Laminate manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing a laminate in which an elastic yarn is sandwiched between a pair of sheets, and comprises: a pair of nip rolls, axial lines of which are positioned parallel to each other, and which pinch an elastic yarn between the pair of sheets conveyed in a conveyance direction; a needle positioned upstream from the nip rolls in the conveyance direction, the needle guiding and positioning the elastic yarn between the pair of sheets while feeding the elastic yarn through an insertion hole in which the elastic yarn is inserted; a needle body for retaining the needle; a reciprocating movement unit to which the needle body is attached, and which moves back and forth in a width direction intersecting with the conveyance direction; and a stabilizer for stabilizing the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating movement unit, the stabilizer being a non-contact guide.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a laminate that will become part of a disposable wearing article. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In many cases, elastic threads known as rubber threads are arranged around the leg holes of disposable pants, diapers, and the like.

[0003] A conventional example of this type of device and method will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a method for manufacturing disposable pants from a laminate W in which an elastic thread F is sandwiched between a pair of sheets S, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a manufacturing device for the laminate W.

[0004] 8, the conventional manufacturing apparatus includes a pair of nip rolls 2, a pair of needles 1, a pair of needle bodies 11, and a pair of belts 3. The pair of nip rolls 2 are arranged such that their axes 2s are parallel to each other.

[0005] Each of the pair of needles 1 is disposed upstream of the nip rolls 2 in the conveying direction X of the sheet S, and while unwinding the elastic yarn F through an insertion hole 10 through which the elastic yarn F passes, the needles 1 guide and place the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S shown in Fig. 7. The pair of needles 1 shown in Fig. 8 are held by a needle body 11, and this needle body 11 is attached to a belt 3. The needle body 11 moves back and forth as the belt 3 rotates back and forth.

[0006] The pair of sheets S shown in Fig. 7 are supplied to the nip portion 20 of the pair of nip rolls 2 shown in Fig. 8, and multiple elastic yarns F are supplied between the sheets while meandering in a wavy pattern. After these are supplied, a laminate W is produced in which the elastic yarns F are sandwiched between the pair of sheets S.

[0007] Thereafter, leg holes H are formed in the laminate W, and the laminate W is folded in two, sealed at the side seals SS, and then cut into individual wearing articles N. In this way, wearing articles N having elastic threads F arranged along the leg holes H are produced.

[0008] Such devices and methods for arranging the elastic thread F have been well known (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] WO2015 / 053088 (Figs. 1 to 5A) Summary of the Invention

[0010] As each belt 3 in Figure 8 reciprocates, it is pulled alternately in the direction of rotation by a pair of pulleys 3P, causing the tension to fluctuate periodically. This periodic fluctuation in tension causes the belt 3 to vibrate in a direction perpendicular to the surface 3a of the belt 3, which in turn causes vibration in the tips of the needles 1. Therefore, in the past, mechanical guide members such as linear guides have been provided to prevent the belts 3 or needle bodies 11 from vibrating due to the vibration.

[0011] However, since the needle body 11 and the belt 3 are operated at high speed, there is a risk that mechanical guide members such as the linear guide may be damaged by friction. Therefore, there is a natural limit to how fast the operation can be.

[0012] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for producing a laminate that can be operated at higher speeds than conventional methods.

[0013] The manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing a laminate W in which an elastic thread F is sandwiched between a pair of sheets S, a pair of nip rolls 2 whose axes 2s are arranged parallel to each other and sandwich the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S transported in a transport direction X; a needle 1 that is disposed upstream of the nip roll 2 in the conveying direction X, and that guides and disposes the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S while unwinding the elastic yarn F through an insertion hole 10 through which the elastic yarn F passes; a needle body 11 for holding the needle 1; a reciprocating unit to which the needle body 11 is attached and which reciprocates in a width direction Y intersecting with the conveying direction X; a stabilizer that stabilizes the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating part, The stabilizer is a non-contact guide 4.

