In modern industrial production, disposable gloves are widely used as protective equipment in many fields such as vehicle repairing, chemical, and electronic industries. The quality of disposable gloves is directly related to the safety, health, and work efficiency of users. The manufacturing process of disposable gloves covers many complex processes, and quality inspection plays an indispensable role in it. Only through strict quality inspection,  manufacturers can ensure disposable gloves meet industry standards in terms of material, performance, appearance, etc., thereby establishing a good brand image and winning the trust of consumers.

Given the critical importance of quality inspection in the glove manufacturing process, the following article will discuss INTCO Medical‘s product quality inspection during the disposable gloves production, and explore in depth how it ensures that every glove meets high quality requirements.

Standards for Quality Inspection

Domestic Standards

In China, standards such as GB 7543-2006 provide an important basis for the quality inspection of disposable gloves. These standards cover many aspects of gloves, including size specifications, physical properties, chemical residues, etc. For example, in terms of size, the allowable range of parameters such as length and width of gloves of different specifications is specified to ensure that the gloves can fit the hand sizes of different users. In terms of physical properties, indicators such as tensile strength are standardized to ensure that the gloves are not easily damaged during normal use.

International Standards

ASTM Standards for Disposable Medical Gloves:

ASTM International is a globally recognized leader in developing and delivering voluntary consensus standards. The organization has developed several standards for disposable medical gloves, including D3578 for latex gloves, D5250 for vinyl gloves, and D6319 for nitrile gloves. Each standard outlines the physical and performance requirements that must be met to ensure that the gloves provide the necessary level of protection for medical procedures.

FDA Regulations for Disposable Medical Gloves:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating medical devices, including disposable medical gloves. The FDA’s Medical Glove Guidance Manual outlines the agency’s recommendations for manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe and effective. Additionally, the Medical Device Reporting (MDR) regulation requires manufacturers and importers of medical devices, including disposable medical gloves, to report adverse events to the FDA.

CE Marking for Disposable Medical Gloves:

The CE mark is a mandatory conformity marking for products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA). It indicates that the product complies with the essential requirements of relevant European health, safety, and environmental protection legislation. Disposable medical gloves must comply with the Medical Devices Directive (MDD) or the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR) to receive the CE marking.

Common Industry Standards

The AQL standard is a common sampling inspection standard in the industry. It is based on the principles of probability theory and mathematical statistics, and determines whether the entire batch of products is qualified by determining the acceptable quality level (AQL). In the manufacture of disposable gloves, sampling inspection according to the AQL standard can improve inspection efficiency and reduce inspection costs while ensuring product quality.

Quality Inspection Methods and Standards

Appearance Inspection

Check the appearance defects of gloves. The gloves should be free of damage, impurities, uniform color, and no obvious scratches or bubbles on the surface. In addition, observe whether the surface of the gloves is smooth and whether there are bumps. The presence of bumps may be caused by impurities or process problems in the production process, which affects the fit of the gloves.

Size Measurement

Disposable gloves are usually categorized into three sizes: S, M, and L. S size gloves are suitable for people with palm widths less than 80mm, M size gloves are suitable for people with palm widths between 80-95mm, and L size gloves are suitable for people with palm widths greater than 95mm.

Physical Property test

Tensile Strength and Elongation at Break

When testing the tensile strength and elongation at break of gloves, a tensile tester is an indispensable tool. First, select a suitable glove sample and use scissors to cut the gloves into standard specimens. The size of this standard specimen needs to be determined strictly in accordance with the relevant test standards, such as the width and length must be accurate to the millimeter level. Next, put the cut specimen on the clamp of the tensile tester, and ensure that the clamp clamps the specimen to prevent slippage during the stretching process, which will affect the test results. Start the tensile tester and stretch at a uniform speed. During the stretching process, pay close attention to the force and elongation data displayed by the tester, and record them at a certain time interval (for example, every 0.5 seconds). When the specimen breaks, stop the tensile tester. Finally, according to the recorded force and elongation data, use specific formulas to calculate the tensile strength and elongation at break.

Wear Resistance

First, place the gloves on the test bench of the wear tester steadily to ensure there are no wrinkles or raised parts. Adjust the parameters of the wear tester, such as setting the appropriate wear pressure, wear speed and wear stroke, etc. After starting the wear test, record the wear amount and wear time during the wear process. The wear amount can be determined by measuring the thickness change or mass loss of the gloves before and after wear.

Evaluate the wear resistance of the gloves based on the recorded data. If the wear amount is small during a long wear time, then it can be considered that the gloves have good wear resistance; conversely, if the wear amount is large and the growth rate is fast, the wear resistance is poor.

Puncture Resistance

Puncture testers are usually used to test the puncture resistance of gloves. Fix the gloves on the test platform of the puncture tester. Select a suitable puncture needle.

Start the puncture tester and allow the puncture needle to puncture the gloves at a steady speed. During the puncture process, accurately record the data of puncture force and puncture depth. The puncture force can be obtained by the force sensor of the puncture tester, and the puncture depth can be obtained by the displacement measurement device of the tester.

Evaluate the puncture resistance of the gloves based on the recorded puncture force and puncture depth data. If the puncture force is large and the puncture depth is shallow, the puncture resistance of the gloves is good; conversely, if the puncture force is small and the puncture depth is deep, the puncture resistance of the gloves is poor.

In addition to the above quality inspections, INTCO Medical also conducts raw material inspections, packaging and labeling inspections during the manufacturing process of disposable gloves. These quality inspection measures are like layers of filters, ensuring that each disposable glove meets high quality requirements. This strict control of quality makes INTCO Medical highly competitive in the disposable glove market. Whether facing the strict requirements of the domestic or international markets, INTCO Medical can stand out with its high-quality products, win the trust of consumers, occupy an important position in the disposable glove market and continue to maintain its leading edge.