JP7327142B2 - Absorbent article, apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article, and method for manufacturing absorbent article - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an absorbent article, an absorbent article manufacturing apparatus, and an absorbent article manufacturing method.

Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, urine pads, and sanitary products have an absorbent body that absorbs liquids such as urine and bodily fluids. Various nonwoven fabrics are used for these absorbent articles (see Patent Document 1, for example).

WO2019/106964

Nonwoven fabrics used in absorbent articles are manufactured at a nonwoven fabric manufacturing factory and transported to absorbent article manufacturing factories. Therefore, the nonwoven fabric is usually a long raw fabric, and is transported in a roll-like state wrapped around a core material. Therefore, in a factory for manufacturing absorbent articles using the nonwoven fabric, in order to restore the bulk of the nonwoven fabric that has been physically compressed and lost by being wound into a roll, for example, the raw materials of the core and the sheath are different from each other. In the case of a nonwoven fabric using core-sheath fibers, hot air is passed through the nonwoven fabric to recover the volume using the difference in thermal shrinkage between the two materials.

Incidentally, some absorbent articles have grooves on the surface with which the wearer's skin contacts in order to improve breathability. Such grooves can be formed, for example, by subjecting a layered body in which various materials such as non-woven fabric are stacked to a compression process from the surface that comes into contact with the wearer's skin. However, such grooves formed by pressing may disappear when the laminate swells due to water absorption in the absorber. When the grooves provided on the surface with which the wearer's skin comes into contact disappear, the breathability imparted by the grooves is lost.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an absorbent article, an apparatus for manufacturing the absorbent article, and a method for manufacturing the absorbent article, capable of suppressing disappearance of the grooves formed by pressing due to swelling of the absorbent body as much as possible. With the goal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, at least a portion of the pressed recesses and the surrounding area of the top sheet is provided with a bulky portion in which the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers is bulkier than the surrounding area.

Specifically, the present invention is an absorbent article to be worn around the wearer's crotch, comprising an absorbent body and core-sheath fibers that are arranged closer to the wearer than the absorbent body and that come into contact with the wearer's skin. A top sheet made of a nonwoven fabric, a pressed recess formed on the surface of the top sheet by pressing from the top sheet side to the absorbent body side, and at least a part of the pressed recess and its peripheral part in the top sheet. , and a bulky portion of the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers.

In addition, the bulky portion may be formed to be bulky by thermal deformation of the core-sheath fibers.

Further, the pressed recesses may be formed in a grid pattern on the surface of the top sheet.

In addition, the top sheet may further include low-bulk portions which are provided at least in portions corresponding to the intersections of the grids and which are lower in bulk than the high-bulk portions in the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers.

Also, the bulky portion may be provided in each straight line portion that constitutes the grid.

Moreover, the present invention can also be understood from the aspect of a manufacturing apparatus. For example, the present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article to be worn around the wearer's crotch, in which the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers placed on the wearer's side of the absorber is oriented from the top sheet side toward the absorber side. A pressing mechanism that forms pressed recesses on the surface of the top sheet by pressing, and a volume that provides a bulky portion of the core-sheath fiber nonwoven fabric that is higher than the surroundings in at least a part of the pressed recesses and the surrounding area of the top sheet. and a recovery mechanism.

Moreover, the present invention can also be understood from the aspect of the manufacturing method. For example, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an absorbent article to be attached to the wearer's crotch, wherein the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers placed on the wearer's side of the absorber is oriented from the top sheet side toward the absorber side. A pressing step of forming pressed recesses on the surface of the top sheet by a pressing process, and forming a bulky portion of the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers in at least a part of the pressed recesses and the surrounding area of the top sheet, which is higher than the surrounding area. and a recovery step.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to suppress as much as possible that the groove|channel formed by compression process disappears by swelling of an absorber.

