JP5624877B2 - Absorbent manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an absorbent body manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus.

  In the manufacture of absorbent articles for absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, and incontinence pads, the raw material of the absorbent (fiber material such as defibrated pulp) supplied in an air stream is used as the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum It is performed by sucking and depositing in the concave portion for accumulation formed in the above, and releasing the deposit formed into a shape corresponding to the concave portion on a transfer roll or a conveyor. The released deposit is used as an absorber as it is or in combination with other sheet materials.

By the way, in the absorber of an absorbent article, the technique which makes the thickness and / or basic weight of an absorber different in the site | part where high absorption capacity is requested | required and the site | part which does not require so high absorption capacity is conventionally known. . In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing leakage through the skin and improving fit, a part of the absorber is raised.
As a conventional technique in which the thickness and height of a part of the absorber can be varied, a three-dimensional shape is formed on the suction surface (the bottom surface of the recess for depositing the raw material) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum. There is known a technique for obtaining an absorber having a shape in which the three-dimensional shape is transferred (see Patent Document 1). In addition, a method is known in which two types of absorbers having different sizes, widths, and the like are manufactured separately and they are overlapped.
Patent Document 2 describes an absorbent body manufacturing apparatus in which the circumferential length of the accumulation concave portion on which the raw material is deposited can be changed by replacing a fixed guide plate having a cam groove.

JP 2000-234255 A JP 2007-167509 A

However, in the method of giving a three-dimensional shape to the suction surface, it is necessary to produce a different three-dimensional mesh plate every time the specification is changed. In addition, the method of superimposing two types of absorbers with different sizes, widths, etc. is also a modification of the equipment, such as changing the shape of the recess for manufacturing one or both absorbers or providing multiple rotating drums each time the specification is changed. The burden of is great.
Moreover, although the method of patent document 2 can change the circumferential length of the recessed part for accumulation | stacking which accumulates a raw material, thickness, height, basic weight, etc. are different from another part to an absorber. The part cannot be formed.

  Therefore, the present invention is capable of easily manufacturing absorbers that can be manufactured with partially different thicknesses, heights, basis weights, and the like, and the width in which raw materials are deposited can be easily changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent body manufacturing apparatus that can be suitably used in the implementation of the manufacturing method.

  The present invention is a method for manufacturing an absorbent body comprising a step of sucking and depositing a raw material supplied in an air stream on a suction surface having a large number of pores formed in a rotary drum, A width control member that can move in the width direction of the rotary drum is provided on the outer periphery of the rotary drum. While the raw material is deposited on the suction surface, the width control member is moved to deposit the raw material on the suction surface. The manufacturing method of an absorber which changes the width | variety to perform is provided.

  The present invention also includes a rotating drum having a suction surface having a large number of pores, and sucks and deposits the raw material supplied on the air flow onto the suction surface, and then deposits the deposit on the suction surface. An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body configured to be detached from a rotating drum, wherein the rotating drum is provided with a plurality of width control members movable in the width direction of the rotating drum along the circumferential direction of the rotating drum. In addition, the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body that can change the width of the raw material deposited on the suction surface by the movement of the width control member.

