Once the synthetic materials are available, they go to the factory for production. With a few exceptions, this process is mostly the same as the steps for manufacturing latex gloves:
The nitrile gloves equipment first runs ceramic, hand-shaped formers through water and bleach to clean them and remove any residue from the previous run. The formers then dry to remove all the water. Then, they dip in a mixture of calcium carbonate and calcium nitrate, which helps the synthetic materials coagulate around the formers. Afterward, the formers dry again.
The equipment dips the formers in tanks full of NBR or PVC. The following step involves heating the materials at a high temperature to form the gloves as they dry.
For easier donning, nitrile gloves undergo one of two processes: chlorination or polymer coating. Chlorination involves exposing the gloves to chlorine – as an acid mixture or gas – to make the material harder and more slick. Polymer coating lubricates the glove surface by adding a layer of polymer.
Finally, in what is known as the stripping phase, the gloves are removed from the formers. This is called the stripping phase by nitrile gloves equipment suppliers.
