Manufacturing method and apparatus for disposable wearable articles

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a step for conveying, in a continuous direction, a first continuous web for forming pocket material; a step for generating a pocket web by placing, on the first continuous web, a first elastic member in a stretched state; a cutting step for successively cutting the pocket web to obtain pocket material of a prescribed length; an orientation modification step for modifying the orientation of the pocket material by turning the pocket material such that the conveyance direction of the pocket material is the width direction of the pocket material; a repitch step for widening the interval between sections of pocket material adjacent to each other; and a placement step for placing the pocket material so as to straddle a pair of three-dimensional gathers. The present invention is characterized in that the cutting step, the orientation modification step, and the placement step are performed on a suction drum.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a disposable wearable article having a leak-proof pocket. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art It has been proposed in the past to provide a horizontally long pocket member in the waist portion of a disposable wearing article to prevent leakage of excrement from the waist portion by the pocket (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Edition 2000-513954 (front page) Summary of the Invention

[0004] The horizontally elongated pocket material has elastic threads arranged to stretch in the waist direction. On the other hand, the three-dimensional gathers that form part of the main body of the worn article have elastic threads arranged to stretch in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the two are overlapped and the pocket material is placed on the three-dimensional gathers, problems such as wrinkles are likely to occur in the pocket material.

[0005] However, the above document does not disclose anything about the process of placing the pocket material.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing a disposable wearing article that is less prone to wrinkles in the pocket material and that allows the pocket material to be efficiently arranged.

[0007] The method of the present invention includes a step of conveying a first continuous web W1 for forming a pocket material P in a continuous direction; a step of disposing a first elastic member F1 in a stretched state on the first continuous web W1 to generate a pocket web Wp; A cutting process in which the tip portions of the pocket webs Wp are cut one after another to obtain pocket materials P of a predetermined length; A posture changing process of changing the posture of the pocket material P by rotating the pocket material P so that the conveying direction of the pocket material P is the width direction of the pocket material P; A re-pitch process for widening the gap between adjacent pocket materials P; and a positioning step of positioning the pocket material P across a pair of three-dimensional gathers G. The cutting step, the position changing step and the arrangement step are performed on a suction drum.

[0008] On the other hand, the device of the present invention includes a first folder H1 that folds and overlaps the first continuous web W1 having the first elastic member F1 arranged thereon in a stretched state along an imaginary folding line L along the conveying direction, and generates a pocket web Wp by sandwiching the first elastic member F1 between the folded first continuous web W1; A cutter C for cutting the tip portions of the pocket webs Wp one after another to generate pocket materials P; a turn drum D1 that adsorbs and holds the pocket web Wp before being cut by the cutter C, and also adsorbs and holds the pocket material P cut by the cutter C and generated, and further rotates the pocket material P by 90° to change the position of the pocket material P so that the conveying direction of the pocket material P is the width direction of the pocket material P; A repitch drum D2 that adsorbs and receives the pocket material P from the turn drum D1 one after another to widen the gap between adjacent pocket materials P; The gathered web W21 having three-dimensional gathers G in a stretched state with the second elastic member F2 stretched is transported while being adsorbed in a stretched state, and a placement drum D3 is provided which successively receives pocket material P from the re-pitch drum D2 onto the gathered web W21.

[0009] According to the present invention, since the pocket material is generated and arranged on the suction drum, it is easy to maintain the elastic member in a stretched state, and therefore wrinkles are less likely to occur in the pocket material, and efficient arrangement is possible. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing one embodiment of the method of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram showing an embodiment of an apparatus according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments and drawings are merely for illustration and explanation, and should not be used to determine the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is determined only by the claims. In the accompanying drawings, the same part numbers in multiple drawings indicate the same or equivalent parts.

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show one embodiment. First, a manufacturing method will be described.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, while a first continuous web W1 for forming a pocket material P is transported in a continuous direction, a first elastic member F1 is placed on the first continuous web W1 in a stretched state to generate a pocket web Wp. In this case, the first continuous web W1 on which the first elastic member F1 is arranged is folded along an imaginary folding line L along the conveying direction to sandwich the first elastic member F1 between the folded first continuous web W1, and the first elastic member F1 is joined to the folded first continuous web W1 to generate a pocket web Wp.

[0014] After this production, in the next cutting step, the leading ends of the pocket webs Wp are cut one after another to obtain pocket materials P of a predetermined length. After this cutting step, the next position changing step and arrangement step are performed.

