Manufacturing
Dipped
Most household gloves are manufactured using a dipping process.
Hand shaped moulds, known as 'formers', are dipped into the appropriate base material. For rubber gloves the porcelain mould is coated with a chemical and immersed into a liquid dispersion of rubber particles (natural or synthetic) and additives. The destabilising effect of the chemical causes the particles and other materials to deposit progressively onto the mould. After withdrawal from the latex compound, cotton fibres may be sprayed on to the mould to provide a flock lining. The mould is then passed through a bath of hot water to remove any remaining soluble substances. Rubber gloves, together with the majority of 'cut and sewn' leather and fabric gloves, are initially manufactured inside out, so that on being removed from the mould they are reversed and assume their proper form.
The final part of the chemical process is vulcanisation in which the finished glove is subjected to a heat-initiated reaction which finally determines its strength and chemical resistance. Some products, for instance natural rubber gloves, may additionally be 'chlorinated' (i.e. treated with chlorine gas to haloginese the surface) to make the glove more comfortable to wear and to increase its resistance to certain chemicals.
Knitted
Manufactured along the same lines as the knitted fashion glove, both gloves and mitts are knitted from spun yarn directly into a glove / mitt shape on automatic machines.
