Protecting Those Who Protect Us First

TPE gloves are used for daily hand protection, and nitrile and latex gloves are used for mission-critical frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic-related glove storage.

As the global demand for personal protective equipment continues to increase, we must all find ways to ensure that the necessary resources are provided to the basic staff who need PPE-mainly those in mission-critical medical positions.

It is important that we keep nitrile and latex disposable gloves for health care workers and first responders, and at the same time determine appropriate alternatives for the general population and those who do not have high requirements for personal protective equipment. Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) gloves are an excellent alternative because they have several characteristics that make them an ideal alternative for hand protection in everyday settings. In particular, TPE gloves combine high ease of use and extensive chemical resistance to become an affordable and recyclable product that is comfortable for the wearer.

The following features make TPE gloves a viable alternative during the global glove shortage.

Material

TPE is a synthetic material with rubber-like properties-especially high elasticity and chemical resistance. The material has a good stretching ability, low modulus, and good return to its original shape, which makes the wearer feel comfortable. Although TPE has similar chemical resistance to natural rubber latex, these gloves are generally lighter in weight and not suitable for work with high mechanical risks.

However, there are multiple layers of TPE gloves that can be used in high-risk chemical environments. Finally, due to the chemical resistance of TPE, gloves can be exposed to hand sanitizer to extend their use.

Abrasion resistance

TPE gloves are easy to wear and take off while providing high wearing comfort and flexibility. Once put on, the soft material warms to the touch and conforms to the shape of the hand for a comfortable fit. The open cuffs make them ideal for workers who require frequent tasks between changing and taking off their gloves. This thin, highly elastic material makes TPE gloves ideal for activities that require prolonged dexterity, such as food preparation. These characteristics make them perfect for anyone who needs light hand protection on a daily basis.

Manufacturing

The production process allows clean and economical products. TPE gloves are produced through a cutting and sealing process, which allows rapid production of large quantities at a relatively low cost. Very few chemicals are used in the production process, so the gloves are clean, free of powder, and do not contain any residual allergens. This clean production process provides wearers who usually respond to hand protection with products that meet their needs. TPE gloves are also environmentally friendly, and plastic products can be recycled.

Applications

Comfortable, low-cost, and broad-spectrum chemical-resistant TPE gloves allow them to be used in a variety of applications. It makes them ideal protection for low mechanical risk environments such as retail, beauty, housekeeping, cleaning, painting, and household services.

latex glove

They are also ideal for foodservice and food preparation. Due to its clean production process, TPE products are food contact approved by the FDA. They provide workers with the high flexibility required for food preparation and production-they are usually available in multiple colors to address cross-contamination requirements.

The lightweight nature of TPE gloves and the broad chemical resistance of the material make them suitable for many applications under gloves. They can be used under knitted-impregnated mechanical protection gloves, and the wearer will be exposed to liquids that may harm the skin. Due to their low cost and lightweight, they can also be used in nitrile and latex, reusable chemical resistant gloves to enhance chemical protection. In these critical environments, wearing TPE gloves as an under glove can extend the life of the glove, protect the worker, and provide an extra sense of security.

It is these factors that make TPE gloves an ideal substitute for nitrile and latex disposable products. From extensive chemical resistance to clean manufacturing processes, these economical gloves have come a long way in providing light hand protection in a wide range of applications, as primary gloves for dexterity or as gloves for high-risk environments.

The Importance Of TPE Gloves

TPE is a leak-proof disposable system that is very suitable for the safe handling of food. Protect your diet from bacteria and accidental damage. Therefore, the risk of viral infections and potential bacteria during food processing can be minimized. In addition to vinyl gloves, latex gloves, and nitrile gloves, two new types of gloves have also become popular: cast polyethylene (CPE) and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), both of which are gloves. Learn how each glove changes, how they fit together, and some of the advantages in today's position. What are TPE gloves? by. TPE gloves are composed of thermoplastic elastomers and polymers and can be formed after heating multiple times. Thermoplastic elastomers also have the same rubber elasticity.

Thermoplastic elastomers are classified by manufacturers as "specialty" plastic resins for two reasons. Secondly, the production volume of resins like polyethylene is lower than that of "ware", and the prices are often higher. Second, this resin is used for advanced applications, not "commodities." In addition to TPE gloves, thermoplastic elastomers are also used in the production of boots and adhesives.

Market and sector TPE gloves

TPE gloves, including CPE gloves, are specifically designed for the food and food industries.

When to use TPE gloves?

Another good alternative to vinyl gloves is TPE gloves because they are cheaper. This is also a good choice for polyethylene gloves.

Features of TPE gloves

TPE gloves are known for their long lifespan, and CPE gloves are no exception. They are heavier than CPE gloves, lighter in weight, and durable.

When to use CPE or TPE gloves?

If you are a wholesaler or distributor of foodservice and food processing customers, when you evaluate TPE and CPE gloves as alternatives to vinyl or latex gloves, we encourage you to contact your trusted glove partner. You should choose the best alternative solution for your specific application.

Due to the wear, strength, and elongation properties of the material, you can become familiar with natural rubber latex and its flexibility. Rubber is almost everywhere in our daily lives, from our car tires to our fitness equipment. Like rubber, thermoplastic elastomers have many useful applications in our lives, but maybe you don’t know the performance of TPE,

Thermoplastic elastomers combine many properties of natural rubber latex with the manufacturing strength of plastics, such as elasticity and diversity. This is a high-resistant tube material, which is a perfect choice, as well as the medical, food, and beverage industries!

