METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ABSORBENT ARTICLE

• US 20120024452A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Satoru, Ogasawara, Yoshikazu, Oku, Tomomi, Ito, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,894,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15764 Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/15804 Plant, e.g. involving several steps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1067 Continuous longitudinal slitting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/17 Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means

Abstract

In a case where components such as side flaps and crotch portions are arranged on multiple webs which are being conveyed while being arranged side by side in the width direction of the webs, articles in various sizes can be handled easily by a web conveying step of conveying a front waistline web 11A and a back waistline web 11B the webs being arranged side by side in a width direction of the webs, a flap attaching step of attaching side flaps 30 onto the web 11 of the front waistline web 11A or the back waistline web, a web gap changing step of changing a gap between the front waistline web 11A and the back waistline web 11B by a web gap changing mechanism 500 and a crotch member attaching step of attaching a crotch member 20 between the front waistline web 11A and the back waistline web 11B, wherein the web gap changing step is performed between the flap attaching step and the crotch member attaching step.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an absorbent article including a front waistline portion to be fitted to a front waistline of a wearer, a back waistline portion to be fitted to a back waistline of the wearer, and a crotch portion to be fitted to a crotch of the wearer, the crotch portion arranged between the front waistline portion and the back waistline portion, the method comprising:

a web conveying step of conveying a strip-shaped front waistline web to be formed into the front waistline portion and a strip-shaped back waistline web to be formed into the back waistline portion by a web conveying mechanism with the webs being arranged side by side in a width direction of the webs;

a flap attaching step of attaching a flap portion onto a waistline portion of one of the front waistline web and the back waistline web, the flap portion fixed to one of the front waistline portion and the back waistline portion to be temporarily attached to the other waistline portion when being worn;

a web gap changing step of changing a gap between the front waistline web and the back waistline web by a web gap changing mechanism; and

a crotch member attaching step of attaching a crotch member to be formed into the crotch portion to a portion between the front waistline web and the back waistline web, wherein

the web gap changing step is performed between the flap attaching step and the crotch member attaching step.

2. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, further comprising a front-and-back waistline division step of dividing a strip-shaped web into the front waistline web and the back waistline web, wherein

the front-and-back waistline division step is performed before the web conveying step.

3. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 2, further comprising a web reversing step of reversing the front waistline web and the back waistline web and concurrently setting a gap between the front waistline web and the back waistline web in the width direction of the webs by a web reversing mechanism, wherein

the web reversing step is performed after the front-and-back waistline division step,

the web reversing mechanism includes:

a first bar-shaped portion having a first contact portion coming into contact with the front waistline web; and

a second bar-shaped portion having a second contact portion coming into contact with the back waistline web,

in a plan view of the webs, the positions of the first bar-shaped portion and the second bar-shaped portion are shifted from each other in a web conveyance direction in which the webs are conveyed before coming into contact with the first bar-shaped portion,

in the plan view of the webs, the first bar-shaped portion and the second bar-shaped portion are inclined with respect to the web conveyance direction by approximately same angles, and

the web conveying mechanism conveys the front waistline web while reversing front and back surfaces of the front waistline web along the first contact portion, and conveys the back waistline web while reversing front and back surfaces of the back waistline web along the second contact portion.

4. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein

the web gap changing mechanism includes:

a pair of first web guiding portions arranged in the web conveyance direction; and

at least one second web guiding portion arranged between the pair of first web guiding portions on a conveyance path of at least one of the webs,

in a view in a cross direction which is a direction perpendicular to the web conveyance direction and is a direction along a surface of the web, the second web guiding portion is arranged at a position to form a step in the web being conveyed,

in the plan view of the web, a first contact line and a second contact line run in the cross direction, the first contact line running along a first contact surface on which one of the first web guiding portions and the web come into contact with each other, the second contact line running along a second contact surface on which the other first web guiding portion and the web come into contact with each other,

in the plan view of the web, a third contact line is inclined with respect to the first contact line and the second contact line, the third contact line running along a third contact surface on which the second web guiding portion and the web come into contact with each other, and

the web gap changing mechanism is used for at least any one of the front waistline web and the back waistline web.

5. A method for manufacturing an absorbent article including a front waistline portion to be fitted to a waistline of a wearer and a back waistline portion to be fitted to a back waistline of the wearer, the method comprising:

a web conveying step of conveying a strip-shaped front waistline web to be formed into the front waistline portion and a strip-shaped back waistline web to be formed into the back waistline portion with the webs being arranged side by side in a width direction of the webs;

a flap attaching step of attaching a flap portion onto one of the front waistline web and the back waistline web by a flap transferring mechanism, the flap potion fixed to one of the front waistline portion and the back waistline portion to be temporarily attached to the other waistline portion when being worn; and

a web gap changing step of changing a gap between the front waistline web and the back waistline web, wherein

the web gap changing step is performed after the flap attaching step, and

in the flap attaching step, even when the size of the absorbent article is changed, the flap transferring mechanism attaches the flap portion to the one of the webs without a change of the gap between the front waistline web and the back waistline web, so that the position of the flap portion is kept constant.

6. An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article including a front waistline portion to be fitted to a front waistline of a wearer, a back waistline portion to be fitted to a back waistline of the wearer, and a crotch portion to be fitted to a crotch of the wearer, the crotch portion arranged between the front waistline portion and the back waistline portion, the apparatus comprising:

a web conveying mechanism configured to convey a strip-shaped front waistline web to be formed into the front waistline portion and a strip-shaped back waistline web to be formed into the back waistline portion with the webs being arranged side by side in a width direction of the webs; and

a web gap changing mechanism configured to change a gap between the front waistline web and the back waistline web which are being conveyed by the web conveying mechanism, wherein

the web gap changing mechanism includes;

a pair of first web guiding portions arranged in a web conveyance direction; and

at least one second web guiding portion arranged between the pair of first web guiding portions on a conveyance path of at least one of the webs,

in a view in a cross direction which is a direction perpendicular to the web conveyance direction and is a direction along the surface of the web, the second web guiding portion is arranged at a position to form a step in the web being conveyed,

in the plan view of the web, a first contact line and a second contact line run in the cross direction, the first contact line running along a first contact surface on which one of the first web guiding portions and the web come into contact with each other, the second contact line running along a second contact surface on which the other of the first web guiding portions and the web come into contact with each other,

in the plan view of the web, a third contact line is inclined with respect to the first contact line and the second contact line, the third contact line running along a third contact surface on which the second web guiding portion and the web come into contact with each other, and

the web gap changing mechanism is used for at least any one of the front waistline web and the back waistline web.