Work Gloves Yarns and Fibres.

The Knitted Glove Shell

The primary constituent of a safety glove is normally a knitted shell. Gloves are knitted on specially designed, computerised machines that can be programmed to knit to different sizes and specifications.

Different types of yarn are used depending on the intended purpose of the safety glove. Yarns can be selected for their cut-resistant qualities, their ability to deliver dexterity, or durability, and often to achieve price points and to optimise machine run times.

The basic knitted shell of the safety glove is then coated with a polymer, leather reinforcements or in some cases, Thermoplastic Rubber or other such fortifications.

See here a non-coated work glove from our range that clearly shows how a knitted shell would look prior to a coating being applied.

Fibre Types

Yarns used to construct the knitted glove shell are spun from many different types of fibre, the type of fibre used will determine the protective properties of the work glove. They are often combined or used with other elements to fortify or add comfort and flexibility. Typical fibres used are Nylon, Spandex, polyester, HPPE but there are many others.

To learn more about specific fibre types you can visit the Fibre Technology page in our Knowledge Centre .

Yarn Spinning Techniques

Not only is it the type of fibre used to construct the shell that determines the protective properties of the glove, it’s also the way the yarn is constructed. Yarns are spun on industrial scale spinning machines and this can be done in a number of different ways.

Manufacturing Cost Optimisation

To achieve optimum manufacturing costs, an equation is calculated using the following factors and taking into account the specific characteristics of the yarn.

We aim for yarn production at highest run speed to produce maximum volume. However, the properties of some yarns are such that machines must run at lower speeds.

Glove knitting will run at the highest possible speed to maximise production volume before the needle bed is compromised. Again, the properties of some yarns dictate lower production speeds.

Glove dipping (the application of the glove coating) is also a factor, gloves are dipped in large batches to achieve the fastest results.

Other elements to be considered are cuff overlocking. Cuffs are overlocked in coloured yarn, each colour indicates a different glove size. Highly skilled operatives are used for this function and they are selected for their speed, neatness and accuracy. This is the same for labeling, the sewing in of a fabric label which gives details of the gloves’ batch number for traceability.

If you would like to know more about how we design gloves , you can read all about it in our Knowledge Centre .