TPE Gloves

Robust

The material can be made into a flame retardant, which has additional chemical resistance due to the characteristics of TPE. Under a wide range of temperature and environmental influences, thermoplastic elastomer products have outstanding thermal properties and stability.

Compatibility

In raw materials and finished products, the use of TPE can improve performance. The material does not require any or only a small amount of compounding or reinforcement agents, stabilizers or processing systems, resulting in a lack of variation from batch to batch.

Cost-efficiency

For latex, silicone, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds, TPE is an effective and economical alternative.

Final words

Since thermoplastic elastomers can melt at high temperatures, TPEs are an excellent choice for large-volume injection molding and extrusion.

The Future Of TPE Gloves

The full name of TPE gloves is thermoplastic elastomer gloves, also known as tensile PE gloves, so good stretch and better elongation are the most performance, soft, strong, suitable for hands, and some types of feel slip on the surface. Some customers need non-slip, sticky films that will help them grasp things better, especially in wet kitchens and laboratories. But for some sticky foods, such as cakes, noodles, and bread, workers use gloves to help them even more.

Before 2020, to be precise, before COVID-19, it has little impact on the glove industry. Because this kind of TPE gloves has little demand in the world, and the price is close to that of PVC gloves, not many users are willing to change to use TPE gloves, and it is increasing every year, not only for the price but also for the environment. TPE gloves are thinner than vinyl gloves, which means that it consumes less energy no matter in the production process or in the destruction process, and it does not use plasticization, which is also good for the environment.

Today, after the COVID-19, more and more people try to use it to replace PVC, vinyl, and nitrile gloves and learn from it. I think they will be used more in the future and will also promote the development of the industry of TPE gloves and materials.

The development direction of TPE gloves

TPE gloves are very good, much cheaper than vinyl gloves, and much better than PE gloves, so many factories and distributors want to develop them.

TPE gloves also have many bad properties, such as no resilience, too slippery, not as strong as nitrile gloves. In order to solve these shortcomings, we have done a lot of work. For example, adding some TPU to improve elasticity, or adding some SEBS, but TPU is too expensive, SEBS is not easy to produce. Use a double-sided embossing side to make it more gripping and make it non-slip. Use a special glove model to make it difficult to tear off your hands and use it for a longer time.

Current status of TPE gloves

With the rapid decline in the prices of vinyl gloves and nitrile gloves, the prices of TPE gloves have also fallen. Although not as fast as vinyl gloves, they are more valuable than ever.

The future of TPE gloves

No matter how good or bad you think it is, it has been accepted by many users, there are many fans, but there are still many users who do not accept it.

In the future, it will definitely be biodegradable, even stronger than it is now, with recycling systems all over the world. I think both of these situations will appear in the future because too many things use plastic, not just gloves. Plastic is the most useful thing, and the whole world cannot do without it, just like oil.

We are TPE gloves suppliers. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in our products.

TPE Glove

TPE Gloves VS PE Gloves

They are all made of film, TPE film is made of T-die casting machine, PE film is made of the blow molding machine, and the same punching machine.

Material: Since they are all PE materials, their main materials are almost the same, and TPE materials can also be blown. MLLDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE are the main materials of the two gloves.

Production: Bowling film machine is cheaper than T-DIE casting film machine. One T-die casting film machine can buy 5 more blowing machines, but the T-die casting film machine can produce more than 2 tons of film a day, and one blowing machine can produce about 0.6 tons of film. The price of hot stamping machines is similar. Melt the mixed materials and then stamp them, these two steps will make the gloves sew.

Price: TPE gloves are more expensive than PE gloves, because TPE gloves are twice as heavy as PE gloves, and the price is almost 3 times that of PE gloves, so the reason is not only the weight but also the production method. Although it is three times more expensive, the price is still very cheap. The price of PE gloves is around US$2.0-3.5, and the price of TPE gloves is around US$7.0-12.0 per thousand pieces. The packaging method is also a very important reason. Some packaging styles are even more expensive than the gloves themselves.

Packaging: TPE gloves are mainly packaged in boxes and bags, and PE gloves are also mainly packaged in this way. But PE gloves also have a cooked food packaging style, which is also called hang gloves or easy-to-wear gloves.

Quality: PE and TPE gloves are completely different quality levels, PE gloves cannot be tested like AQL level, they are truly one-time use. AQL 1.5 TPE gloves can even be used for medical examinations in hospitals, which are much stronger than PE gloves. PE gloves are very thin and not strong, so they are only used for work that is in contact with food or less dust, such as fast food kitchens.

Uses: They are all used for food contact, but TPE gloves are much stronger than PE gloves, so many food factories use TPE gloves for all-day work. It is the most economical glove because PE gloves are too thin to be used multiple times, and nitrile gloves are too expensive.

Size: PE and TPE gloves have many sizes, SSS, SS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, but they are all like small sizes. Although they are all small sizes, the sizes are completely different. For the same size gloves, TPE gloves are smaller than PE, and like vinyl gloves, they feel good and soft. Because TPE gloves are much stronger than PE, you can do this, but PE gloves cannot because they are thin, not strong, and easy to break. If you use such a small size of PE gloves, it is easy to break during use.

Degradable: Both are not biodegradable and can be recycled well, but TPE gloves are better than PE and can be biodegradable in about 20 years, while PE gloves need about 100 years.