, and you cannot provide that unless your are a true manufacturer, meaning you make, process and package the product," Lineberger says. "You have to be a manufacturer to be in a low cost position, and you just can't show up on the market with a glove.