1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper in the non-wearing state, taken along the width direction at the center in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a compressed recess. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a structural drawing of a top sheet and an absorbent body. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a part of the diaper manufacturing process. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second example of a structural drawing of the top sheet and absorbent body. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third example of a structural diagram of the top sheet and absorbent body. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the difference in structure between the top sheet and the absorbent body.

Hereinafter, absorbent articles according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

<Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, a tape-type disposable diaper (which is an example of an "absorbent article" in the present application, and hereinafter simply referred to as a "diaper") has a front body and a back facing the wearer's abdomen. Let the direction connecting the back body which is arranged to be the longitudinal direction. Between the front body (one side in the longitudinal direction) and the back body (the other side in the longitudinal direction) (center in the longitudinal direction), there is an inseam that is placed in the wearer's crotch (placed facing the crotch) department is located. In addition, in a state in which the paper diaper is worn by the wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as "wearing state"), the side facing the wearer's skin (inner side in the worn state) is the skin side, and the side opposite to the skin side. (the outside when worn) is the non-skin side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin surface side and the non-skin surface side is defined as the thickness direction, and the direction orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is defined as the width direction. In addition, viewing from the thickness direction is defined as planar view.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to this embodiment. The diaper 1 includes a crotch region 1B, which corresponds to the crotch region covering the private part of the wearer when worn, and a front body region 1F, which is positioned in front of the crotch region 1B and corresponds to the wearer's front body. and a back body region 1R located behind the crotch region 1B and corresponding to the back body of the wearer. Tapes 2L and 2R that can be attached to the front patch 2F provided on the non-wearer side surface of the front body region 1F are provided on the left and right edges of the back body region 1R. Therefore, in the diaper 1, when the tapes 2L and 2R are attached to the front patch 2F in a state in which the front body region 1F is arranged on the abdomen side of the wearer and the back body region 1R is arranged on the back side of the wearer. , is secured to the wearer's body in a manner surrounding the wearer's waist and thighs. Since the diaper 1 is fixed to the wearer's body in this manner, the wearer can walk while wearing the diaper 1 .

In the diaper 1, an absorbent body capable of absorbing and retaining liquid is mainly arranged around the crotch region 1B. Further, in the diaper 1, three-dimensional gathers 3BL and 3BR are provided at portions surrounding the thighs of the wearer in order to suppress the formation of gaps between the diaper 1 and the skin of the wearer, which serve as fluid outflow paths. is provided, and a waist gather 3R is provided at a portion surrounding the waist circumference of the wearer. The three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR and the waist gathers 3R are in close contact with the wearer's skin due to the elastic force of the thread rubber. Therefore, the liquid discharged from the wearer's pubic region is absorbed by the absorber of the diaper 1 without hardly leaking from the diaper 1 .

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper 1 in the non-wearing state, taken along the width direction at the center in the longitudinal direction. The diaper 1 has a cover sheet 4 forming an outer surface in the worn state. The cover sheet 4 is a sheet-like member having a substantially rectangular appearance with constrictions 4KL and 4KR provided at portions corresponding to the long sides, and forms the exterior surface of the diaper 1 . Constrictions 4KL and 4KR are provided at locations where the wearer's thighs are located. The cover sheet 4 is provided to reinforce the later-described back sheet 5 and to improve its texture. For example, a non-woven fabric made of liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resin is used as its material in order to suppress leakage of excrement. be able to. Examples of liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resins include polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The cover sheet 4 is not limited to a single-layer structure, and may have a multi-layer structure having an inner cover sheet and an outer cover sheet.