According to the method for producing an absorbent body of the present invention, absorbent bodies having partially different thicknesses, heights, basis weights, and the like can be easily produced.
The absorber manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can easily change the width in which the raw material is deposited, and can be suitably used for the implementation of the absorber manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a first embodiment of an absorbent body manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line II of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the shape of the cam groove of the first embodiment. (A) shows the shape of the cam groove at the P1 position, and (b) shows the shape of the cam groove at the P2 position. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the swinging of the width control member accompanying the rotation of the rotating drum. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams showing deposits obtained in the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 6 is a view showing a second embodiment of the present invention and is equivalent to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the swinging of the width control member accompanying the rotation of the rotary drum in the second embodiment. (A) is a state immediately before the width control member is inserted between the plate cams, (b) is at the start of insertion, (c) is a state where the plate cam is rotated and the width control member is guided inward, (d) Indicates a state in which the width control member is detached from the plate cam. FIGS. 8A and 8B are views showing a third embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 8A is a view corresponding to FIG. 2A and FIG. 8B is a plan view showing a swing mechanism of a width control member. (A) The top view of the width control member used by one Embodiment of this invention, (b) The typical cross section of the deposit manufactured using it.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the absorbent body manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention supplies a rotating drum 2 and a fiber material 31 that is a raw material of the absorber 3 to the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotating drum 2. A duct 4, a transfer roll 5 disposed obliquely below the rotary drum 2 and driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow 5 </ b> A, a mesh belt 6 disposed so as to pass between the transfer roll 5 and the rotary drum 2, and a transfer And a vacuum conveyor 7 disposed below the roll 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating drum 2 has an outer peripheral portion 21 that rotates in the direction of the arrow 2 </ b> A and a non-rotating portion 27 that is located inside the outer peripheral portion 21 and does not rotate. The outer peripheral portion 21 has a cylindrical shape, and rotates around a horizontal axis in response to power from a prime mover such as a motor. The non-rotating part 27 has spaces B, C, and D partitioned inside, and supports the outer peripheral part 21 in a rotatable manner.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotary drum 2 has a suction surface 22 having a large number of pores. The suction surface 22 having a large number of pores is composed of a stacking mesh 22a. The fiber stacking mesh 22a has a large number of pores, and can transmit only air without transmitting the raw material of the absorber supplied on the air flow.
The outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotary drum 2 is a cylindrical shape having a pair of annular supports 23 and 23 and a plurality of intermittent supports 24 that are bridged between the annular bodies 23 and 23 and are intermittently fixed in the drum circumferential direction. An air-permeable support structure is provided, and the fiber mesh 22a is fixedly supported by the air-permeable support structure and maintains a cylindrical shape.

A width control member 25 is provided on the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotary drum 2 to adjust the width at which the fiber material 31 or the like that is the raw material of the absorber 2 is deposited on the suction surface 22.
As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), a pair of width control members 25 in the present manufacturing apparatus 1 are provided apart from each other in the width direction (X direction) of the rotary drum 2, As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of such width control members 25 (five in the illustrated example) are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotary drum 2. The width control members 25 adjacent in the circumferential direction are in contact with each other or in close proximity.

The width control member 25 is integrated with the rotary drum 2 so as to circulate around the rotation axis of the rotary drum 2, and is moved in the width direction (X direction) of the rotary drum 2 while rotating. Has been made to get.
More specifically, the width control member 25 has an inner surface and an outer surface having a circular arc shape in cross section, and the inner surface side is composed of the outer peripheral surfaces of the piled mesh 22a and the pair of annular bodies 23 by a support mechanism (not shown). The rotary drum 2 is supported so as to be movable in the width direction (X direction) while being in contact with the cylindrical surface. Then, the width control member 25 in such a supported state has a cam groove 28b of a grooved plate 28a disposed outside the width control member 25, and an outer surface of the width control member 25 so as to be insertable into the cam groove 28b. It moves in the width direction (X direction) of the rotating drum 2 by the interaction with the protrusions 26 provided on the rotating drum 2.

  As a support mechanism that supports the width control member 25 so as to be movable in the X direction, any support structure can be used as long as the object can be achieved. For example, the width control member 25 and the breathable structure described above can be used. One provided with a guide rail extending in the width direction (X direction) of the rotary drum, and the other provided with an engaging portion that moves along the guide rail while engaging with the guide rail, One of the air-permeable structures is provided with a guide rod extending in the width direction (X direction) of the rotary drum, and the other provided with a guide hole through which the guide rod is inserted. By such a guide mechanism, the width control member 25 is connected to the annular body 23 and is movable in the width direction (X direction) with respect to the annular body 23.

