JP4522342B2 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article, and in particular, at least a pair of protrusions provided from both side edges of a substantially vertically long absorbent main body including a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorbent body. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article having a side panel.

  For example, absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, pants-type diapers, napkins, and the like include a substantially vertically long absorbent main body including a top sheet, a liquid back sheet, and an absorber, and discharged from the body. Various measures have been made to allow the absorbent to be effectively absorbed by the absorbent body and to firmly hold the absorbed discharged matter without causing leakage.

  Further, for example, in a deployable disposable diaper, a pants-type diaper, etc., in order to make it easy to attach to the body, an adhesive tape or the like is provided so as to protrude outward from both side edges of the absorbent main body. Side flaps may be provided.For example, in the case of napkins, wings for improving the function of fixing to shorts and flaps for preventing leakage of the discharged material are provided on both side edges of the absorbent main body. In some cases, it extends over the outside.

  In order to provide these projecting portions, for example, when using a method of projecting the side edges in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article formed so that the planar shape is a rectangle to the side with the concave cut portion as the projecting portion However, in such a method, trimming occurs and a lot of material is wasted.

On the other hand, side flaps and wings can be trimmed without trimming by attaching side panel materials made of a material different from the front and back sheets to the outside from both side edges of the absorbent main body. A technique in which a portion or the like is provided is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
The manufacturing method of the paper diaper described in Patent Document 1 includes a step of intermittently arranging an absorbent mat (absorber) between the top sheet and the back sheet to manufacture a strip-shaped paper diaper body, and a strip-shaped third sheet, A step of manufacturing a substantially trapezoidal side flap sheet, a step of sticking side flap sheets to both peripheral edges of the striped paper diaper body around the transverse cutting line of the stripped paper diaper body, and a stripped paper diaper body together with the side flap sheet And a step of cutting to a predetermined dimension.

The manufacturing method of the disposable absorbent article described in Patent Document 2 includes a step of cutting the same continuous web to form a first web panel and a second web panel, and a second web panel perpendicular to the plane. A step of rotating around an axis, and a step of attaching the first and second web panels to the receiving web.
JP-A-4-261655 Special table 2003-503108 gazette

However, according to the paper diaper manufacturing method of Patent Document 1, the side flap sheets affixed to both sides of the belt-like paper diaper main body are cut together with the belt-like paper diaper main body along a single transverse cutting line. It is limited to those having an edge parallel to the diaper width direction. For example, both side edges of the side flap opposite to each other in the diaper front-rear direction are inclined with respect to a straight line extending in the diaper width direction. I can't. It is possible to cut the side flaps after cutting and dividing the belt-like paper diaper main body, but in this case, the material for the side flaps is wasted due to the cutting process.
Moreover, the paper diaper obtained with the manufacturing method of patent document 1 is limited to what has a side flap in all the four corners, and the shape of those side flaps is the diaper crotch lower side edge part, a diaper width direction It is limited to those inclined at the same angle symmetrically with respect to a straight line extending in the direction.

  On the other hand, in the manufacturing method of the disposable absorbent article of Patent Document 2, in order to provide a web panel on both sides of a diaper or the like, it is necessary to manufacture two receiving webs to which the first and second web panels are attached, In order to manufacture the two receiving webs, the equipment becomes complicated, and the control burden increases.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to form side panel materials used for the left and right side panels from the same raw material without waste, and the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the side panel is high, and the absorptivity having the side panels on the left and right An object of the present invention is to provide an absorbent article manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus capable of efficiently and continuously producing articles.

  The present invention is a method for producing an absorbent article having at least a pair of side panels provided to protrude from both side edges of a substantially vertically long absorbent main body comprising a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorber. The step of forming the side panel material by cutting the raw material fed in a strip shape with a cutting line intersecting the flow direction, and the side panel material every other side to the strip-shaped side sheet material continuously conveyed The step of joining and the other side panel material of the remaining one of the other side panel materials to the belt-shaped side sheet material continuously conveyed in the opposite direction to the belt-shaped side sheet material. The step of joining after rotating and changing the direction, and the pair of side sheet materials to which the side panel material is attached, while maintaining the respective continuous conveyance states, aligning the conveyance direction, Adjusting the distance between the persons and adjusting the side panel material attached to each side sheet material to be aligned at the same position in the transport direction, and the direction of the transport is aligned, the distance and the position of the side panel material A pair of side sheet materials that have been adjusted to each other along both side edges of the sheet member that constitutes the absorbent article, and the absorbent body and the other to the sheet member to which the side sheet material is bonded The above object is achieved by providing a method for manufacturing an absorbent article comprising the steps of forming the absorbent article having the side panel by cutting and dividing after joining the sheet members.