The diaper 1 has a back sheet 5, an absorbent body 6C, and a top sheet 7 which are laminated in order on the surface of the cover sheet 4 facing the wearer. The back sheet 5, the absorbent body 6C, and the top sheet 7 are all sheet-like members having a substantially rectangular appearance, and are laminated in order on the cover sheet 4 with their longitudinal directions aligned with the longitudinal direction of the cover sheet 4. there is Like the cover sheet 4, the back sheet 5 is a sheet made of a liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resin in order to prevent leakage of excrement. The back sheet 5 is preferably made of a material that is also moisture-permeable in order to prevent stuffiness when worn. Further, the top sheet 7 is a sheet-like member arranged on the wearer's skin surface side so as to cover the absorbent surface of the absorbent body 6C. This top sheet 7 has liquid permeability in part or in its entirety. Therefore, in the state in which the diaper 1 is worn, the liquid excreted by the wearer passes through the top sheet 7, which can come into contact with the wearer's skin, and enters the absorbent body 6C, where it is absorbed. For example, woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, and porous films can be used as materials for the top sheet 7 . The top sheet 7 may have hydrophilicity.

The back sheet 5, absorbent body 6C, and top sheet 7 all extend from the front body region 1F to the back body region 1R. Therefore, when the cover sheet 4, in which the back sheet 5, the absorbent body 6C, and the top sheet 7 are laminated, covers the private part of the wearer, the longitudinal ends of the back sheet 5, the absorbent body 6C, and the top sheet 7 are It is in a state of being positioned on the wearer's ventral side and dorsal side. In other words, the wearer's pubic region is covered with the absorber 6C from the wearer's ventral side to the back side. Therefore, even if the wearer discharges the liquid to the outside of the body in either posture with the stomach facing downward or the posture with the back facing downward, the discharged liquid comes into contact with the absorbent body 6C through the top sheet 7. will do.

The diaper 1 also has elongated band-like side sheets 8L, 8R for forming the three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR described above. The side sheets 8L and 8R are liquid-impermeable sheets provided on the long sides of the top sheet 7 . The side sheets 8L, 8R are provided with constrictions 8KL, 8KR at locations where the wearer's thighs are positioned, similar to the three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR of the diaper 1 . Thread rubbers 8EL and 8ER are woven into the side sheets 8L and 8R along the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is worn, that is, when the diaper 1 is in a U-shape when viewed from the side, the side sheets 8L and 8R are pulled in the longitudinal direction by the contractile force of the rubber threads 8EL and 8ER, and the top sheet 7 is pulled. It rises from the top and becomes a three-dimensional gather that prevents the outflow of liquid.

Further, the rubber thread 9ER for forming the waist gathers 3R described above is provided between the back sheet 5 and the top sheet 7 at a position on the dorsal side of the end portion of the absorbent body 6C. The rubber thread 9ER is provided between the back sheet 5 and the top sheet 7 so that the longitudinal direction, which is the stretching direction, is the left-right direction of the diaper 1 . Therefore, when the tapes 2L and 2R provided on the left and right sides of the rubber thread 9ER are attached to the front patch 2F on the abdomen side of the wearer, the rubber thread 9ER exerts a contractile force to bring the diaper 1 to the wearer. The diaper 1 is brought into close contact with the wearer's abdomen to prevent a gap from being formed. The cover sheet 4 is also provided with rubber threads 4SL and 4SR along the longitudinal direction of the rubber threads 4C to prevent a gap from being formed between the diaper 1 and the waist circumference of the wearer. The thread rubbers 4SL and 4SR are provided at appropriate positions in an appropriate number determined according to the elastic force (contraction force) required in the design of the diaper 1 and the like.

The absorber 6C contains short fibers of cellulose fibers such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers, or short fibers obtained by hydrophilizing synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate. It has a structure in which a granular absorbent resin such as SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), which is a hydrophilic polymer having a crosslinked structure capable of absorbing and holding, is held. Therefore, in the absorbent body 6C, the volume change of the absorbent resin before and after absorbing the liquid basically occurs within the short fibers that hold the absorbent resin in the gaps. Therefore, when looking at the entire absorbent body 6C, it can be said that the expansion rate of the thickness of the absorbent body 6C that has absorbed the liquid is not as large as the expansion rate of the absorbent resin itself.