Each of the width control members 25 in the apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured to swing in the width direction (X direction) of the rotary drum 2 in a predetermined pattern as the rotary drum 2 rotates. Hereinafter, a mechanism for swinging the width control member 25 in the X direction will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 1, the grooved plate 28 a described above includes an outer side (P1 position) of the width control member 25 on the upper side of the rotating drum 2 and an outer side (P2 position) of the width control member 25 on the lower side of the rotating drum 2. Is provided. The grooved plates 28a are provided on both sides in the width direction (X direction) of the rotating drum 2 with each of the P1 and P2 positions as movement start positions. The P1 position is slightly upstream from the center in the movement direction (2A direction) of the outer peripheral portion 21 in the duct 4, and the P2 position is slightly downstream from the position where the deposit 32 is transferred from the rotating drum 2 to the transfer roll 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the grooved plate 28 a is provided at one end of the immobile support 28. The stationary support 28 does not rotate even when the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotating drum 2 rotates, and the other end side of the stationary support 28 is a stacking bracket 27a that constitutes a part of the non-rotating portion 27 of the rotating drum 2. It is fixed to. The grooved plate 28a is not provided at one end of the stationary support 28, but may be a flat plate member having one end fixed to the outer surface of the duct 4 and the other end not fixed. The length (2A direction) of the grooved plate 28a is preferably equal to or slightly shorter than the length (2A direction) of the width control member 25.

A cam groove 28b of the form shown in FIG. 3 is formed on the inner surface of the grooved plate 28a (the surface facing the rotary drum 2). FIG. 3 (a) shows the shape of the grooved plate 28a at the P1 position, and FIG. 3 (b) shows the shape of the grooved plate 28a at the P2 position.
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the pair of grooved plates 28 a and 28 a is the absorbing surface 22 orthogonal to the width direction (X direction) of the rotating drum 2 at any position of P 1 and P 2. Are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to the center line CL. A cam groove 28b is formed in the grooved plate 28a. Cam grooves 28b and 28b formed in the pair of grooved plates 28a and 28a, respectively, have a substantially symmetrical shape with respect to the center line CL. The cam groove 28b is formed in a band shape from one end to the other end in the 2A direction of the grooved plate 28A. The cam groove 28b at the P1 position has an inclined portion 28b ′ inclined outward in the X direction toward the 2A direction, and the cam groove 28b at the P2 position has an inclined portion 28b ″ inclined inward in the X direction toward the 2A direction. The cam groove 28b is parallel to the 2A direction at portions other than the inclined portion 28b ′ and the inclined portion 28b ″.

On the other hand, a protrusion 26 to be inserted into the cam groove 28b is provided on the outer surface of the width control member 25 (the surface facing the side opposite to the rotating drum 2). In the illustrated example, the protrusion 26 is provided at a position near the front end of each width control member 25 in the traveling direction.
When the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotary drum 2 rotates and the width control member 25 reaches the position P1 where the stationary support 28 is provided, the front end of the width control member 25 in the advancing direction as shown in FIG. The protrusion 26 enters the cam groove 28b of the grooved plate 28a from the side, and the width control member 25 moves in a direction corresponding to the shape of the cam groove 28b by the interaction between the cam groove 28b and the protrusion 26. The pair of upper and lower width control members 25, 25 shown in the center of FIG. 4 is in a state where the distance between the two is enlarged due to the interaction between the cam groove 28 b and the protrusion 26.

  The non-rotating portion 27 of the rotating drum 2 is formed with spaces B and C in which the inside can be decompressed. A known exhaust device (not shown) such as an intake fan is connected to each of the spaces B and C. By operating the exhaust device, the spaces B and C can be maintained at a negative pressure. is there. On the other hand, the space D in the non-rotating part 27 of the rotating drum 2 is connected to a pipe (not shown) that can take in air outside the apparatus or a blower that maintains the space D at a positive pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 1, one end side of the duct 4 covers the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotating drum 2 positioned on the space B, and a fiber material introduction device is provided on the other end side (not shown). Yes. The fiber material introducing device includes, for example, a pulverizer that pulverizes sheet-like wood pulp into defibrated pulp and feeds the defibrated pulp (fiber material) into a duct. A water-absorbing polymer introduction part for introducing a water-absorbing polymer into the duct 4 can also be provided.

