ABA SMILE & HEALTH
 
CONDOM MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Condoms are manufactured using prevulcanised natural polyisoprene latex, HMR10 Revultex. The latex is supplied ready for use, only requiring dilution with deionised water. HMR10 Revultex latex has a fairly high modulus and a good ageing property. All ingredients used in HMR10 Revultex latex comply with the generally applicable sections of FDA requirements.

Condoms are manufactured using the dippinp process. The diagram below illustrates the different processes and equipment of the condom dipping machine.

 

CONDOM MANUFACTURING PROCESS


Machine Description :

The condom dipping machine (see Technical Data) consists of a long chain conveyor with glass formers attached on both sides of the chain. The chain conveyor travels through single loop, with the lower chain progressing through different stages of cleaning, dipping and vulcanising while the upper loop travels through the drying ovens, beading brush, and leaching tank before the condoms are stripped from the formers using water jets. The ovens are heated by infra-red heaters. the movement of the formers are achieved by different contoured guide along the line. The whole chain is driven by an electric motor with frequency inverter to control the speed of the chain.


Condom Forming

The glass formers are washed properly and brush -dried before they are dipped into the first latex tank. After the formers have withdrawn from the first tank, they are passed through the oven to dry the film before a second dip in the latex compound. The formers with a thin layer of latex then pass through an oven to partially gel the latex film. They are then passed through the beading station which consists os a set of brushes to form a ring at the open end of the condom. the formers are then passed through an oven for final drying and vulcanisation.

Before the condoms are stripped off from the formers, the formers are dipped into a leaching tank whereby all soluble chemicals and proteins in the latex film are removed.

The formers are then rinsed with fresh water before drying and a complete cycle is completed.

The wet condoms that are all collected are then mixed is powder-slurry water before drying in a tumbling dryer.


Electronic testing

The dried condoms are later inspected visually, and then 100% electronically tested (see description of Electronic Testing Machine) in a high voltage pin-hole testing machine. The testing principle is based on the following : The condom is pulled manually over a metal mandrel and rotated against a counter-rotating contoured test conductive rubber brush. A high voltage current is applied between the mandrel and the test rubber brush. A condom, having pin-hole will allow lectricity to pass from the mandrel to the rubber brush and hence register it as a 'reject' and is collected in a separate container. The 'good' condoms are rolled automatically and sent for final packaging.


Foil Packaging

Condoms which passed the sampling and acceptance level, will be sent for foiling. This is done by a heat sealing machine (see Technical Data). Condoms are placed manually on the feeding belt, trasnported and automatically squeezed into the cells of the sealing cylinders. During this operation, a direct contact of the condom takes place with the foil (heat sealable film) which are taken from two reeld and sealed hermetically. The condoms are pre-lubricated with silicon fluid along the feeding belt of the packaging machine.

 
PRODUCTION FLOW CHARTQUALITY FLOW CHARTTOP