How to keep tensile strength of gloves consistent?

Manufacturer: We are gloves manufacturer. We have had problem of getting consistent tensile strength of our gloves despite using a well maintained and calibrated tensiometer. Besides controlling the cure state of our latex compound and strict process control what else could we do?

John Woon (Senior Latex Consultant): It's very difficult to achieve 100% consistency in tensile properties as long as you are using a post-vulcanisable latex compound since the cure state increases with time with the corresponding increase in modulus and a drop in elongation and tensile strength. You should look into using prevulcanised latex.

Having said this, please ensure the following:

1) The cutter of your test pieces must be very sharp and free from any irregularity and damage to the cutting edges.

2) Gloves must be sufficiently dried and moisture content of the gloves must be consistent. Damp gloves would result in low tensile strength. Leaving the test pieces in a desiccator overnight would be helpful.

3) After drying, the gloves should be "well rested" before testing. The minimum time between vulcanisation and testing should be 16 hours. Depending on the formulation of the latex compound, some gloves continue to vulcanise even at room temperature while in storage.

4) Maintain and control the relative humidity and temperature in the testing room.

5) The gloves should be stored flat to prevent creasing while awaiting testing.

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