[0014] On the other hand, the manufacturing method of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a laminate W in which an elastic yarn F is sandwiched between a pair of sheets S, a pair of nip rolls 2 whose axes 2s are arranged parallel to each other and sandwich the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S transported in a transport direction X; a needle 1 disposed upstream of the nip roll 2 in the conveying direction X, which guides and disposes the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S while unwinding the elastic yarn F through an insertion hole 10 through which the elastic yarn F passes; a needle body 11 for holding the needle 1; a reciprocating unit to which the needle body 11 is attached and which reciprocates in a width direction Y intersecting with the conveying direction X; a stabilizer for stabilizing the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating movement unit; a step of continuously supplying a pair of sheets S to a nip portion 20 of the pair of nip rolls 2; a step of continuously paying out and supplying the elastic yarn F through the insertion hole 10 of the needle 1 between a pair of sheets S immediately before being supplied to a nip portion 20 of the pair of nip rolls 2; a step of reciprocating the reciprocating unit in the width direction Y to reciprocate the position of the needle 1 in the width direction Y, thereby arranging the elastic yarn F in a wavy shape between the pair of sheets S; The method further includes a step in which the stabilizer stabilizes the movement of the reciprocating part by blowing air or by magnetic force while the needle 1 is reciprocating.

[0015] According to the present invention, the stabilizer stabilizes the reciprocating movement of the needle 1, and since it is a non-contact type, no friction occurs, making it possible to operate at higher speeds than before.

[0016] In the present invention, the elastic thread F refers to so-called rubber thread, but the material does not have to be rubber as long as it has elasticity and is a linear, continuous elastomer. In the present invention, the sheet S is continuous in the conveying direction, and as the sheet S, a web (nonwoven fabric) is generally adopted. Furthermore, the term "needle" does not mean a needle-like sharp object, but means an object that unwinds the elastic thread F from the insertion hole 10 through which the elastic thread F is inserted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the laminate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan (bottom) view of a pair of placement units (Units) U. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional side view of the arrangement unit. [Figure 4] 4A is a plan view showing a part of the belt and a part of the stabilizer, FIG. 4B is a front view showing the needle and the needle body, and FIG. 4C is a front view showing the blowing surface of the stabilizer. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view showing a part of the arrangement unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a part of the arrangement unit. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a general method for manufacturing a wearing article. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a known manufacturing apparatus with a part cut away. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] 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 define the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims. In the accompanying drawings, the same part numbers in multiple drawings indicate the same or corresponding parts. In addition, some of the katakana notations in this specification are accompanied by English words in parentheses to make their meaning clearer.

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 to 6 show one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] In Fig. 1, a sheet S is supplied to each of a pair of nip rolls 2, 2, and an elastic yarn F is supplied between the pair of sheets S, S. The sheet S and the elastic yarn F are laminated together in a nip portion 20. In Fig. 1, a pair of nip rolls 2 and arrangement units U are provided, and the pair of arrangement units U are provided symmetrically to each other. The pair of nip rolls 2, 2 contact each other in the nip portion 20 via the pair of sheets S and the elastic yarn F.

[0021] 4B, the needle 1 may be provided with a plurality of insertion holes 10 through which the elastic thread F passes. As shown in FIG.

[0022] The needle body 11 in Fig. 1 is attached to a belt 3. This belt 3 constitutes a reciprocating moving part that reciprocates in the width direction Y in Fig. 2, which intersects with the conveying direction X of the sheet S. The needle 1 and the belt 3 constitute a part of the placement unit U of the elastic yarn F.

[0023] Next, an overview of the placement unit U will be explained. As shown in FIG. 6, each belt 3 is endless and is stretched over a pair of pulleys 3P shown in FIG.