The SAP particles of the present embodiment refer to granulated resin compositions containing SAP. The "resin composition containing SAP" as used herein refers to both a composition consisting only of SAP and a composition containing SAP as the main component and other substances to the extent that it does not adversely affect water absorption. It is a concept that includes Examples of "other substances" include additives (such as surface modifiers added for the purpose of hydrophobizing the particle surface), unreacted monomers remaining during the synthesis of SAP, and the like.

By the way, the diaper 1 of the present embodiment is provided with pressing recesses formed in a lattice pattern on the surface of the top sheet 7 by pressing from the side of the top sheet 7 toward the side of the absorber 6C. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a compressed recess. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressed recesses 9 are formed in a grid pattern in the main area of the surface of the top sheet 7 including the absorbent core 6C. The main region is a region including the central portion of the top sheet 7, and includes, for example, the entire surface of the top sheet 7, a portion of the surface of the top sheet 7 corresponding to the wearer's urethral opening and anus, and various other portions. may be any of Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressing recesses 9 are not limited to the form in which the straight lines forming the grooves intersect at right angles to form a lattice. The pressing recesses 9 may have a form in which the straight lines forming the grooves intersect obliquely to form a grid. Further, the pressing recesses 9 are not limited to a form in which a plurality of straight lines forming the grooves are arranged in parallel. The straight lines forming the grooves of the compressed recesses 9 may be non-parallel to each other. Further, the straight lines forming the grooves of the pressing recesses 9 are not limited to solid lines, and may be dotted lines or broken lines, for example.

Further, the diaper 1 of this embodiment is provided with a low-bulk portion 7T. The low-bulk portion 7T is a portion in which the bulk (thickness) of the top sheet 7 is lower than its surroundings. Since the low-bulk portion 7T is a low-bulk portion, the periphery of the low-bulk portion 7T becomes a high-bulk portion 7F. As shown in FIG. 4, the low-bulk portion 7T is formed in a solid line on an imaginary straight line that runs along the longitudinal direction of the top sheet 7 and overlaps with an intersection point 9K where the straight lines forming the grooves of the compressed recesses 9 intersect. is provided. The low-bulk portion 7T may be provided in the form of a dotted line or broken line instead of the solid line.

The low-bulk portion 7T will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a structural drawing of the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C. The low-bulk portion 7T is a low-bulk portion provided in the top sheet 7, and the thickness of the top sheet 7 is thinner than the high-bulk portion 7F surrounding the low-bulk portion 7T. Thus, since the top sheet 7 itself has the low-bulk portion 7T and the high-bulk portion 7F, as shown in the A1-A1 cross-sectional view of FIG. The thickness of the top sheet 7 is not uniform, and between the intersections 9K of the compressed recesses 9, there may be low-bulk portions 7T and high-bulk portions 7F.

In the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, since the high-bulk portion 7F is provided in the compressed concave portion 9 except for the vicinity of the intersection 9K and its peripheral portion, the absorber 6C absorbs moisture discharged from the wearer. Even if the laminate of the absorbent core 6C and the top sheet 7 swells, the pressed recesses 9 formed in the bulky portion 7F of the surface of the top sheet 7 due to the pressing process are suppressed from disappearing. Therefore, in the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, even if the absorber 6C absorbs moisture discharged from the wearer and the laminate of the absorber 6C and the topsheet 7 expands, the surface of the topsheet 7 remains bulky. The breathability provided by the squeeze recesses 9 formed in the portion 7F is maintained.

Further, in the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, the top sheet 7 has the low-bulk portion 7T and the high-bulk portion 7F, and the intersection 9K is pressed so as to be positioned in the low-bulk portion 7T. , at least at the intersection 9K of the pressed recesses 9, the pressing force of the pressing process is difficult to disperse due to the thickness of the top sheet 7, and the pressing force is easily transmitted from the surface of the top sheet 7 to the absorbent body 6C. Therefore, the shape of the intersection 9K is firmly maintained by sufficiently compressing the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C. Therefore, in the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, compared to an absorbent article in which the top sheet 7 does not have the low-bulk portion 7T, there is a low possibility that the compressed recesses 9 will disappear after the absorber 6C absorbs water, and the compressed recesses 9 will cause the top to collapse. The breathability imparted to the surface of the sheet 7 is maintained.