  The present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article having at least a pair of side panels provided to protrude from both side edges of a substantially vertically long absorbent main body comprising a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorber. Means for continuously forming the side panel material by sequentially cutting the raw material fed in a strip shape along a cutting line intersecting the flow direction, and increasing the interval between the side panel materials, every other one The means for rotating the side panel material by 180 degrees around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the side panel material and the one of the pair of belt-shaped side sheet materials continuously conveyed in opposite directions are rotated. The side panel material is joined, and on the other side, the means for joining the non-rotated side panel material, and the pair of side sheet materials to which the side panel material is attached, While maintaining the feeding state, aligning the direction of conveyance, adjusting the interval between them, and adjusting the side panel material attached to each side sheet material to be aligned at the same position in the conveyance direction; and Means for joining a pair of side sheet materials, the conveyance direction of which is aligned and the interval and the position of the side panel material of which are adjusted, along both side edges of the sheet member constituting the absorbent article, and the side sheet Provided is an absorbent article manufacturing apparatus comprising means for forming an absorbent article having the side panel by cutting and dividing after joining the absorbent body and other sheet members to a sheet member to which a material is joined. Thus, the above object is achieved.

  According to the method and apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article of the present invention, the side panel material used for the left and right side panels can be formed without waste from the same raw fabric, and the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the side panel is high. Absorbent articles having panels on the left and right can be produced efficiently and continuously.

  An absorbent article manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is an absorbent article provided with a side panel. For example, an unfolded disposable diaper 10 as shown in FIGS. In this state, it can be manufactured efficiently. Here, the disposable diaper 10 is provided on both side edges of the vertically long rectangular absorbent main body 11 including a liquid-permeable top sheet 12, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 13, and a liquid-retaining absorbent body 14. It is formed by projecting and providing a pair of side panels 15. The disposable diaper 10 is appropriately attached with elastic members 16a and 16b forming a three-dimensional gather or leg gather, a waistline elastic member, and the like. Further, a hook material 17 is attached to the side panel 15, and the disposable diaper 10 is moved along the lower abdomen of the body by locking the hook material 17 to a locking portion provided at, for example, the waistline. It can be easily assembled to the shape. The hook material 17 is a fastening member that is used when the diaper 10 is attached to a wearer. The liquid impermeability includes poor permeability.

  The manufacturing method of the absorbent article of this embodiment is a continuous production method of the disposable diaper 10 which has the side panels 15 as mentioned above, Comprising: As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the raw fabric 18 sent out in strip | belt shape is used. , A step of sequentially forming the side panel members 20a and 20b by cutting along the cutting lines 19a and 19b (see FIG. 4A) intersecting the flow direction, and the interval between the side panel members 20a and 20b. A pair of strips that are continuously conveyed in directions opposite to each other, the step of rotating every other side panel member 20a about an axis P perpendicular to the plane of the side panel member 20a Joining the rotated side panel material 20a to one of the side sheet materials 21a, and joining the non-rotated side panel material 20b to the other 21b, and the side panel materials 20a, 2 The pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b to which b is attached are aligned in the direction of conveyance while maintaining the respective continuous conveyance states, the distance between them is adjusted, and the side sheet materials 21a and 21b are attached to the side sheet materials 21a and 21b. A step of adjusting the side panel materials 20a and 20b to be aligned at the same position in the transport direction, and a pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b in which the transport direction is aligned and the distance and the position of the side panel material are adjusted, The step of joining along both side edges of the surface sheet 12 as a sheet member constituting the disposable diaper 10, and the absorber 14 and the back sheet 13 etc. on the surface sheet 12 in which the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b are joined And then forming a disposable diaper (absorbent article) 10 having side panels 15 by cutting and dividing.