  The suction surface 22 of the rotating drum 2 is sucked from the pores of the stacking mesh while the outer peripheral portion 21 of the rotating drum 2 rotates and passes over the space B maintained at a negative pressure. By suction from the suction surface 22, an air flow is generated in the duct 4 to convey the raw material of the absorbent body introduced from the fiber material introduction portion or the water absorbent polymer introduction portion toward the rotary drum 2, and is placed on the air flow. The material conveyed in this manner is deposited between the width control members 25 and 25 on the suction surface 22.

  The transfer roll 5 has a cylindrical outer peripheral portion having air permeability, and the outer peripheral portion rotates around a horizontal axis upon receiving power from a prime mover such as a motor. In the non-rotating portion on the inner side (rotating shaft side) of the transfer roll 5, a space E in which the inside can be decompressed is formed. A known exhaust device (not shown) such as an intake fan is connected to the space E, and the interior of the space E can be maintained at a negative pressure by operating the exhaust device.

  The mesh belt 6 is a belt-like breathable belt having a mesh connected endlessly, and is continuously guided along a plurality of free rolls 61 and transfer rolls 5 to move along a predetermined path. The mesh belt 6 is driven by the rotation of the transfer roll 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the mesh belt 6 passes between the rotary drum 2 and the transfer roll 5 in a state along the outer peripheral surface of the transfer roll 5, and then moves away from the transfer roll 5 and along the vacuum conveyor 7. After being conveyed, it is arranged so as to return to the outer peripheral surface of the transfer roll 5 again.

  The vacuum conveyor 7 includes an endless breathable belt 73 spanned between the drive roll 71 and the driven rolls 72, 72, and a vacuum box 74 disposed at a position facing the transfer roll 5 across the breathable belt 73. And.

Next, an embodiment of the method for continuously producing the absorbent body 3 using the absorbent body production apparatus 1 described above, that is, the method for producing the absorbent body of the present invention will be described.
In order to manufacture the absorber 3 using the absorber manufacturing apparatus 1, the exhaust gas connected to the spaces B and C in the rotary drum 2, the space E in the transfer roll 5, and the vacuum box 74, respectively. Operate the device to a negative pressure. By creating a negative pressure in the space B, an air flow is generated in the duct 4 to convey the raw material of the absorber to the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum 2. Further, the rotary drum 2 and the transfer roll 5 are rotated, and the vacuum conveyor 7 is operated.

  Then, when the fiber material introduction device is operated to supply the fiber material 31 into the duct 4, the fiber material 31 rides on the air flow flowing in the duct 4, and is scattered to the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum 2. Supplied towards.

While the portion covered with the duct 4 is being conveyed, the fiber material 31 is sucked and deposited on the suction surface 22 of the rotary drum 2. The width in which the fiber material 31 or the like is deposited on the suction surface 22 is the width W between the width control members 25 and 25 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).
In the preferred manufacturing method of the present invention, the pair of width control members 25, 25 provided to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the rotating drum are at the time of entering the raw material deposition region covered in the duct 4. Like the rightmost width control members 25, 25, the width W between the width control members 25, 25 is W1. When the width control members 25 and 25 reach the position P1 where the grooved plate 28a is provided by the rotation of the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum, the protrusion 26 provided on the width control member 25 is cam groove 28b from the front end side in the traveling direction. As shown in the center width control members 25 and 25 in FIG. 3, the width control members 25 and 25 are formed by the interaction between the cam grooves 28 b having the inclined portions 28 b ′ (see FIG. 3A) and the projections 26. The width W between 25 gradually increases from W1 to W2. When the width control member 25 passes the grooved plate 28a provided at the position P1, the width between the control members 25 and 25 is larger than W1 as in the left width control members 25 and 25 in FIG. It becomes W2.