[0015] In the position changing process, the pocket material P is rotated by 90° to change the position of the pocket material P so that the conveying direction of the pocket material P coincides with the width direction of the pocket material P. After this, in the re-pitching process, the interval between adjacent pocket materials P is expanded to match the unit of the worn article.

[0016] In this example, the conveying direction of the pocket material P is adjusted to the width direction of the pocket material P by the posture changing process, and then a re-pitch process is performed to widen the gap between adjacent pocket materials P. It should be noted that the attitude changing step may be executed after the re-pitch step.

[0017] Thereafter, a placement step is performed in which the pocket material P is placed on a gathered web W21 having a pair of standing gathers G. The gathered web W21 has a pair of standing gathers G which are continuous in the conveyance direction. Each of the three-dimensional gathers G has a second elastic member F2 at the folded web portion, which, as is well known, stands up when worn to prevent side leakage of excrement.

[0018] After the above-mentioned arrangement, a third continuous web W3 is arranged along the center of the gathered web W21 so as to cover each pocket material P, thereby producing a continuous laminate W4 which becomes a part of the main body of the worn article.

[0019] As described below, the cutting step, the position changing step, and the arrangement step are performed on three drums D1 to D3 shown in Fig. 2. An example of a manufacturing apparatus will be described below.

[0020] 2, the first continuous web W1 and the first elastic member F1 are introduced into the first folding machine H1. The first folding machine H1 folds and overlaps the first continuous web W1 on which the first elastic member F1 is arranged along an imaginary folding line L (FIG. 1) along the conveying direction, and generates a pocket web Wp by sandwiching the first elastic member F1 between the folded first continuous web W1.

[0021] The pocket web Wp is transported at a constant speed by the transport conveyor CV and introduced onto the turn drum D1. The turn drum D1 has multiple anvils and pads, and on this turn drum D1, the cutter C cuts off the leading end of the pocket web Wp one after another to produce pocket materials P (Figure 1) one after another.

[0022] This turn drum D1 has a well-known structure, and after the cutting, it rotates the posture of the pad by 90°. That is, the turn drum D1 suction-holds the pocket web Wp before it is cut by the cutter C, and also suction-holds the pocket material P produced by cutting with the cutter C, and further rotates the pocket material P by 90° to change the posture of the pocket material P so that the conveying direction of the pocket material P is the width direction of the pocket material P. An example of such a turn drum D1 is the drum disclosed in WO 2005 / 075163 A1, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

[0023] The repitch drum D2 sucks and receives the pocket material P from the turn drum D1 one after another, and widens the gap between adjacent pocket materials P. An example of such a repitch drum D2 is the drum disclosed in WO 01 / 44086 A1, the entire description of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0024] Meanwhile, the second continuous web W2 and the second elastic member F2 are introduced into the second folding machine H2, which folds the second continuous web W2 and places the second elastic member F2 at the folded portion to generate the gathered web W21 shown in Fig. 1. The generated gathered web W21 is continuously introduced into the placement drum D3 shown in Fig. 2.

[0025] The repitched pocket material P is placed on the gathered web W21 being transported by the placing drum D3. That is, the placing drum D3 transports the gathered web W21 having the three-dimensional gathers G (FIG. 1) in a stretched state while suctioning it, and receives the pocket material P on the gathered web W21 one after another via the gathered web W21. In this way, a layered body W4 in which the pocket material P is placed for each unit of the wearing article is obtained.

[0026] The laminate W4 may further be laminated with a third continuous web W3 introduced into the placement drum D3 in FIG.

[0027] Incidentally, the repitching drum D2 in Fig. 2 may have a structure in which a plurality of pads are provided, and the peripheral speed of each pad is changed by a servo motor corresponding to each pad, thereby repitching the pocket material received by each pad. In this case, the interval between adjacent pocket materials can be expanded according to the size of the article. An example of a repitching drum using such a servo motor is disclosed in JP 2013-255624 (Fig. 2), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

[0028] The above embodiments include the following inventions.

[0029] In a preferred manufacturing method, in the step of generating the pocket web Wp, the first continuous web W1 having the first elastic member F1 arranged thereon is folded along an imaginary fold line L along the conveying direction to sandwich the first elastic member F1 between the folded first continuous web W1, and the first elastic member F1 is joined to the folded first continuous web W1 to generate the pocket web Wp.

[0030] In this case, the contraction force of the first elastic member F1 acts on the pocket material P, but since the pocket material P is transported and delivered on the suction drum, the pocket material P is not shrunk by the first elastic member F1 and is arranged in the three-dimensional gathers G. Therefore, wrinkles are less likely to occur in the pocket material P, and efficient arrangement can be achieved.

