Efficient stoneware hand mold for slip casting in natural rubber latex glove preparation

Abstract

Disposal medical gloves are an important product to maintain hygienic conditions, ensuring security for patients and safeguarding against infections. They are used in many fields, such as dental and medical, beauty and cuisine, food and pharmaceutical industries. Presently, aging populations and an emerging middle class in developing countries require medical gloves at a higher volume. Therefore, the demand for medical gloves increases continuously. In this work, two types of hand molds were prepared from stoneware clay and plaster to be used in the natural rubber glove preparation. The ceramic stoneware and plaster hand molds were prepared by the slip casting. The obtained stoneware hand molds were found to be superior to the commercial hand molds. Natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves were fabricated by dipping the stoneware hand mold coated with a coagulant into the NRL compound using the sulfur curing system at 120°C for 30 min. The latex solid:water weight ratio, drying and firing temperatures, and firing time used to prepare stoneware hand molds were found to affect the adsorption–adhesion properties between the mold surface and the NRL films. The obtained NRL films were further characterized for the physical properties such as appearance, film thickness, tackiness, and effusion of the phase formation by X-ray diffraction, the microstructure by scanning electron microscope, and the mechanical properties. The NRL glove films prepared by the stoneware hand mold possessed the high percentage elongation at break and the maximum load stress equal to 1343.30 ± 78.36% and 12.74 ± 2.34 MPa, respectively. On the other hand, the latex glove films prepared by the plaster hand mold with 80 consistency provided the percentage of elongation at break and the maximum load stress equal to 531.76 ± 2.54 and 21.01 ± 0.08 MPa, respectively.