  In the present embodiment, the raw fabric 18 fed out in a strip shape is cut along a cutting line 19a. In the step of successively forming the side panel members 20a and 20b by cutting at 19b, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 1), the cutting roll 22 disposed downstream of the unwinding roll in the feed direction of the original fabric 18, and the side panel materials 20a and 20b generated by cutting by the cutting roll 22 are sequentially sucked and held, A suction roll 23 is used. The unwinding roll is disposed, for example, above the cutting roll 22, and unwinds the original fabric 18 at a predetermined feeding speed. The unwinded original fabric 18 is fed by a guide roll, a direction changing roll (not shown) or the like. It is guided and supplied between the cutting roll 22 and the suction roll 23. The cutting roll 22 is provided with a plurality of cutter blades 25 arranged alternately and obliquely with respect to the flow direction of the original fabric 18 on its peripheral surface, and the original fabric 18 is sandwiched between the suction roll 23. By rotating while rotating, the side panel members 20a and 20b having a trapezoidal shape can be sequentially cut out. As shown in FIG. 4A, the cutting roll 22 according to the present embodiment has two types of cutter blades 25 that alternately turn the original fabric 18 along two types of cutting lines 19a and 19b having different lengths. The side panel members 20a and 20b having the unequal leg trapezoidal shape are provided by being cut. One cutting line 19a of the cutting lines 19a and 19b is such that the end 19a 'on one side edge side of the original fabric 18 is downstream of the end 19a "on the other side edge side in the flow direction. The other cutting line 19b is arranged so that the end portion 19b 'on the one side edge side of the original fabric 18 is more in the flow direction than the end portion 19b "on the other side edge side. It inclines so that it may be located upstream.

  The suction roll 23 is, for example, a hollow roll having a large number of fine air holes formed on the outer peripheral surface, and has a receiving blade function (not shown) for the cutter blade 25 of the cutting roll 22. The air holes on the surface of the suction roll 23 are arranged so as to avoid the portion that receives the cutter blade 25. Further, the suction roll 23 sucks the air inside and holds it in a negative pressure state, so that the side panel members 20a and 20b generated by the cutting division by the cutting roll 22 are sucked and held on the outer peripheral surface, and the reverse function It conveys to the delivery part A (refer FIG. 5) with respect to the attached pitch change apparatus 30, and it is made to deliver side panel material 20a, 20b to the pitch change apparatus 30 in the delivery part A in order.

In the present embodiment, a hook material attaching device (not shown) is provided between the unwinding roll and the cutting roll 22 for attaching the hook material 17 to the original fabric 18 before being cut in advance. It has been. As shown in FIG. 4A, the hook material attaching device fixes the hook material 17 alternately to one side edge portion and the other side edge portion of the original fabric 18, and the one side edge portion. The hook material 17a fixed to the other side edge portion and the hook material 17b fixed to the other side edge portion have different surfaces of the original fabric 18 for fixing them. In the present embodiment, the hook member 17 is attached to the original fabric 18 in a state of being bonded and fixed to one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped base tape 17c. More specifically, the other end side of the base tape 17c made of a resin film, a nonwoven fabric, or a laminate thereof having the hook material 17 at one end is moved from one side of the original fabric 18 to the other side. The base tape 17c is folded in two so as to extend and the side edge of the original fabric 18 is sandwiched between them, and is attached to the original fabric 18 by performing a sealing process such as heat sealing.
In the state shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the hook material 17 is detachably engaged with one side (the front surface or the back surface) of the original fabric 18 or the side panel materials 20a and 20b, but the manufactured disposable diaper When mounting 10, as shown in FIG. 1, it is peeled off from the side panel 15 and used.

  In the process of enlarging the space between the side panel members 20a and 20b and rotating every other side panel member 20a around an axis P perpendicular to the plane of the side panel member 20a, for example, FIG. As shown, a pitch changing device 30 with an inversion function is used. A pitch changing device 30 with a reversing function shown in FIG. 5 has a conveying head 31 with a reversing function and a conveying head 32 without a reversing function alternately on the peripheral surface portion of a substantially cylindrical main body 33. The transport heads 31 and 32 are also configured to rotate around the main body 33 in the direction of arrow R in FIG. The main body 33 includes a support mechanism (not shown) that supports the transport heads 31 and 32 so as to be movable in the circumferential direction, and a suction mechanism (not shown) that applies a suction force to each transport head. The transport heads 31 and 32 receive the side panel materials 20a and 20b from the suction rolls 23 on the upper surfaces of the respective heads by releasing the suction holding state by the suction rolls 23 or sucking a suction force larger than the suction force of the suction rolls 23. The side panel material 20b is conveyed to the delivery part B to the second suction roll 34 while the suction state by the head upper surface is maintained, and the side panel material 20a is delivered to the one side sheet material 21a. It can be conveyed to C.