[0024] Belt 3, shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 5, is driven by motor 31 and rotates back and forth via pulley 3P (Figure 2). Tension is constantly applied to belt 3 by cylinder 32 via rod 33, motor 31, and pulley 3P (Figure 2). Cylinder 32 and rod 33 prevent slack in belt 3 and constitute a pressing mechanism that applies tension to belt 3 so that needle body 11 approaches guide 4.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, the belt 3 is sandwiched between a plate-shaped needle body 11 and a mounting plate 12, and the needle body 11 is attached to a surface 3a of the belt 3. A guide 4 is disposed in close proximity to the needle body 11 and the belt 3. As shown in Fig. 4A, the guide 4 extends along the surface 3a of the belt 3 with respect to the straight portion of the belt 3.

[0026] The guide 4 in Fig. 3 comprises a long air tank 41 with an air flow path 44 formed along the belt 3, and an air plate 43 with a large number of blow-out holes 40 formed therein and covering an opening 42 formed on one side of the air tank 41. The blow-out holes 40 in Fig. 4C are provided intermittently in the longitudinal direction 4L of the guide 4 and blow out air. That is, the guide 4 in Fig. 4A is configured so that, by blowing out air, the belt 3 to which the needle bodies 11 are attached is pushed in a direction Z perpendicular to the surface 3a of the belt 3.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4B, in this example, the needle body 11 has a pair of wings 13, 13 that protrude in a direction along the guide 4. As clearly shown in FIG. 4A, a gap Δ is provided between the belt 3 and the guide 4, the gap being equal to the thickness of the needle body 11. Meanwhile, a minute gap is formed between the needle body 11 and the guide 4, through which air flowing out from the blowing holes 40 passes. This gap is so narrow that it cannot be shown in the figure, forming an air layer. That is, the needle body 11 in FIG. 4A has a flat plate portion 11P that is surface-bonded to the surface 3a of the belt 3, and the flat plate portion 11P faces the guide 4, and an air layer due to the air blown out from the blowing holes 40 is formed between the flat plate portion 11P and the guide 4.

[0028] 4C, the multiple blowing holes 40 may be arranged in multiple rows (for example, two rows) spaced apart from one another in the width direction 4D of the belt 3. In this case, air from the blowing holes 40 in the upper row escapes upward, and air from the blowing holes 40 in the lower row escapes downward, increasing the reliability of maintaining the minute gap between the flat plate portion 11P of the needle body 11 and the guide 4 in FIG.

[0029] Next, a method for manufacturing the laminate W of FIG. 1 will be described.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of sheets S are continuously supplied to a nip portion 20 of a pair of nip rolls 2, and an elastic yarn F is continuously supplied between the pair of sheets S through the insertion holes 10 of the needles 1. At this time, each needle 1 moves back and forth together with the needle body 11 in the width direction Y by being driven by the belt 3 shown in Fig. 2, and the elastic yarn F is arranged in a wavy pattern as shown in this figure.

[0031] While the needles 1 are reciprocating, air is constantly blown out from the blowing holes 40 of the guide 4 in Fig. 3. Meanwhile, tension acts on the belt 3 as described above, and the air blown out from the blowing holes 40 pushes the needle bodies 11 and the belt 3 in one direction, direction Z, perpendicular to the surface 3a of the belt 3 in Fig. 4A. This causes the belt 3 and the needles 1 to move in the width direction Y without swinging in the perpendicular direction Z.

[0032] On the other hand, the needle bodies 11 and the belt 3 are not in contact with the guide 4, so these parts can be prevented from wearing out. This allows the belt 3 to be operated at high speed, improving the productivity of the laminate W.

[0033] Other structures and methods are the same as those of the conventional examples shown in Figures 7 and 8, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. The placement unit U in Figure 1 is described in WO2015 / 053088 and JP2003-38565A, and the descriptions thereof are incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0034] The present invention as understood from the above embodiments includes the following preferred embodiments.

[0035] In a preferred manufacturing apparatus, the guide 4 may be a magnetic guide in addition to an air guide. In the case of a magnetic guide, it may be one that utilizes magnetic repulsion.

[0036] In the case of these guides, an air layer is formed between the guide 4 and the needle body 11 . That is, the guide may be any guide that forms an air layer between the guide and the needle body to prevent them from contacting each other.

