So-called “breathable gloves” work well when hands are dry but tend to lose their effectiveness once hands get sweaty. Sweat seeps into the pores of the gloves, reducing the airflow, and hands get hotter and sweatier. Hot, sweaty hands in clammy gloves are not just uncomfortable but can lead to dermatitis, infections and accidents, which is why so many Australian tradies and other workers ditch the gloves. And that’s when hand injuries can occur.
The importance of glove comfort and wearability inspired ATG® to develop a combination of technologies that have revolutionised its industrial gloves.
Offering a cooler leap forward
ATG®’s AD-APT® technology uses the heat and movement of the hand within the glove to trigger micro capsules. These release a natural cooling agent to help lower the temperature of the skin by reducing sweat. ATG country manager for Australia and New Zealand, Jason Sheerin, says the micro capsules, which have recently been reformulated, are designed to release at regular periods to prolong the cooling effect and keep the gloves drier. Thermal imaging tests show hands in ATG® gloves with the improved AD-APT® technology are now 65% cooler than hands in non-AD-APT® gloves.
“That’s a pretty dramatic improvement for the user,” Jason says, “particularly in the hotter climates of Queensland and Western Australia.”
Formulated from essential oils, the cooling agent is accredited as skin safe by dermatologists from the Skin Health Alliance. In addition to AD-APT® technology regulating the hand temperature within the glove, ATG’s AIRtech® technology uses hundreds of tiny tunnels in the glove’s coating to vent hot air and moisture out of the glove.
“The more you can move the warm, moist air out of the glove the better,” Jason says. “The result is cooler, drier, more comfortable hands and a reduced likelihood of workers removing gloves.”
Improved formulation rolled out to wider range
AD-APT® technology has been available for several years, but the improved formulation has recently been added to ATG’s MaxiCut® range of gloves for higher risk applications, such as sheet metal work. The MaxiFlex® Cut™ (designed for precision handling) and the MaxiCut® Ultra™ (high protection) now incorporate the latest AD-APT® and AIRtech® technologies.
Unlike traditional cut protection gloves for high risk operations, the MaxiFlex® Cut™ gloves are ultra thin (around 0.8mm), adding to wearer comfort. They also provide touch screen compatibility, so workers don’t need to remove their gloves to use a mobile phone or computer.
Jason Sheerin says the cooling agent also keeps gloves smelling fresher for longer, which means users are more likely to re-use them rather than treating them as disposables.
“It lowers the likelihood of gloves being thrown away when there is still life left in them.”
MaxiFlex® Cut™ and MaxiCut® Ultra™ gloves can be washed three times without losing their ISO 6330 rating.
Check out the ATG® range of gloves online at Blackwoods, Australia’s largest provider of industrial and safety equipment