  The transport heads 31 and 32 are configured such that the pitch between the transport heads 31 and 32 increases and decreases while moving around the main body 33. That is, in the vicinity of the transfer section A, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance between the adjacent transport heads 31 and 32 is narrowed, and the distance gradually increases as the distance from the transfer section A increases.

Further, of the transport heads 31 and 32, every other transport head 31 is a transport head 31 having a reversing function, and each transport head 31 having the reversing function has an axis substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the head. The side panel 20a sucked and held on the upper surface of the transport head 31 is rotated 180 degrees around an axis P perpendicular to the plane of the side panel 20a (FIG. 4 ( b) and FIG. 5).
As a result, of the side panel materials 20a and 20b sequentially transferred from the suction roll 23 to the transport heads 31 and 32, the side panel 20a transferred to the transport head 31 having a reversing function moves around the main body 33. However, the carrier head 31 is rotated 180 degrees around the axis P perpendicular to the plane of the side panel 20a by the rotation of the conveyance head 31, and is then conveyed to the delivery part C, where it is received by the side sheet material 21a. Passed.
On the other hand, among the side panel members 20a and 20b sequentially delivered to the transport heads 31 and 32, the remaining side panel 20b handed over to the transport head 32 that does not have a reversing function is shown in FIG. 4B, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), it is transported to the delivery section B without being rotated around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the side panel 20b. Is transferred to the second suction roll 34.

  The movement speed of each of the transport heads 31 and 32 and the increase / decrease in the interval between the transport heads are the pitch between the side panels 20a joined to the side sheet material 21a and the space between the side panel materials 20b delivered to the second suction roll 34. Are controlled to be equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the disposable diaper 10 to be manufactured.

As a method of changing the distance between the transport heads 31 and 32 while moving the transport heads 31 and 32, the transport heads 31 and 32 have a rotation axis at the central portion 33a of the main body 33 and are different from the central portion 33a. An example is a method using an eccentric mechanism provided with a circular cam groove having a center.
Further, as a means for rotating the transport head 31 so that the side panel member 20a can be rotated 180 degrees around an axis perpendicular to the plane, a cam groove is formed in the vicinity of the track of the transport head 31 that moves around the main body 33. In the cam groove, the protrusions of the driven nodes connected to the respective conveying heads are inserted, and the reciprocating movement of the driven nodes that occurs as the conveying head 31 moves around the main body 33 is detected by a known method. A method of converting into a rotational motion is mentioned. As the cam, a cylindrical cam, a plate cam, a front cam, or the like can be used, and instead of providing the cam groove, a protruding portion can be provided, and the driven node can be slidably contacted.

  In addition, the change in the interval between the transport heads 31 and 32 and the rotation of the transport head 31 by 180 degrees can be performed using known methods and apparatuses, respectively. As the rotation method (and apparatus) of the transport head 31, the method and apparatus described in JP-A-63-317576, JP-A-2003-135517, JP-A-3-226411, and the like can be used. However, it is necessary to rotate one transport head 31 by 180 degrees around an axis perpendicular to the upper surface of the head and prevent the other transport head 32 from rotating. In order to prevent the transport head 32 from rotating, it is only necessary to connect a head reversing mechanism to the transport head 32 that is not rotated. Further, the transport head 31 and the transport head 32 can be driven by different systems, and the transport head 32 can be transported by a transport device having only a conventionally known pitch changing function.

A step of joining the rotated side panel material 20a to one of the pair of belt-like side sheet materials continuously conveyed in opposite directions, and joining the non-rotated side panel material 20b to the other 21b. Then, as shown, for example in FIG.3 and FIG.5, the continuous conveyance apparatus which can each convey a pair of side sheet material 21 so that it may go to a mutually opposite direction, and the above-mentioned pitch change apparatus 30 ( In particular, a transport head 31), the above-described second suction roll 34, and a pair of first hot melt supply devices 27 are used.
The second suction roll 34 has half the number of transport heads 35 of the pitch changing device 30, and the transport heads 35 of the second suction roll 34 are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. In B, the pitch changing device 30 is always positioned to face the conveyance head 32 that is not rotated.
The transport heads 31 and 32 in the pitch changing device 30 have different suction paths, and the suction of the transport head 31 is started from the delivery unit A and cut at the delivery unit C. On the other hand, the suction of the transport head 32 is started from the delivery unit A and cut at the delivery unit B.
The suction of the transport head 35 of the second suction roll 34 is started from the transfer section B and is cut off at the transfer section D, so that the side panel material 20b from the transport head 32 to the transport head 35 of the second suction roll Delivery is done smoothly.