  In this manner, while the raw material (fiber material 31 or the like) is deposited on the suction surface 22, the width control members 25 and 25 are moved to change the width W on which the raw material is deposited on the suction surface 22, As shown in FIG. 5, a deposit 32 having a plurality of regions having different basis weights and / or thicknesses in a cross section in the width direction can be manufactured. The deposit 32 shown in FIG. 5 has a full width equal to the width W2, and has a thick portion substantially equal to the width W1.

  The deposit 32 can arbitrarily change the basis weight of the thick portion substantially equal to W2 and the basis weight of the portion other than the thick portion by changing the position of the cam groove 28b. In addition, the width of the thick portion that is substantially equal to W1 in the above can be arbitrarily changed by changing the shape of the cam groove 28b. Further, a grooved plate having a cam groove may be provided not only at the P1 position and the P2 position but also around the entire circumference of the rotating drum 2, and the cam groove may be formed on the entire circumference. In that case, the cam groove is provided at a fixed position in the width direction at a location where the positions of the width control members 25, 25 are not changed.

  Then, the deposit 32 after passing through the raw material deposition area covered in the duct 4 is conveyed to the transfer section to the transfer roll 5 while being sucked and held by the suction surface 21 of the rotary drum 2, and is then meshed with the mesh belt 6. Is transferred onto the transfer roll 5 wound around. Then, the deposit 32 on the transfer roll 5 is transported to the delivery section to the vacuum conveyor 7 while being sucked and held by the transfer roll 5 and delivered to the vacuum conveyor 7.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first core wrap sheet 33 made of tissue paper or liquid permeable nonwoven fabric is introduced onto the vacuum conveyor 7 before the deposit 32 is placed, The deposit 32 moves on the first core wrap sheet 33.
Further, after the second core wrap sheet 34 is introduced on the upper surface side of the deposit 32, the deposit 32 covered with the first and second core wrap sheets 33, 34 is cut at a predetermined interval. Thus, the absorbent body 3 cut to the size of one absorbent article is obtained.
The first and second core wrap sheets 33 and 34 may be joined to each other with an adhesive or the like without folding back both sides of any sheet, and both sides of one sheet may be joined to the other. The sheet can be wound up or down and fixed with an adhesive or the like.

  According to the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, while the raw material (fiber material 31 or the like) is deposited on the suction surface 22, the width control members 25 and 25 are moved to deposit the raw material on the suction surface 22. By changing the width W, the deposit 32 or the absorber 3 having a plurality of regions having different basis weights and / or thicknesses can be manufactured. In addition, what was cut | disconnected to the predetermined | prescribed length can also be used for the deposit 32 as an absorber of an absorbent article, without coat | covering with the 1st and 2nd core wrap sheets 33 and 34. FIG.

After the deposit 32 is released from the transfer roll 5, the width W between the width control members 25 and 25 is narrowed again to W1. In this state, the width control members 25 and 25 are moved to a region covered with the duct 4, and the absorbent material 31 is deposited on the suction surface 22 again with the narrow width.
As a method of returning the width W between the width control members 25 and 25 back to W1, when the position P2 where the grooved plate 28a is provided is reached, the protrusion 26 provided on the width control member 25 is cam groove 28b from the front end side in the traveling direction. The width W between the width control members 25 and 25 is gradually increased from W2 to W1 due to the interaction between the protrusion 26 and the cam groove 28b having the inclined portion 28b ″ (see FIG. 3B). When the width control member 25 passes through the grooved plate 28a provided at the position P2, the width between the width control members 25 and 25 is W1, which is smaller than W2. W1 is the P1 position. This is the same as W1 of the grooved plate 28a.

