Apertured Extrusion Coated Nonwoven Web for Absorbent Articles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing absorbent articles face challenges in achieving a topsheet that combines the softness of nonwoven materials with the fluid handling performance of three-dimensional apertured polymer films, while also avoiding a 'plastic-looking' and 'sticky' feel.
Innovation Solution
An apertured extrusion coated nonwoven web is developed, featuring a nonwoven material with a polymer coating on the garment-facing side and three-dimensional apertures extending through both, providing a soft user-facing surface and effective fluid handling with a polymer coating that maintains open area even under pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a polymer film topsheet is used, then fluid handling performance is improved, but visual appearance becomes more plastic-looking and tactile feel becomes sticky or tacky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a nonwoven material base layer with a polymer coating layer applied to the garment-facing side. This composite structure allows the nonwoven material to provide softness and desirable visual/tactile properties while the polymer coating enhances fluid handling performance, thereby resolving the contradiction between performance and appearance/feel.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a nonwoven material topsheet is used, then softness is improved, but fluid handling performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where the nonwoven material provides the softness attribute and the added polymer coating layer provides the fluid handling performance. This allows the topsheet to simultaneously achieve both softness and effective fluid handling, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer coating is applied specifically to the garment-facing side of the nonwoven material, creating local quality differentiation. The user-facing side maintains the soft nonwoven texture while the coated side provides enhanced fluid handling, allowing different regions to fulfill different functional requirements.
3Reliability
If the polymer coating basis weight is increased, then fluid handling performance is improved, but the open area under pressure decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the polymer coating basis weight within a specific range (about 2 gsm to about 6 gsm) to achieve the desired balance between fluid handling performance and open area maintenance under pressure. This parameter optimization allows the coating to be sufficiently thick for performance while remaining thin enough to maintain aperture openness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apertured extrusion coated nonwoven web offers improved fluid handling properties and maintains a high open area after pressure relief, enhancing the performance and feel of absorbent articles while reducing the 'plastic-looking' and 'sticky' issues associated with polymer film topsheets.
Implementation Method 1
The apertured extrusion coated nonwoven web has an open area of at least 50% of an original open area after the pressure of 0.6 psi is decreased to 0.0 psi
Data Source
AI summary
An apertured extrusion coated nonwoven web for use as a topsheet in an absorbent article includes a nonwoven material having a user-facing side and a garment-facing side opposite the user-facing side. The nonwoven material includes a plurality of fibers. The apertured extrusion coated nonwoven web also includes a polymer coating on the garment-facing side of the nonwoven material, the polymer coating having a basis weight of about 2 gsm to about 6 gsm, and a plurality of three-dimensional apertures that extend through the nonwoven material and the polymer coating. Each of the plurality of three-dimensional apertures includes a continuous sidewall extending from a garment-facing side of the polymer coating. The apertured extrusion coated nonwoven web has an open area of greater than 5% when subjected to a pressure of 0.6 psi.