[0037] In a preferred manufacturing apparatus, the reciprocating unit is a belt 3, The needle body 11 is attached to the surface 3a of the belt 3, The guide 4 extends along the surface 3a of the belt 3 and is configured to push the belt 3 to which the needle body 11 is attached in a direction Z perpendicular to the surface 3a of the belt 3 by blowing air or magnetic force.

[0038] In this case, the belt 3 is pressed in one direction, the direction Z perpendicular to the conveying direction X of the belt 3, so that the belt 3 is less likely to become loose.

[0039] In a preferred manufacturing apparatus, the guide 4 has a plurality of blowing holes 40 that are arranged intermittently in the longitudinal direction 4L of the guide 4 and that blow out the air.

[0040] In this case, since a plurality of air blowing holes 40 are provided in the longitudinal direction 4L, the force of the air blowing out to press the belt 3 is stabilized in the longitudinal direction 4L.

[0041] More preferably, the blowing holes 40 of the guide 4 are arranged in a plurality of rows spaced apart from one another in a width direction 4D perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 4L of the guide.

[0042] In this case, the air blown out from the plurality of rows of blowing holes 40 spreads in the width direction 4D, forming a stable air layer.

[0043] More preferably, the needle body 11 has a flat portion 11P face-bonded to the surface 3a of the belt 3, the flat portion 11P faces the guide 4, and an air layer formed by the air blown out from the blowing hole 40 is formed between the flat portion 11P and the guide 4.

[0044] In this case, the air layer formed between the guide 4 and the flat plate portion 11P keeps the minute gap between the flat plate portion 11P and the guide 4 constant, increasing the likelihood of achieving the effect of preventing wear.

[0045] Preferably, the guide 4 comprises an air tank 41 that is long along the belt 3, and an air plate 43 that covers an opening 42 formed on the side of the air tank 41 facing the surface of the belt 3 and in which the blowing holes 40 are formed.

[0046] In this case, the cost of the long guide 4 along the belt 3 is reduced.

[0047] Preferably, a pressing mechanism for applying tension to the belt 3 is provided so that the flat plate portion 11P approaches the guide 4.

[0048] In this case, the tension of the belt 3 brings the flat plate portion 11P into close proximity with the guide 4, and a thin layer of air is maintained between the guide 4 and the flat plate portion 11P. It is more preferable that the flat plate portion 11P contacts the guide 4 when the air is not being blown out and the air is not being blown out.

[0049] In a preferred manufacturing method of the present invention, the stabilizer is a guide 4 extending along the surface 3a of the belt 3, In the stabilizing process, the guide 4 uses air blowing or magnetic force to push the belt 3 to which the needle body 11 is attached in a direction Z perpendicular to the surface 3a of the belt 3, thereby suppressing vibration of the belt 3 in the perpendicular direction Z.

[0050] This prevents deterioration due to wear of the guide and enables high-speed operation.

[0051] 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.

[0052] As described above, the preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, but those skilled in the art will easily imagine various changes and modifications within the obvious scope upon reading this specification. For example, only one arrangement unit may be provided. The guide may be a magnetic guide that utilizes magnetic repulsion instead of air blowing pressure. Therefore, such changes and modifications are to be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The present invention can be used as an apparatus and method for manufacturing a laminated body such as a disposable wearing article. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1: Needle 10: Insertion hole 11: Needle body 11P: Flat plate portion 12: Mounting plate 13: Wing 2: Nip roll 20: Nip section 2s: Axis 3: Belt (reciprocating part) 3a: Surface 3P: Pulley 31: Motor 32: Cylinder (pressing mechanism) 33: Rod 4: Guide 40: Outlet hole 41: Air tank 42: Opening 43: Air plate 44: Flow path 44: Passage 4D: Width direction 4L: Length direction F: Elastic thread S: Sheet H: Leg holes N: Wearable article W: Laminate X: Conveying direction Y: Width direction Z: Orthogonal direction U: Placement unit Δ: Gap

