Poor Tensile Strength of Gloves

Manufacturer: We are facing the persistent problem of poor tensile strength in our gloves despite having improved our latex compound formulations. Can you help?

John Woon (Senior Latex Consultant): In the manufacturing of latex-dipped products including gloves, the physical properties (including tensile strength) of the finished products, do not merely depend on the compound formulations.

The dipping process requires perfect wetting properties of both the coagulant and latex, along with clean formers without micro-flaws. You should also look into the effect of occlusion of foreign particles, air bubbles, pinholes, etc.

"Wetting" is a big subject that must be well understood before venturing into making latex-dipped products. If you want, I can prepare a separate report with more technical details.