Health and safety central to Ansell concern

Ansell's newly launched HyFlex® 11-435 is the first cut resistant level 5 knitted dipped glove on the market to be coated with water-based PU. Using water instead of dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent in the manufacture of PU gloves or coatings increases the safety of both Ansell workers and end users wearing gloves in their daily jobs. Using water instead of chemical solvents also results in more environmentally-friendly processes. As an added benefit, the use of water-based PU ensures that there is no strikethrough (penetration of coating inside the glove), thereby enhancing skin comfort and overall flexibility.

“Replacing chemical solvents in the polyurethane coating of HyFlex® gloves represents an important step towards enhancing long-term safety and caring for our customers and the environment,” explains Werner Heintz, Ansell's Senior Vice President and Regional Director EMEA. “Our choices also impact the millions of workers who wear our gloves throughout their working day. In Ansell's Statement of Guiding Principles, it is stated that we will protect the health and safety of all employees. This is not just an empty promise.”

Stringent residue standards

Ansell has announced that it will progressively convert all its PU gloves to a water-based production solution. In the meantime, Ansell maintains a pro-active and responsible approach to Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC's*), monitoring them and striving to minimize them throughout the production cycle. Specific attention is paid to Dimethylformamide (DMF) and other solvents.

Additional washing cycles have been installed at the production level to ensure that all Ansell finished PU products contain minimal levels of DMF and all Ansell products are appreciably low with regard to the minimal allowable limits of other substances of concern. Ansell is able to provide test data on total and/or maximum-release DMF content for all its PU gloves.**

Water-based PU rolled out to HyFlex® range

The HyFlex® 11-435 is a knitted, seamless, 13-gauge supported and dipped glove offering extreme resistance to cuts, abrasions and burrs (EN388 performance levels: 4-5-4-2). The HyFlex® 11-435 is intended for handling, maintenance, preassembling and cutting of dry or slightly oily parts, glass, sharp objects and components, sheet metal and ceramics. Composed of nylon, fiberglass and Dyneema®, the liner offers excellent breathability and a “cool” feeling.

An added advantage for the glass and aerospace industries: the HyFlex® 11-435 is silicone-free and antistatic. Its excellent washability ensures prolonged lifetime for this premium quality glove. User trials at major European glass, automotive and aerospace companies listed cut resistance, comfort and grip as the glove's top three attributes.

Ansell is also launching two other water-based PU coated HyFlex® gloves intended for general handling and delicate manipulation where the exposure to cut risks is minimal: the HyFlex® 11-400 (white glove for workstations where dirt needs to be immediately visible) and a black HyFlex® 11-401. Both are silicone free and antistatic.

These gloves are the latest addition to the world's most popular range of gloves, the HyFlex® range. Half a million workers don Ansell HyFlex® gloves each day in a wide variety of industries. Since its launch in 1999, HyFlex® has become the number one selling industrial glove around the world, with sales volumes growing at 22% per year.

HyFlex® 11-435, HyFlex® 11-400, HyFlex® 11-401 and HyFlex® are trademarks of Ansell Ltd. or one of its affiliates.