  The continuous transport device includes at least the transfer part C of the side panel material 20a from the transport head 31 to the side sheet material 21a and the transfer part D of the side panel material 20b from the second suction roll 34 to the side sheet material 21b. On the other hand, a pair of belt-like side sheets 21a and 21b are supplied in a state where they are continuously conveyed in opposite directions. For example, the continuous conveyance device is composed of a combination of a turn bar 24a and a direction changing roll 26, and the direction of conveyance of each of the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b, as shown in FIG. The direction is converted to the opposite direction and supplied to the delivery unit C and the delivery unit D. When the conveying direction of the pair of side sheets 21a and 21b is opposite, the longitudinal center line of both the sheet materials 21a and 21b (the line extending in the flow direction and dividing the width of the sheet material into two equal parts) Although it may be shifted in the width direction, the fact that the center lines in the longitudinal direction of both sheet materials 21a and 21b are substantially in a straight line can make the apparatus compact, and the side panel material can be smooth without requiring a complicated mechanism. It is preferable because it can be transferred to. In the present embodiment, when the both side sheet materials 21a and 21b are viewed from the direction perpendicular to the surfaces of both sheet materials or one of the sheet materials, the side panel materials 20a and 21b of both side sheet materials 21a and 21b, The side edge portion to which 20b is to be fixed is substantially in a straight line. In the present embodiment, the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b are substantially straight when viewed from their side (outside of the side edge), but from the side. When viewed, both may be at an appropriate angle. Moreover, in this embodiment, when both side sheet | seat material 21a, 21b is seen from the direction in alignment with each longitudinal direction centerline, although the surface of both sheet | seat material is linear, it replaces with this, The surface of the sheet material 21a and the surface of the other sheet material 21b may form a predetermined angle.

The first hot melt supply device 27 has a predetermined pre-designed hot melt 28 for joining the side panel members 20a and 20b along one side edge of each of the pair of side sheet members 21a and 21b. It can be applied intermittently at a pitch.
Here, the hot melt 28 has a pitch equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the manufactured disposable diaper 10 in each of the side sheet materials 21a and 21b, and is below the trapezoidal shape of the side panel members 20a and 20b having an unequal leg shape. Each is applied with a length substantially equal to the bottom side portion 20c forming the bottom portion.

  As described above, the speed at which the transport head 31 moves around the main body 33 and the distance between the heads are such that the pitch between the side panels 20a joined to the side sheet material 21a is the longitudinal direction of the disposable diaper 10 to be manufactured. It is controlled so that the pitch is equal to the length of. Therefore, while the transport head 31 and the side sheet material 21a are moved synchronously so that the position of the hot melt 28 of the side sheet material 21a coincides with the position of the side panel material 20a, the side panel material is moved by the head 31. If 20a is pressed against the side sheet material 21a, the side panel material 20a is sequentially attached to the side sheet material 21a at a pitch equal to the length of the disposable diaper 10. Further, the speed at which the transport head 32 moves around the main body 33 and the distance between the heads are such that the pitch of the side panel 20b transferred to the second suction roll 34 is the length in the longitudinal direction of the disposable diaper 10 to be manufactured. The second suction roll 34 is controlled so as to rotate at the same speed as the conveying speed of the side sheet material 21b. Therefore, if the side panel material 20b is pressed against the side sheet material 21b by the transport head 32 so that the position of the hot melt 28 of the side sheet material 21b and the position of the side panel material 20b coincide with each other, the side sheet material 21b The side panel members 20b are sequentially attached at a pitch equal to the length of the disposable diaper 10.

  In the present embodiment, as the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b, a three-dimensional structure in which elastic members (elastic member 16a, see FIGS. 1 and 2) such as thread rubber and flat rubber are joined in the longitudinal direction of the disposable diaper. Gather material is used. A three-dimensional gather material is attached along the both-sides edge part of the surface sheet 12 which comprises the disposable diaper 10. As shown in FIG. By using a three-dimensional gather material as the side sheet materials 21a and 21b, it becomes possible to use the material originally used for the disposable diaper 10 as it is, and the disposable diaper having the side panel 15 efficiently without using an additional material. 10 can be manufactured.

