Safex - the manufacturing process's

Before we give you a simplified explanation of the manufacturing process, let's take a brief look at the history of the condom.

It's commonly reckoned that the first condoms were made from dried sheeps' intestines and used by Roman soldiers to protect themselves from disease while "mixing with the natives" on long marches away from home. Over the following 1500 years or so, various accounts exist of condoms being made from materials as diverse as linen and animal gut.

Some say that the condom was invented by a courtier of King Charles II in the 1600's and it is claimed that the great womaniser, Casanova, was a condom user.

The first documented manufacture of the condom as we know it today is attributed to Goodyear and Hancock, in the 1840's, who invented the vulcanisation process.

Enough of historical supposition, here is an accurate description of todays manufacturing method.

Safex use only premium grade natural rubber latex in the manufacture of its condoms. The location of its plantations is a closely guarded secret.

It begins in the plantations of the far east, where latex buyers select the trees from which the latex will be extracted. A liquid, the latex is drawn off the trees at the rate of around two egg cupfuls per day and, after quality checks, the latex is sent to the factory.

Heat resistant glass moulds are dipped into the liquid latex, where they take up a thin covering of the material. After a baking process, the moulds are dipped again to take on a further layer and the ends are brushed to create the thicker material at the open end of the condom.

The condoms are then washed off the moulds and washed in a special ingredient, to ensure that they are clean and smooth. Repeated washing removes most of the proteins found naturally in latex, which can be an irritant to the skin.

After tumble drying, sample checks are carried out, including tensile tests for strength. Random samples are subjected to water tests, which involve filling with 330 ml of water, prior to a check for leakage. Because not all condoms may be used by their purchasers immediately after buying them, an accelerated aging process is used to simulate five years of life, before the samples are checked. In this way, we can be confident that the condoms will be satisfactory throughout their indicated shelf life.

In all, 22 quality controls are carried out, 6 on the raw material, 6 during processing and 10 on the finished product.

The machine which packs and seals the condoms also lubricates them and a period of five weeks is allowed for the lubricant to spread through the entire condoms before they go on sale. Non spermicidal condoms use a medical silicone lubricant.

Because condoms are actually used inside the body, absolute cleanliness is essential in the production process. All staff entering the production area must do so through an airlock where any traces of dust or other minute foreign bodies are washed off by a special air washing process. as you would expect, appropriate clothing, including hair and face coverings are worn by the production staff.

The end result is a range of condoms that are unsurpassed in quality and worthy of carrying the BSI Kitemark (ISO:4074: 2002) symbol and which will provide the protection that consumers must insist upon.