Things to Know about Different Kinds of Glove Boxes

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For conducting various studies on different objects, a controlled environment is required. For example, an ancient artifact has been discovered from underground. The first thing required is conducting a research to determine the age of the artifact. For age determination, carbon print has to be checked in a controlled environment. If the sample is not preserved or handled properly, the carbon footprint will get damaged. As a result, it will become impossible to trace the age of the artifact. Apart from tracing the carbon footprints, glove boxes are used for many other purposes. For example, they have been used for handling samples in pharmaceutical and medical industries. In chemical laboratories, controlled environment is required for dealing with radio-active elements. For many chemical reactions, controlled atmosphere of a glove box can become necessary.

How Glove Boxes Are Made?

People know the use of the glove boxes, but they do not know how these boxes are prepared. For manufacturing a glove box, various steps are followed. You can find different kinds of glove boxes. Hence, different types of boxes are crafted using different methods or techniques. Commonly, manufacturers use PVC or stainless steel for crafting a glove box. Sometimes, they use both PVC and stainless steel for building such boxes. The size of the box varies as per the requirements. Small laboratories need small boxes with provision for one or two gloves. On the other hand, large boxes come with provision of multiple boxes.

Types of Glove Boxes

You will find two types of glove boxes. The first type is known as contaminant glove box, while the second type of glove box is isolation box. The difference between these glove boxes is determined through the materials that they will handle. The isolation glove boxes come with positive pressure. The surplus inert gas inside such box comes out through the valves. On the other hand, containment glove boxes come with negative pressure. In various scientific facilities, you will find the presence and usage of such glove boxes.

How Glove Boxes Evolved?

Since 1940s, the use of glove boxes has been noted. Military facilities used to use the glove boxes for handling products that should be protected from contamination. In military facilities, radioactive materials are used for manufacturing deadly weapons. However, it is risky to deal with such elements. Radioactive elements can create explosion, if they come in contact with contamination. Moreover, many radioactive elements keep reacting in natural temperature and pressure. For keeping them inactive, certain pressure and temperature are required. With glove boxes, such atmosphere for the radioactive elements has been created.

During the World War II, the special containment feature of the glove boxes became immensely popular in military facilities. After the World War II, medical industries started using glove boxes. For producing medicines, it is important to create a safe and contamination free environment. It was difficult to create such an environment in those days. Hence, the pharmaceutical industry started using glove boxes for research and manufacturing important medicines.

With the advent of time, popularity of the globe boxes started rising. Apart from medical industry, many other industries started using the glove boxes. In various laboratories, use of the glove boxes can be noted. On the other hand, facilities and manufacturing plants for the electronics industry also use glove boxes. For conducting electronics related research, glove boxes are required. In 1960, NASA started using glove boxes for dealing with celestial materials. Using glove boxes for handling such materials is important for tracing the age of those materials. Nevertheless, contamination can change such materials. As a result, it will become difficult to derive crucial data from such objects.

Glove Boxes during Covid-19

In 2019, Covid-19 pandemic happened. The world is dealing with the pandemic. At this crucial juncture, it is important to conduct various researches on vaccines and other types of medicines to curb the risk of Covid-19. Scientists are researching on various materials to know the different characteristics of the Corona Virus. For conducting such studies, glove boxes are used extensively in various laboratories and medical facilities. From producing vaccines to testing the samples, glove boxes are required for different purposes to keep the samples away from the contamination. Different types of customized glove boxes are available in the marketplace these days.

Author Bio

Cleatech LLC, the leading company manufactures laboratory and cleanroom equipment. Buy the top-quality Isolation Glove Boxes and other laboratory equipment such as Filtration Glove Boxes at Cleatech.com.