Furthermore, in the diaper 1 of the present embodiment, since the high-bulk portions 7F are provided in the pressed recesses 9 except for the vicinity of the intersection 9K and the peripheral portions thereof, the top sheet 7 does not have the high-bulk portions 7F. The texture of the surface of the top sheet 7 can be made softer than that of a soft article.

The low-bulk portion 7T and the high-bulk portion 7F can be formed as follows. For example, when the top sheet 7 is a nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers made from two or more different raw materials for the core and sheath, the fibers constituting the top sheet 7 are In the state wound around the anti-roll, it is crushed by the winding force of the roll. However, the core-sheath fiber has a property that when heated, the bulk recovers due to the difference in heat shrinkage between the material forming the core and the material forming the sheath. Therefore, when the bulk of the top sheet 7 is restored by heating, for example, the nozzle for blowing hot air to the top sheet 7 is a long narrow opening that intersects the machine direction (MD) of the device that handles the top sheet 7, By partially providing a portion where the hot air does not blow out, the high-bulk portion 7F can be provided in the portion hit by the hot air, and the low-bulk portion 7T can be provided in the portion not hit by the hot air. The heating of the top sheet 7 for forming the bulky portion 7F may be performed before forming the pressed recesses 9, may be performed after forming the pressed recesses 9, or may be performed after forming the pressed recesses 9. may be performed at the same time.

6A and 6B are diagrams showing a part of the manufacturing process of the diaper 1. FIG. In order to increase the bulk of the top sheet 7 and form the pressed recesses 9 on the surface of the top sheet 7, for example, as shown in FIG. ), and a concave roller 11 and a support roller 12 for forming the pressed concave portions 9 in the top sheet 7 that has passed through the heating nozzle 10 are provided in the diaper 1 manufacturing apparatus. The heating nozzle 10 blows hot air onto the surface of the top sheet 7 to heat the top sheet 7 and recover the volume of the top sheet 7.例文帳に追加The opening of the heating nozzle 10 has an elongated shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (MD direction) of the top sheet 7 . The opening of the heating nozzle 10 is closed at a portion corresponding to the low-bulk portion 7T, forming a broken-line opening as a whole. That is, since the heating nozzle 10 has a broken-line opening, only the portion of the top sheet 7 exposed to the hot air recovers its bulk by heating to form a bulky portion 7F, and the portion not exposed to the hot air recovers its bulk. The low-bulk portion 7T remains unchanged. The top sheet 7 having the high-bulk portion 7F and the low-bulk portion 7T formed in streaks on the surface has a lattice-like pressing end 11B (an example of the “pressing mechanism” referred to in the present application) on the outer peripheral surface. It is squeezed by rollers 11 . The squeezing by the concave rollers 11 is performed together with the support rollers 12 arranged on the opposite side of the concave rollers 11 with the top sheet 7 interposed therebetween. Accordingly, on the surface of the top sheet 7 , pressing recesses 9 are formed by sandwiching the top sheet 7 between the pressing ends 11 B of the concave rollers 11 and the support rollers 12 . In addition, since the recessed roller 11 has recessed portions 11A at portions other than the pressing end 11B, the high-bulk portion 7F formed by the heating nozzle 10 is pressed by the pressing end 11B to form the pressed recessed portion 9. The bulky state is maintained without being crushed by the concave roller 11 except for the portion.