  Further, the side panel material 20 joined to the side sheet material 21 via the hot melt 28 is further strengthened with respect to the absorbent main body 11 through a heat seal, an ultrasonic seal, a pressure seal or the like in a later process. Can be joined. Further, for example, in the delivery part C of the side panel material 20a and the delivery part D of the side panel material 20b, the side sheet materials 21a and 21b are sandwiched, and on the opposite side of the transport head 31 or the second suction roll 34, a heat seal is provided. By providing a roll, an ultrasonic sealing means, a pressure sealing means, etc., the side panel materials 20a and 20b can be directly sealed and joined to the side sheet materials 21a and 21b.

  The pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b to which the side panel materials 20a and 20b are attached maintain the respective continuous conveyance states, align the conveyance directions, adjust the distance between the two, and each side sheet material 21a. In the step of adjusting the side panel members 20a and 20b attached to the side plates 21b to be aligned at the same position in the transport direction, for example, as shown in FIG. The turn bar 24b is used to guide the user. By using the turn bar in combination, the direction and interval of the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b can be adjusted without requiring a complicated widening device. The turn bar 24b is arranged at an appropriate position on the track on the downstream side of the transfer portion C of the side sheet material 21a that is continuously conveyed, thereby changing the direction of the side sheet material 21a without blocking each other. And the direction of conveyance of the side sheet material 21a is aligned with the direction of conveyance of the other side sheet material 21b, and the distance between the side sheet materials 21a and 21b is the same for both side sheets. The material 21 is adjusted so as to be positioned at both side edges of the disposable diaper 10 to be manufactured. In addition, one side panel material 20a among the side panel materials sequentially obtained by cutting the raw fabric 18 with respect to the length of the conveyance path of one side sheet material 21a and the length of the conveyance path of the other side sheet material 21b. Are adjusted so that the position of the side panel material 20b after the odd number (5 in FIG. 2) coincides with the position of the side sheet materials 21a and 21b. The panel members 20a and 20b are adjusted so as to be aligned at the same position in the transport direction (see FIGS. 3 and 4D).

  In the process of joining the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b, in which the conveyance direction is aligned and the distance and the position of the side panel material are adjusted, along the side edges of the top sheet 12, respectively, for example, as shown in FIG. The hot melt 41 is continuously applied to the upper surfaces of the side sheet materials 21a and 21b from the second hot melt supply device 40, which is disposed above the vicinity of the opposing inner edges of the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b. The Further, the top sheet 12 supplied from a top sheet supply roll (not shown) is superposed so as to straddle the side sheet materials 21a and 21b on both sides, and pressed by the pressing roll 42, thereby a pair of side sheet materials 21a. , 21 b are joined and integrated along both side edges of the topsheet 12.

  In the process of joining the absorbent body 14 and the back sheet 13 to the top sheet 12 to which the side sheet materials 21a and 21b are joined, and cutting and dividing to form the disposable diaper 10, for example, in the same manner as in a conventional disposable diaper manufacturing method. In addition, the absorbent body 14 is disposed and joined and integrated at the center of the upper surface of the top sheet 12 (see FIG. 6A), and the yarn gathering rubber rubber, flat rubber, etc. for forming leg gathers are formed on both side surfaces of the absorbent body 14. An elastic member (elastic member 16b, see FIG. 1) is disposed, and the back sheet 13 is joined so as to overlap the top sheet 12 and the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b while covering the absorber 14 and the elastic member. (See FIG. 6B.) Further, by cutting at a predetermined pitch along the cutting line 43, individual disposable diapers 10 are formed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of side panels 15 made of side panel members 20a and 20b are attached to both side edges of the vertically long rectangular absorbent main body 11, and side sheets are attached along both side parts. The disposable diaper 10 provided with the three-dimensional gathers by the materials 21a and 21b and the leg gathers by the side sheet materials 21a and 21b and the back sheet 13 can be obtained quickly and efficiently.

