Thin, smooth nitrile rubber gloves

摘要

A nitrile-rubber medical exam glove composed of a glove body which is a flexible layer of nitrile-butadiene rubber having a chlorinated first surface forming a donning side and an un-chlorinated second surface forming a grip side. The elastomeric glove also includes a substantially uniform distribution of a release agent distributed over the un-chlorinated second surface of the glove body. The elastomeric glove has: (a) an average thickness of between about 0.03 to 0.12 mm in a palm region of the glove body as measured in accordance with ASTM D3767, procedure A; (b) an un-chlorinated second surface of the glove body characterized by a Surface Root Mean Square Roughness of from about 3.00 μm to about 6.55 μm; and (c) a failure rate of less than about 1 percent when the elastomeric glove is subjected to pinhole leak testing generally in accordance with ASTM D5151-06.

主权项

1. An elastomeric glove produced by a process comprising:
coating a surface of a mold with a coagulant solution and a release agent, the coagulation solution having a calcium ion concentration of between about 3 percent and about 5 percent based on the weight of calcium ions in the coagulant solution; partially drying the mold coated with the coagulant solution and release agent; immersing the partially dried mold into an nitrile-butadiene rubber latex emulsion having a latex solids content of between about 12 percent and about 20 percent, by weight, for a dwell time of between about 7 seconds and 15 seconds to form a layer of coagulated nitrile-butadiene rubber latex on the mold surface; removing the mold from the nitrile-butadiene rubber latex emulsion; immersing the mold containing the coagulated nitrile-butadiene rubber latex into an aqueous bath to remove excess calcium ions and then drying the coagulated nitrile-butadiene rubber latex to form a glove body on the mold; immersing the mold containing the glove body into a chlorinating bath to chlorinate an exterior surface of the glove body on the mold; and removing the glove body from the mold by inverting the glove body such that the chlorinated exterior surface of the glove body forms an interior surface of the glove body; the elastomeric glove comprising a glove body consisting of a single, flexible layer of an elastomeric nitrile-butadiene rubber formed from a nitrile-butadiene rubber latex, the glove body having first surface forming a donning side of the glove body and an un-chlorinated second surface forming a grip side of the glove body; a substantially uniform distribution of a waxy release agent over the un-chlorinated second surface of the glove body; wherein the glove body has: (a) an average thickness of between about 0.03 to 0.12 mm in a palm region of the glove body; (b) an un-chlorinated second surface of the glove body characterized by a Surface Root Mean Square Roughness (Sq) of from about 3.00 μm to about 6.55 μm; and (c) a failure rate of less than about 1 percent when the elastomeric glove is subjected pinhole leak testing generally in accordance with ASTM D5151 06.