  As the fiber material as the raw material of the absorbent body 3, various materials conventionally used for absorbent bodies of absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, panty liners, and disposable diapers can be used without particular limitation. For example, pulp fibers such as defibrated pulp, short fibers of cellulosic fibers such as rayon fibers and cotton fibers, and short fibers of synthetic fibers such as polyethylene are used. These fibers can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Further, as a raw material of the absorbent body 3, a water-absorbing polymer may be introduced into the duct 4 together with the fiber material 31, and further, a deodorant, an antibacterial agent, or the like may be added together with the fiber material 31 or the like as necessary. It can also be supplied.

Next, an absorber manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The absorber manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment is a swing mechanism using a plate cam 28c as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 6, the pair of plate cams 28 c and 28 c are provided on both sides of the rotating drum 2 in the width direction (X direction) of the rotating drum 2. In the present embodiment, the plate cam 28 c is provided at the entrance portion (Q position in FIG. 1) that enters the raw material deposition region covered in the duct 4. Specifically, the plate cam 28 c is attached to a stationary support 28 fixed at the Q position in the non-rotating portion 27 of the rotating drum 2. The cam plate 28 c is fixed to the tip end of the rotating shaft 28 d that extends from the immobile support 28. Therefore, the cam plate 28c rotates when the rotation shaft 28d is driven and rotated by a rotation drive mechanism using a servo motor (not shown) or the like. The plate cam 28c swings in a predetermined pattern by rotating while abutting against the side surface of the width control member 25 constantly biased outward by a biasing means 29 such as a coil spring. Can be made.

This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the plate cam 28 c has a portion close to the rotation shaft 28 d and a portion far from the rotary shaft 28 d. The plate cam 28c shown in FIG. 7 has a substantially egg shape, but is not limited to an egg shape.
Then, when the width control members 25 and 25 move with the rotation of the rotary drum 2 and reach the Q position, they are located between the plate cams 28c and 28c, as shown in FIGS. Inserted into. As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), the interval between the plate cams 28c, 28c is just before the insertion and at the start of the insertion, the outer edges of the width control means 25, 25 widened by the urging means 29. The outer side surfaces of the width control means 25, 25 are in contact with portions of the contours of the plate cams 28c, 28c that are close to the rotary shaft 28d. The interval W between the width control members 25 and 25 immediately before the insertion and at the start of the insertion is W2.

After the width control means 25 and 25 come into contact with the plate cams 28c and 28c as shown in FIG. 7B, the plate cams 28c and 28c are rotated as shown in FIG. Among them, the part far from the rotating shaft 28d is brought into contact with the side surfaces of the width control members 25 and 25. Thereby, the space | interval W between the width control members 25 and 25 in the width direction of a rotating drum becomes narrow, and becomes W1 from W2. After the plate cams 28c and 28c are rotated, the raw material is deposited on the suction surface 22 at the interval W1.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7D, when the width control members 25, 25 are disengaged from the plate cams 28c, 28c, the urging means 29 increases the distance between the width control members 25, 25 and returns to W2. Then, the raw material is also deposited on the portion where the width control members 25 and 25 have been positioned so far.

In this way, the plate cam 28c is rotated while changing the speed at a constant speed or a predetermined pattern by a rotational drive mechanism using a servo motor or the like, and the raw material (fiber material 31 or the like) is deposited on the suction surface 22. In the meantime, the width control members 25 and 25 are moved to change the width W on which the raw material is deposited on the suction surface 22, thereby manufacturing the deposit 32 or the absorbent body 3 having a plurality of regions having different basis weights and thicknesses. can do. In the present embodiment, the basis weight and shape of the deposit can be adjusted by changing the shape of the plate cam 28c.
Note that the plurality of regions having different basis weights and thicknesses include those in which the basis weights and / or thicknesses continuously change from one region to another region. For example, the plate cams 28c and 28c are gradually rotated in the process of depositing the raw material after the plate cams 28c and 28c are rotated so that the contour of the portion far from the rotary shaft 28d is in contact with the width control members 25 and 25 as shown in FIG. Further, it may be gradually rotated so that the contour of the portion close to the rotating shaft 28c returns to the original state in contact with the width control members 25, 25. In this way, it is possible to manufacture a deposit or an absorbent body whose basis weight and / or thickness continuously change from one region to another region.