Thus, according to the manufacturing method of the absorbent article of this embodiment which consists of the above-mentioned each process, using the left and right side panel material obtained from the same original fabric, the length of two non-parallel sides is Disposable diapers provided with different unequal leg trapezoidal side panels can be efficiently and continuously produced.
When the length of one edge of the diaper crotch side of the pair of non-parallel edges of the side panel is longer than the length of the other edge, the fit to the wearer's leg is excellent.
In the present invention, the shape of each side panel material obtained by cutting the raw fabric is not limited to an unequal leg trapezoidal shape, but is an isosceles trapezoidal shape, a shape cut by a curved cutting line, or the like. You can also. As described above, the manufacturing method and apparatus of the present invention have a high degree of freedom in designing the shape of the side panel, even though the same original fabric is cut without waste and used for the left and right side panels.
Moreover, since the manufacturing method and apparatus of this invention have obtained the side panel material used for the left and right side panels from the same raw fabric, the manufacturing equipment of a side panel material is simple and the control burden is also small.

  In the present embodiment, the surface on the skin contact surface side (the upper surface in FIG. 2) of the side panel member 20a that forms one side panel of the manufactured disposable diaper 10 and the side that forms the other side panel. The surface of the panel material 20b on the skin contact surface side (the upper surface in FIG. 2) differs in the 18th stage of the original fabric. Therefore, it is preferable to use the material 18 having no difference in appearance between the front and back surfaces from the viewpoint of aligning the appearance of the left and right side panels in the manufactured disposable diaper 10. On the other hand, as the original fabric 18, those having different designs on the front and back surfaces thereof can be used, and in that case, it is preferable in that two different types of designs can be shown at the time of wearing. Examples of two different types of left and right designs include a combination of left and right designs that completes a unified design.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the absorbent article to be manufactured is not limited to the disposable diaper, and the present invention is applied to manufacture various absorbent articles having other side panels such as a napkin provided with a wing portion protruding. be able to. Further, the belt-like side sheet material to which the side panel material is continuously transported and attached does not necessarily need to be a gather material that forms a three-dimensional gather, but other belt-like side sheet materials constituting the absorbent article, It may be a side sheet material to be attached to. Furthermore, the sheet member to which the side sheet material to which the side panel material is attached is not necessarily a top sheet, and may be a back sheet or a sheet member constituting another absorbent article.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the hook material 17 is joined to the original fabric 18 before being cut, and the method is such that the hook material on the pitch changing device is joined after cutting, or the panel is attached to the side sheet. Compared to the case where the hook material is joined after joining the material, the hook material is joined when the conveyance speed of the panel material is slow, so that it can be attached at a more accurate interval (with high positional accuracy). Although it is preferable, the hook material 17 may be joined to the side panel material obtained by cutting the raw fabric 18 instead. Further, instead of the hook material 17, a side tape material or a side panel material may be joined using a fastening tape having a fastening portion made of an adhesive as a fastening member. In addition, the hook material 17 and the adhesive portion as a fastening member can be directly fixed to the side panel material.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of this invention is not limited to the apparatus used by the said embodiment shown in FIG. 1, It can implement using another various apparatus. Further, in the step of aligning the conveyance direction of the pair of side sheet materials 21a and 21b, as in the above-described embodiment, the conveyance direction of the side sheet material 21a to which the rotated side panel material 20a is fixed is set to the turn bar 24b. Instead of aligning the direction of the conveyance of the side sheet material 21b to which the side panel material 20b that has not been rotated is fixed, and the direction of the conveyance of the side sheet material 21b to which the side panel material 20b that has not been rotated is fixed. The direction may be aligned with the direction of conveyance of the side sheet material 21a to which the rotated side panel material 20a is fixed, and the direction of conveyance of both the side sheet materials 21a and 21b is changed to change the direction of conveyance of both. You may arrange. After the side panel materials 20a and 20b are joined to the side sheet materials 21a and 21b, respectively, the transport path from the side sheet materials 21a and 21b to the surface sheet 12 and the like is replaced with the turn bar 24b or together with the turn bar. A turn roll may be arranged. However, the 90-degree turn bar is simple as a device for changing the direction and can stably flow the web in high-speed operation. Therefore, the 90-degree turn bar is preferably used in combination.

It is a top view which shows the disposable diaper manufactured by one Embodiment of this invention. It is the XX sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view explaining the principal part of the manufacturing method (apparatus) of the absorbent article which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A)-(d) is the abbreviation which explains each process until it cut | disconnects a raw fabric sequentially, forms a side panel material continuously, attaches to a pair of strip | belt-shaped side sheet material, and arranges in a conveyance direction. FIG. It is a side view which shows typically the pitch change apparatus with an inversion function used for one Embodiment of this invention. (A)-(c) joins the side sheet material which attached the side panel material along the both-sides edge part of a surface sheet, and also joins an absorber and a back surface sheet, Then, it cuts and divides | segments an absorbent article. It is a schematic plan view explaining each process until manufacturing.