Here, as can be seen from FIG. 6, the concave roller 11 is arranged at a portion where the crossing point of the lattice of the pressing end 11B formed on the outer peripheral surface corresponds to the low-bulk portion 7T. Therefore, the intersection 9K of the pressed recesses 9 formed by pressing the recessed rollers 11 is formed in the low-bulk portion 7T, not in the high-bulk portion 7F. Further, a high-bulk portion 7F is formed in a portion of the pressed recess 9 excluding the vicinity of the intersection 9K and its peripheral portion. Thus, when the heating nozzle 10, the concave roller 11 and the support roller 12 are provided in the diaper 1 manufacturing apparatus, the intersection 9K is pressed so as to be positioned in the low-bulk portion 7T. Among them, at least at the intersection 9K, the pressing force of the pressing process by the pressing edge 11B is difficult to disperse depending on the thickness of the top sheet 7, and the pressing force is easily transmitted from the surface of the top sheet 7 to the absorbent body 6C. Therefore, the shape of the intersection 9K is firmly maintained by sufficiently compressing the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C. As a result, the possibility of disappearance of the pressed recesses 9 can be suppressed, and the breathability imparted to the surface of the top sheet 7 by the pressed recesses 9 and the texture of the surface of the top sheet 7 can be improved.

<Modification>
In addition, the diaper 1 may be deformed as follows, for example. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second example of a structural drawing of the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C. For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the pressed recesses 9 are circular and the circular pressed recesses 9 are arranged vertically and horizontally on the surface of the top sheet 7 , the bulky portion 7</b>F is formed by each pressed recess 9 and its periphery may be formed in a circular shape. If the compressed recesses 9 are provided in the portion where the bulky portion 7F is formed, the absorber 6C absorbs moisture discharged from the wearer, and the laminate of the absorber 6C and the top sheet 7 swells. Also, the disappearance of the compressed depressions 9 formed in the bulky portion 7</b>F of the surface of the top sheet 7 due to the compression process is suppressed. Therefore, in the diaper 1 of this modification, even if the absorber 6C absorbs moisture discharged from the wearer and the laminate of the absorber 6C and the topsheet 7 expands, the surface of the topsheet 7 remains bulky. The breathability provided by the squeeze recesses 9 formed in the portion 7F is maintained.

Moreover, the diaper 1 may be deformed as follows, for example. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third example of a structural drawing of the top sheet 7 and absorbent body 6C. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 , circular low-bulk portions 7T are arranged vertically and horizontally, and compressed recesses 9 are provided in a lattice pattern in the high-bulk portions 7F around the low-bulk portions 7T. Even if the absorbent body 6C absorbs the moisture discharged from the person and the laminate of the absorbent body 6C and the top sheet 7 swells, the high-bulk portion 7F of the surface of the top sheet 7 will be treated by pressing. Disappearance of the pressing recesses 9 is suppressed. Therefore, in the diaper 1 of this modification, even if the absorber 6C absorbs moisture discharged from the wearer and the laminate of the absorber 6C and the topsheet 7 expands, the surface of the topsheet 7 remains bulky. The breathability provided by the squeeze recesses 9 formed in the portion 7F is maintained.

By the way, the pressed recesses 9 formed in the high-bulk portion 7F differ in the order of heating for bulk recovery and pressing for forming the pressed recesses 9, so that the structures of the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C are changed. , the following differences occur. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of structural differences between the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C. For example, as shown in FIG. 9(A), the volume of the top sheet 7 is recovered with hot air (see FIG. 9(A2)) with respect to the laminate before bulk recovery (see FIG. 9(A1)). Then, when pressing is performed to the pressing recesses 9, both the top sheet 7 and the absorbent core 6C are pressed in the pressing recesses 9, as shown in FIG. 9A3. On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(B), the laminated body (see FIG. 9(B1)) before bulk recovery is pressed into the pressed recesses 9 (see FIG. 9(B2)). Then, when the volume of the top sheet 7 is recovered by hot air, as shown in FIG. However, the bulk of the top sheet 7 recovers after being compressed.

