Method and apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article

• US 8,894,798 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Musser, Barbara J
• Application Number:
  US13/141,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20120024452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 156/259
• 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 of 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 front-and-back waistline division step of dividing a strip-shaped web into (i) a front waistline web including the front waistline portion and (ii) a back waistline web including the back waistline portion;

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 a width direction of the front and back waistline webs by a web reversing mechanism;

a web conveying step of conveying the front waistline web and the back waistline web by a web conveying mechanism, with the front and back waistline webs being arranged side by side in the width direction of the front and back waistline webs;

a flap attaching step of attaching a flap portion onto one of the front waistline portion of the front waistline web and the back waistline portion of the back waistline web, the flap portion fixed to said 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 the 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,

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

the web reversing step is performed after the front-and-back waistline division step and before the web conveying 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 front and back waistline webs, 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 front and back waistline webs are conveyed before coming into contact with the first bar-shaped portion,

in the plan view of the front and back waistline 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 reversing 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.

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

the web gap changing mechanism is used for conveying at least one of the front waistline web and the back waistline web, and 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 said at least one of the front and back waistline webs,

in a view in the width direction and along a surface of the web, the second web guiding portion is arranged at a position where a step is formed in the conveyance path of the web being conveyed between the pair of first web guiding portions,

in the plan view of the web, a first contact line and a second contact line run in the width 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, and

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.

3. A method of 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 front-and-back waistline division step of dividing a strip-shaped web into (i) a front waistline web including the front waistline portion and (ii) a back waistline web including the back waistline portion;

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 a width direction of the front and back waistline webs by a web reversing mechanism,

a web conveying step of conveying the front waistline web and the back waistline web, with the front and back waistline webs being arranged side by side in the width direction of the front and back waistline webs;

a flap attaching step of attaching a flap portion onto one of the front waistline portion of the front waistline web and the back waistline portion of the back waistline web by a flap transferring mechanism, the flap portion fixed to said 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 the gap between the front waistline web and the back waistline web,

wherein

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

the web reversing step is performed after the front-and-back waistline division step and before the web conveying 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 front and back waistline webs, 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 front and back waistline webs are conveyed before coming into contact with the first bar-shaped portion,

in the plan view of the front and back waistline 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,

the web reversing 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,

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

in the flap attaching step, when the size of the absorbent article is changed, the flap transferring mechanism attaches the flap portion to the one of the front and back waistline 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.

4. 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 including the front waistline portion and a strip-shaped back waistline web including the back waistline portion, with the front and back waistline webs being arranged side by side in a width direction of the front and back waistline 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 is configured to convey at least one of the front waistline web and the back waistline web, and 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 said at least one of the front and back waistline webs,

in a view in the width direction, which is perpendicular to the web conveyance direction, and along the surface of the web, the second web guiding portion is arranged at a position where a step is formed in the conveyance path of the web being conveyed between the pair of first web guiding portions,

in the plan view of the web, a first contact line and a second contact line run in the width 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, and

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.