Next, an absorber manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The absorber manufacturing apparatus of the third embodiment is a swing mechanism using an air cylinder, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the swing mechanism of the third embodiment includes an air cylinder 28e that supports a cylinder cylinder 28g on a spring holder 28f fixed to the annular body 23 of the rotary drum 2. The air cylinder 28e is fixed to both side surfaces of the front end and the rear end of the width control member 25. In the third embodiment, the air cylinder 28e is brought into contact with the side surface of the width control member 25 that is constantly urged outward by a biasing means 29 such as a coil spring so as to enter and exit from the cylinder cylinder 28g. The width control member 25 can be swung in a predetermined pattern.

As shown in FIG. 8B, when the air cylinder 28e is projected from the cylinder cylinder 28g and brought into contact with the side surfaces of the width control members 25, 25, the width control members 25, 25 in the width direction of the rotary drum are between. The interval W becomes narrower and becomes the width W1.
On the other hand, when the air cylinder 28e is pulled into the cylinder cylinder 28g, the width control members 25, 25 receive a biasing force outward in the X direction by the biasing means 29, and the width control members 25, 25 in the width direction of the rotating drum Is wider than W1 and has a width W2 (not shown).

  Of all the width control members 25 (five in the embodiment) provided on the rotary drum 2, the air cylinder 28e is projected for any one to narrow the width W between the width control members 25, 25. It is possible to increase the width W by pulling the air cylinder 28e. For example, in the width control member 25 located immediately before the Q position and the width control member 25 located in the Q position, the interval W is narrowed to W1, and in the width control member 25 in other locations, the interval W is set to be smaller. You may control so that it may be wide with W2. In this case, in the width control member 25 immediately after entering the raw material deposition region, the raw material is deposited on the suction surface 22 at a narrow interval W1, and after a certain amount of deposition, the interval between the width control members 25 and 25 is increased. The raw material is also deposited at the positions where 25 and 25 exist.

  In this way, while the air cylinder 28e is moved in and out with air pressure or the like while changing the speed at a constant speed or a predetermined pattern, the width control members 25 and 25 are moved while the raw material is deposited on the suction surface 22. By moving and changing the width W on which the raw material is deposited on the suction surface 22, the deposit 32 or the absorber 3 having a plurality of regions having different basis weights and thicknesses can be manufactured. By changing the entry / exit speed of the air cylinder 28e, the distribution of the pile fiber basis weight in the deposit 32 can be changed, and by changing the entry / exit position of the air cylinder 28e, the pile width can be changed.

As mentioned above, although the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the absorber of this invention were demonstrated, this invention is not restrict | limited to embodiment mentioned above, Each can be changed suitably.
For example, in the width control member, the side edge 25c on the inner side in the width direction (X direction) of the rotating drum may have an uneven shape, like the width control member 25 shown in FIG. Even when the width control members 25, 25 shown in FIG. 9A are used, the width W between the width control members 25 is increased while the raw material is being deposited on the suction surface 22, so that FIG. The deposit (absorber) 32 having a plurality of regions having different basis weights and / or thicknesses as shown in FIG.

  Further, only one of the pair of width control members 25 separated in the width direction of the rotating drum may be movable. Further, the number of width control members 25 arranged in the circumferential direction of the rotating drum may be 1 to 4 or 6 to 10 instead of 5 in the illustrated example.

