Chute Folding for Disposable Garment Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for folding pant-like disposable absorbent garments result in inconsistent and unpredictable folding, leading to bulging stacks, unstable packaging, and potential creases or cracks in the absorbent core, which affects the quality and performance of the products.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a chute with side walls that transports and folds the garment along specific fold lines to position waist side regions over the waist center region, ensuring consistent and controlled folding, which can be parallel to either the machine or cross-machine direction during high-speed manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional folding methods are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the folding consistency is poor resulting in bulging stacks and unstable packaging
Solution Approach 1:
A chute is introduced as an intermediary device between the garment and the folding mechanism. The chute guides and positions the garment during the folding process, ensuring consistent alignment and fold placement without requiring complex active control systems. This simple passive guiding structure achieves reliable folding consistency.
2Productivity
If high-speed manufacturing is used, then productivity increases, but folding quality deteriorates due to inconsistent folding
Solution Approach 1:
The chute prepositions the garment in a standardized orientation and location before the actual folding action occurs. This preliminary positioning ensures that even at high speeds, the garment is always in the correct state for folding, eliminating variability and maintaining quality regardless of manufacturing speed.
3Productivity
If rapid stacking is used, then packaging efficiency increases, but stack stability decreases due to bulging and lumpy folds
Solution Approach 1:
The chute acts as a mediating structure that ensures uniform folding before stacking. By guiding the garment through a controlled path and ensuring consistent fold lines, the chute prevents the creation of bulging or lumpy stacks, thereby maintaining stack stability even during rapid packaging operations.
4Reliability
If manual or simple folding is used, then device complexity is low, but the absorbent core may be damaged by creases or cracks
Solution Approach 1:
The chute serves as a protective intermediary that guides the garment and absorbent core through the folding process without direct contact from complex folding mechanisms. This simple guiding structure prevents creases or cracks in the absorbent core by ensuring smooth, controlled folding actions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of folding a pant-like disposable absorbent garment includes providing a garment defining first and second waist side regions, a waist center region positioned therebetween, and a crotch region longitudinally below the waist center region. In particular embodiments, the method further includes folding the garment along a transversely extending fold line so as to bring the crotch region into superposed relation with the waist center region; providing a chute having a floor and first and second side walls; urging the garment into the chute; and, while the garment is in the chute, folding the garment along longitudinally extending first and second fold lines so as to position the first and second waist side regions over the waist center region. The first and second fold lines are adjacent the first and second side walls, respectively.