[0031] In another preferred manufacturing method, the posture changing process adjusts the conveying direction of the pocket material P to the width direction of the pocket material P, and then a re-pitch process is performed to widen the gap between adjacent pocket materials P.

[0032] By rotating the pocket material P, which is long in the conveying direction, by 90° to change its position, the length in the conveying direction is reduced, and the diameter of the repitch drum is reduced.

[0033] When a repitching step is performed after the position changing step, a repitch turn drum may be used to change the position and perform a small amount of repitching, and another repitch drum may be used to greatly increase the spacing between the pocket materials.

[0034] Features described and / or illustrated in connection with one embodiment or each preferred embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments and / or in combination with or instead of other embodiments.

[0035] As described above, the preferred embodiment has been described with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will easily imagine various changes and modifications within the obvious scope upon reading this specification. For example, pocket materials may be provided on both the front and rear torsos of a single wearing article. In addition, the pad and the anvil in the turn drum do not need to be separate bodies, and the anvil may be provided integrally at the downstream end or the upstream end of the pad. Therefore, such changes and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0036] The present invention can be used in a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a disposable wearing article. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] H1: First folding machine D1: Turn drum D2: Re-Pitch Drum D3: Placement drum H2: Second folding machine C: Cutter CV: Transport conveyor G: 3D gathers W1: First continuous web F1: First elastic member Wp: Pocket Web P: Pocket material L: Fold line W2: Second continuous web F2: Second elastic member W21: Gathered web W3: Third Web Continuation W4: Laminate

Claims

1. A step of conveying a first continuous web W1 for forming a pocket material P in a continuous direction; a step of disposing a first elastic member F1 in a stretched state on the first continuous web W1 to generate a pocket web Wp; A cutting process in which the tip portions of the pocket web Wp are cut one after another to obtain a pocket material P of a predetermined length; a position changing step of changing the position of the pocket material P by rotating the pocket material P so that the conveying direction of the pocket material P is the width direction of the pocket material P; A repitching process in which the intervals between adjacent pocket materials P are widened by a repitching drum D2; A step of rotating a placement drum D3 around which a gathered web W21 having a pair of three-dimensional gathers G in a stretched state spaced apart from each other is wound, thereby transporting the gathered web W21 in a stretched state; A placement process is provided in which the pocket material P conveyed by the re-pitching drum D2 is received on the gathered web W21 conveyed by the placement drum between the re-pitching drum D2 and the placement drum D3, and the pocket material P is placed so as to straddle the pair of three-dimensional gathers G of the gathered web W21. The method for manufacturing a disposable wearing article is characterized in that the cutting step, the position changing step and the arranging step are performed on a suction drum including the repitch drum D2 and the arranging drum D3.

2. In claim 1, In the step of generating the pocket web Wp, the first continuous web W1 having the first elastic member F1 arranged thereon is folded along an imaginary fold line L along a conveying direction to sandwich the first elastic member F1 between the folded first continuous web W1, and the first elastic member F1 is joined to the folded first continuous web W1 to generate the pocket web Wp.

3. In claim 1 or 2, In the method for manufacturing a disposable wearing article, the conveying direction of the pocket material P is made to coincide with the width direction of the pocket material P by the posture changing process, and then a re-pitch process is performed to widen the intervals between adjacent pocket materials P.

4. a first folding machine H1 that folds the first continuous web W1 having the first elastic member F1 in a stretched state along a virtual folding line L along the conveyance direction, and sandwiches the first elastic member F1 between the folded first continuous web W1 to generate a pocket web Wp; A cutter C for cutting the tip portions of the pocket webs Wp one after another to generate pocket materials P; a turn drum D1 that adsorbs and holds the pocket web Wp before it is cut by the cutter C, and also adsorbs and holds the pocket material P that is cut by the cutter C and generated, and further rotates the pocket material P by 90° to change the position of the pocket material P so that the conveying direction of the pocket material P is the width direction of the pocket material P; A repitch drum D2 that adsorbs and receives the pocket material P from the turn drum D1 one after another to widen the gap between adjacent pocket materials P; A gathered web W21 having a pair of three-dimensional gathers G spaced apart from each other in a stretched state is wound around the second elastic member F2 in a stretched state, and a placement drum D3 is provided which adsorbs and transports the wound gathered web W21 in a stretched state, The placing drum D3 successively receives the pocket material P from the repitch drum D2 onto the gathered web W21 between the repitch drum D2 and the placing drum D3, in an apparatus for manufacturing disposable wearing articles.

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