  In the first embodiment, the shape of the cam groove provided in the grooved plate in plan view can be appropriately determined according to the swing pattern of the width control member. Further, the cam groove may be provided on the width control member instead of being provided on the grooved plate, and the protrusion may be provided on the plate member at the same position as the grooved plate instead of being provided on the width control member.

  Moreover, the absorber manufactured by this invention may be what was coat | covered with the core wrap sheets 33 and 34 from which both surfaces of the deposit 32 differ like the absorber 3 manufactured by the embodiment mentioned above. The entire surface of the deposit 32 is covered with a single core wrap sheet, for example, one side of the deposit 32 is covered with the central portion of one core wrap sheet, and the entire other surface of the deposit 32 is covered. However, the core wrap sheet may be covered with a portion of the deposit 32 that is folded back on the one side. Moreover, the deposit 32 may be fixed to one side of one sheet with an adhesive or the like, and the other side of the deposit may not be covered with the sheet. Further, the deposit 32 released from the rotary drum 2 can be released directly to a belt conveyor or the like without passing through the transfer roll 5.

  The absorbent body produced in the present invention is preferably used as an absorbent body for absorbent articles. Absorbent articles are used mainly to absorb and retain body fluids excreted from the body such as urine and menstrual blood. Absorbent articles include, for example, disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, panty liners (downcome sheets), etc., but are not limited to these, and are used for absorbing liquid discharged from the human body. Widely encompasses articles.

  The absorbent article typically includes a top sheet, a back sheet, and a liquid-retaining absorbent body disposed between both sheets. The topsheet may also serve as a core wrap sheet that covers the surface of the absorber 3. The back sheet may have water vapor permeability. The absorbent article may further include various members according to specific uses of the absorbent article. Such members are known to those skilled in the art. For example, when the absorbent article is applied to a disposable diaper or a sanitary napkin, a pair or two or more pairs of three-dimensional guards can be disposed on the outer side of both side portions where the absorbent body stands.

  The description omitted in one embodiment described above and the requirements of only one embodiment can be applied to other embodiments as appropriate, and the requirements in each embodiment can be appropriately changed between the embodiments. Can be substituted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Absorbent body manufacturing apparatus 2 Rotating drum 21 Outer peripheral part 22 Suction surface 25 Width control member 26 Protrusion 27 Non-rotating part 28 Non-moving support body 28a Grooved plate 28b Cam groove 28c Plate cam 28e Air cylinder 29 Energizing means 3 Absorber 31 Textile material (raw material)
32 Deposit 33 First core wrap sheet 34 Second core wrap sheet 4 Duct 5 Transfer roll 6 Mesh belt 7 Vacuum conveyor

Claims (5)

A method for manufacturing an absorbent body comprising a step of sucking and depositing a raw material supplied in an air flow on a suction surface having a large number of pores formed in a rotating drum,
A width control member movable in the width direction of the rotary drum is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drum, and the width control member is moved while the raw material is deposited on the suction surface. A method for manufacturing an absorber, wherein the width in which the raw material is deposited is changed.   While the raw material is deposited on the suction surface, an absorbent body having a plurality of regions having different basis weights and / or thicknesses is manufactured by changing a width in which the raw material is deposited from a narrow width to a wide width. The manufacturing method of the absorber of Claim 1. A rotating drum having a suction surface having a large number of pores is provided, and a material supplied on an air stream is sucked and deposited on the suction surface, and then the deposit is separated from the suction surface. An absorbent body manufacturing apparatus,
The rotary drum is provided with a plurality of width control members that are movable in the width direction of the rotary drum along the circumferential direction of the rotary drum, and the raw material is placed on the suction surface by the movement of the width control member. An absorber manufacturing apparatus adapted to change the width of deposition.   4. The absorber manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the width control members swings in a width direction of the rotating drum in a predetermined pattern as the rotating drum rotates. 5.   The absorbent body manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the width control member is configured to swing by a cam mechanism.

Images