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a laminate W in which an elastic yarn F is sandwiched between a pair of sheets S, a pair of nip rolls 2 whose axes 2s are arranged parallel to each other and which sandwich the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S transported in a transport direction X; a needle 1 disposed upstream of the nip roll 2 in the conveying direction X, which guides and positions the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S while unwinding the elastic yarn F through an insertion hole 10 through which the elastic yarn F passes; a needle body 11 for holding the needle 1; a belt 3 as a reciprocating unit to which the flat plate portion 11P of the needle body 11 is attached and which reciprocates in a width direction Y intersecting with the conveying direction X; a stabilizer that stabilizes the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating unit, The stabilizer is a non-contact guide 4, The flat portion 11P of the needle body 11 has a pair of wing portions 13, 13 that protrude in opposite directions along the guide 4, The guide 4 is an air guide or a magnetic guide, The flat portion 11P of the needle body 11 is surface-bonded to the surface 3a of the belt 3, The guide 4 extends along the surface 3 a of the belt 3, and is configured to push the belt 3 in a direction Z perpendicular to the surface 3 a of the belt 3 with the flat portion 11P of the needle main body 11 by air blowing or magnetic force. Laminate manufacturing equipment.

2. 2. The laminate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide has a plurality of blowout holes provided intermittently in a longitudinal direction of the guide and for blowing out the air.

3. 3. The laminate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the blowing holes of the guide are arranged in a plurality of rows spaced apart from one another in a width direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the guide.

4. 4. The laminate manufacturing device according to claim 2, wherein the flat plate portion faces the guide, and an air layer formed by the air blown out from the blowing holes is formed between the flat plate portion and the guide.

5. 5. The laminate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a pressing mechanism for applying tension to the belt so that the flat plate portion approaches the guide.

6. The laminate manufacturing device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the guide 4 comprises an air tank 41 that is long along the belt 3, and an air plate 43 that covers an opening 42 formed on the side of the air tank 41 that faces the surface of the belt 3 and in which the blowing holes 40 are formed.

7. A method for manufacturing a laminate W in which an elastic yarn F is sandwiched between a pair of sheets S, comprising: a pair of nip rolls 2 whose axes 2s are arranged parallel to each other and which sandwich the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S transported in a transport direction X; a needle 1 disposed upstream of the nip roll 2 in the conveying direction X, for feeding the elastic yarn F through an insertion hole 10 through which the elastic yarn F is inserted and guiding and disposing the elastic yarn F between the pair of sheets S; a needle body 11 for holding the needle 1; a belt 3 as a reciprocating unit to which the flat plate portion 11P of the needle body 11 is attached and which reciprocates in a width direction Y intersecting with the conveying direction X; a stabilizer for stabilizing the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating movement unit; The stabilizer is a non-contact guide 4, The flat portion 11P of the needle body 11 has a pair of wing portions 13, 13 that protrude in opposite directions along the guide 4, The guide 4 is an air guide or a magnetic guide, The flat portion 11P of the needle body 11 is surface-bonded to the surface 3a of the belt 3, The guide 4 extends along the surface 3 a of the belt 3, a step of continuously supplying a pair of sheets S to a nip portion 20 of the pair of nip rolls 2; a step of continuously paying out and supplying the elastic yarn F through the insertion hole 10 of the needle 1 between a pair of sheets S immediately before being supplied to a nip portion 20 of the pair of nip rolls 2; a step of reciprocating the reciprocating unit in the width direction Y to reciprocate the position of the needle 1 in the width direction Y, thereby arranging the elastic yarn F in a wavy shape between the pair of sheets S; A method for manufacturing a laminate, comprising a step of: while the needle 1 is moving back and forth, the guide 4 uses air blowing or magnetic force to push the belt 3 with the flat portion 11P of the needle main body 11 in a direction Z perpendicular to the surface 3a of the belt 3, thereby guiding the belt 3 non-contactly so as to suppress vibration of the belt 3.

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