Explanation of symbols

10 Disposable diapers (absorbent articles)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Absorbent body 12 Top sheet 13 Back sheet 14 Absorber 15 Side panel 16a Solid gather 16b Leg gather 17 Hook material 18 Side panel material original fabric 19a, b Cutting line 20a, 20b Side panel material 21a, 21b Side sheet material 22 Cutting roll 23 Adsorption rolls 24a, 24b Turn bar 25 Cutter blade 26 Direction changing roll 27 First hot melt supply device 28, 41 Hot melt 40 Second hot melt supply device 30 Pitch changing device 31 with reversing function Conveying head 32 having a reversing function Conveying head 34 having no reversing function Second suction roll

Claims (8)

A method for producing an absorbent article having at least a pair of side panels provided to protrude from both side edges of a substantially vertically long absorbent main body comprising a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorber,
A step of cutting the raw material fed in a strip shape with a cutting line intersecting the flow direction to form a side panel material;
A step of joining every other side panel material to the belt-like side sheet material continuously conveyed;
Rotate the remaining side panel materials of the alternate side panel materials to the belt-shaped side sheet materials that are continuously conveyed in the direction opposite to the belt-shaped side sheet material, and turn the direction. Joining after changing, and
Wherein while maintaining the continuous conveying state of the side panels is the pair of side sheets Zaiso respectively mounted, by converting the traveling direction of one of the traveling direction or both of the pair of side sheets, wherein and aligning the orientation of the conveyance of the pair of side sheets, wherein attached to the interval respectively and the pair of side sheets and the constant therebetween side panel material you like arranged in the same position in the transport direction process,
The pair of side sheet materials in which the transport directions are aligned, the intervals are constant, and the side panel materials are arranged at the same position in the transport direction are arranged along both side edges of the sheet member constituting the absorbent article. Each joining step;
The manufacturing method of an absorbent article which consists of the process of cut | disconnecting and dividing and forming the absorbent article which has the said side panel, after joining the said absorber and another sheet member to the sheet | seat member to which the said side sheet material was joined.   Bonding of the side panel material to the side sheet material is performed via an adhesive or as temporary bonding via an adhesive, and is performed by heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, or pressure sealing in a later process. The method for producing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the absorbent article is joined.   The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet member to which the pair of side sheet materials to which the side panel material is attached is joined is the top sheet or the back sheet.   The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the raw fabric is cut alternately by two cutting lines having different lengths.   Any of Claims 1-4 which comprise the process of joining the fastening member used when attaching an absorbent article to a wearer to the part used as each said side panel material in the said original fabric, or each said side panel material. The manufacturing method of the absorbent article of crab.   The manufacturing method of the absorbent article in any one of Claims 1-5 which uses what does not have the difference in an external appearance as the said original fabric between the front and back. While means for converting the traveling direction of the traveling direction or both of the pair of side sheet material prior SL side panel material is attached, the absorbent article according to claim 1 comprising a combination of turn bars Production method. An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article having at least a pair of side panels provided to protrude from both side edges of a substantially vertically long absorbent main body comprising a top sheet, a back sheet, and an absorber,
Means for continuously forming the side panel material by sequentially cutting the raw material fed in a strip shape along a cutting line intersecting the flow direction;
Means for enlarging the spacing between the side panel materials and rotating every other side panel material 180 degrees about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the side panel material;
Means for joining the rotated side panel material to one of a pair of belt-like side sheet materials continuously conveyed in opposite directions to each other, and joining the non-rotated side panel material to the other;
Wherein while maintaining the continuous conveying state of the side panels is the pair of side sheets Zaiso respectively mounted, by converting the traveling direction of one of the traveling direction or both of the pair of side sheets, wherein align the direction of conveyance of the pair of side sheet material, and means you to the side panel material attached to the intervals respectively and the pair of side sheet and a constant therebetween are arranged in the same position in the transport direction,
The pair of side sheet materials in which the transport directions are aligned, the intervals are constant, and the side panel materials are arranged at the same position in the transport direction are arranged along both side edges of the sheet member constituting the absorbent article. Means for each joining;
An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article, comprising: means for forming the absorbent article having the side panel by cutting and dividing after joining the absorbent body and other sheet members to the sheet member to which the side sheet material is joined.

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