There are various kinds of personal protection equipment (PPE) textiles. The development of textiles is gradually approaching the high technology industry. Because hand injury incidents happen frequently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) has concerned about this issue. Therefore, the increasing awareness of safety protection and the increasing demand for protective textiles also make the development and research of PPE textiles inevitable.
OSHA General Industry Standard 1910.138(a) Employers shall select and require employees to use appropriate hand protection when employees’ hands are exposed to hazards such as those from skin absorption of harmful substances; severe cuts or lacerations; severe abrasions; punctures; chemical burns; thermal burns; and harmful temperature extremes
There are three different common hand injuries that happen every day at every place, they are cut, puncture, and abrasion. Among them, the cut injury is the most painful and may affect our daily life if the injury is very serious.
ANSI 105 Standard and EN 388 for Cut-Resistant Glove
In 2016, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) released an UPDATED ANSI/ISEA 105 standard, in which the measurement of the standards from a 5-level scale was up to a 9-level scale. At the same time, the European Commission released two different cut-resistant tests in EN388 standards, which are the updated Coup Test and the new TDM-100 Test (ISO 13997).
The Coup Test for EN388 uses a rotating circular blade with the same pressure/weight (500 grams), which is totally different from ANSI/ISEA105 and ISO13997. The more the rotation cycles before the material are cut, the higher the value of the cut-resistant level. However, the Coup Test is inaccurate when tested the glove consists of steel or fiberglass because they can cause the blade to dull, therefore, ISO 13997 is mandatory for the glove consisting of steel or fiberglass
The below table shows the level of performance for Coup Test EN388:
| Levels | Minimum Cut Index |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1.2 |
| 2 | 2.5 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 20 |
The cut-resistant test for ANSI/ISEA 105 and ISO 13997 are similar but with different requirements. Both tests are using a straight blade and weights on Tocodynamometer (TDM-100) machine. The higher the weight that applied the blade slice through the material, the greater the cut-resistant level.
The below table shows the level performance for ANSI/ISEA105 and ISO13997:
| ANSI/ISEA105 | EN388 TDM-100 Test (ISO13997) |
|---|---|
| A1: 200 – 499 grams | A: 2 – 4.9 newtons (204 – 508 grams) |
| A2: 500 – 999 grams | B: 5 -9.9 newtons (509 – 1019 grams) |
| A3: 1000 – 1499 grams | C: 10 – 14.9 newtons (1020 – 1529 grams) |
| A4: 1500 – 2199 grams | D: 15 – 21.9 newtons (1530 – 2242 grams) |
| A5: 2200 – 2999 grams | E: 22 – 29.9 newtons (2243 – 3058 grams) |
| A6: 3000 – 3999 grams | F: 30+ newtons (3059+ grams) |
| A7: 4000 – 4999 grams | |
| A8: 5000 – 5999 grams | |
| A9: 6000+ grams |
After a long time of research and development in SIQI, we successfully invented the TekArmor® in 2017 which creates a higher value of cut-resistant to help our users from protecting hands in different workplaces. Patents Number: ZL.201710696062.4.
What is TekArmor®?
There are lots of cut-resistant gloves that developed to defend against the cut injuries, and Current cut resistance gloves contain PE, steel, basalt, glass, Kevlar, etc., and these fibers have affected a series of negative impacts after several investigations. The negative impact includes easily breaking even cause allergic and the cut performance will reduce after washing, moreover, some fibers are thick and uncomfortable in using.
TekArmor® is a synthetic core fiber twisted with nylon and spandex. It was typically designed for lightweight cut resistance for extreme cut-resistant protection.
- Lightweight
TekArmor® is 50% lighter than existing cut-resistant gloves with the same level of protection. The weight of the knitting textile by using 18 gauge technique can resulting in a more comfortable feeling and reducing hand fantigue.
- Thinner
Traditional cut-resistant materials use steel, glass, or basalt. The thinnest diameter for the steel is 35 micrometers (μm). The diameter for our TekArmor® fiber is 18 μm, which is approximately 50% thinner compared to traditional cut-resistant material, steel. The thickness of knitted textile by using TekArmor® is about 25% thinner compared to the traditional cut-resistant textile.
- Stronger
TekArmor® fiber is 100% stronger compared with the existing cut-resistant glove with the same level of protection. Without the HPPE fibers, TekArmor® yarn can easily reach the ANSI Cut Level A3 and ISO 13997 Level C after being twisted with nylon and spandex.
- Excellent adhesive ability to ANY coating
TekArmor® fiber is twisted by innovative technique into yarns and knitted with an 18-gauge machine. Hence, TekArmor® fiber has an excellent adhesive ability to any coating à Polyurethane (PU), Nitrile, Latex, PolyMAX® (PPU), etc.
How are the TekArmor® Gloves?
- Thin, Fit feeling
Safety work gloves generally come in gauges 7, 10, 13, 15, and 18. The lower-gauge gloves are thicker and have a more open weave, while the higher-gauge gloves are thin and tightly knit. Our TekArmor® gloves are knit in 18-gauge, which let the user has a thin and comfortable hand feeling, like a second skin, this makes the user can easily pick up and assemble the very small objects. In other words, we have broken away from the traditional convention, which is the thicker the gloves, the higher the level of cut resistance.
- Extreme Cut resistance
The traditional cut-resistance gloves added the steel and fiberglass to create the high level of cut-resistant, however, the steel and fiberglass is knitted together makes the glove feels stiffer and less comfortable. TekArmor® glove is using the yarn-wrapping methods which creates the user more comfortable and flexible experience. We have cut-resistant ratings as high as ANSI/ISEA level A9.
- Durable and washable
TekArmor® gloves can be washed without reducing their cutting ability. These safety work gloves can be machine washed with mild detergent. To maintain any fabric, proper washing is essential. The safety work gloves are washable, hence, they will last a long time.
- Food Approval
- OEKO-TEX® Standard 100
- Touch Screen
Looking Forward for the Suitable Cut Resistant Gloves?
We have a high-quality cut-resistant glove, TekArmor® with variable levels of cut protection in SIQI. See here to check more TekArmor® Gloves .
We are always ready for you if you have any questions about the level of cut-resistant which suitable for you, what sizes of the gloves to choose, or other types of cut-resistant gloves.