If the order of heating for bulk recovery and pressing for forming the pressed recesses 9 is reversed, such a difference occurs in the structures of the top sheet 7 and the absorbent body 6C. Therefore, for example, if it is desired to deepen the compressed recess 9, the compression is performed after heating. can be

The bulky portion 7F is not limited to that formed in the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 6, and may be formed in other manufacturing processes. For example, by separately arranging a heating roller in front of and behind the concave roller for pressing, and blowing hot air onto the surface of the top sheet 7 from an opening provided on the outer peripheral surface of the roller, a circular shape as illustrated in FIG. 7 can be obtained. The high-bulk portions 7F are arranged vertically and horizontally on the surface of the top sheet 7, or the high-bulk portions 7F along the grid lines of the compressed recesses 9 as illustrated in FIG. 8 are formed on the surface of the top sheet 7. becomes possible.

Further, since the original roll of the top sheet 7 is obtained by winding the original sheet around the core material, the core material side of the roll is compressed more than the outer peripheral side, and the volume is low. Therefore, it is preferable to gradually lengthen the heating time for bulk recovery from the starting end side to the terminal end side of the raw fabric roll. For example, if the speed of the raw material unrolled from the raw material roll is gradually slowed down, the heating time for bulk recovery can be gradually lengthened.

Further, the pressing recesses 9 may be irregularly arranged dots. Moreover, when the pressing recesses 9 are arranged in a dot shape, each dot may have a circular shape, a polygonal shape, or other various shapes.

Further, in the above embodiments and modifications, tape-type diapers were exemplified, but pants-type diapers and other various types of absorbent articles are also applicable.

1 Diaper 1B Inseam region 1F Front body region 1R Back body region 2F Front patch 2FT Air holes 2L, 2R Tapes 3BL, 3BR Three-dimensional gathers 3R Waist gathers 4 Cover sheet 4KL, 4KR Constriction 4C, 4SL, 4SR, 8EL, 8ER, 9ER Thread rubber 5 Back sheet 6C Absorbent body 7 Top sheet 7F High volume portion 7T Low Bulk portion 8 Side sheets 8KL, 8KR Constriction 9 Squeezing recess 9K Intersection 10 Heating nozzle 11 Concave roller 11A Recess 11B Squeezing end

Claims (5)

An absorbent article to be worn in the wearer's crotch,
an absorber;
a top sheet made of a nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers, which is arranged on the wearer's side of the absorber and contacts the wearer's skin;
pressing depressions formed in a grid pattern on the surface of the top sheet by pressing from the top sheet side toward the absorbent body;
A high-bulk portion provided in the top sheet at least in each straight line portion constituting the lattice of the pressed recesses and in the peripheral portion thereof, and having a high bulk in the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers;
absorbent article. The high-bulk portion is formed to be bulky by thermal deformation of the core-sheath fiber,
The absorbent article according to claim 1. The top sheet further comprises a low-bulk portion provided at least in a portion corresponding to the intersection of the lattice, and having a lower bulk than the high-bulk portion in the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers.
The absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2 . An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article to be worn on the wearer's crotch,
a pressing mechanism for forming recesses in a grid pattern on the surface of the top sheet by pressing from the top sheet side of the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers arranged on the wearer side of the absorbent body toward the absorbent body side;
a bulk recovery mechanism that provides a high-bulk portion of the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers in which the bulk of the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers is higher than that of the surroundings, in each of the linear portions constituting at least the lattice of the pressed recesses of the top sheet and in the peripheral portion thereof;
Manufacturing equipment for absorbent articles. A method for manufacturing an absorbent article to be worn on the wearer's crotch,
A pressing step of forming recesses in a grid pattern on the surface of the top sheet by pressing from the top sheet side of the nonwoven fabric made of core-sheath fibers arranged on the wearer side of the absorbent body toward the absorbent body side;
a bulk recovery step of providing a bulky portion of the core-sheath fiber nonwoven fabric having a higher bulk than the surroundings in each straight line portion constituting at least the lattice of the pressed recesses of the top sheet and the surrounding portion thereof;
A method for manufacturing an absorbent article.

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