Conveyance Roller Grooves for Elastic Element Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatus for producing composite stretchable members, such as those used in disposable diapers, require hot-melt materials for bonding, leading to increased production equipment complexity and power consumption, and pose a risk of damage to elastic elements during the bonding process.
Innovation Solution
A production apparatus that heats and presses sheets with elastic elements to weld them together, eliminating the need for hot-melt materials and simplifying equipment, while using convex sections on the conveyance roller to reduce pressure on elastic elements and prevent damage by allowing them to escape into grooves during clamping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hot-melt material is used to bond sheets and elastic elements, then bonding reliability is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hot-melt material application device from the production system entirely. Instead of applying hot-melt material to bond sheets and elastic elements, the invention uses a conveyance roller with convex sections that directly press and bond the components together, eliminating the need for separate hot-melt material preparation and application equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal bonding mechanism (hot-melt material) with a mechanical pressing mechanism. The convex sections on the conveyance roller apply direct mechanical pressure to bond the sheets and elastic elements together, substituting the thermal field with a mechanical field and eliminating the need for hot-melt material handling systems.
2Strength
If hot-melt material is applied to bond elastic elements to sheets, then bonding strength is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the energy-intensive hot-melt material application process with a low-energy mechanical pressing process. The convex sections on the conveyance roller apply localized mechanical pressure to bond the elastic elements to the sheets, significantly reducing the power consumption compared to heating and melting materials.
3Productivity
If clamping and pressing is applied to bond sheets with elastic elements, then bonding efficiency is improved, but elastic element damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating convex sections with specific geometric characteristics (radius of curvature, height) on the conveyance roller. These localized convex sections concentrate the bonding action at specific points while the grooves between them provide relief areas, allowing differential pressure distribution that bonds materials efficiently without excessive compression on elastic elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dimensional feature (grooves) between the convex sections on the conveyance roller surface. This dimensional variation creates alternating zones of high pressure (convex sections) and low pressure (grooves), allowing the elastic elements to escape into the grooves during pressing while maintaining bonding efficiency at the convex section contact points.
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
This method effectively bonds sheets and elastic elements without hot-melt materials, simplifies production equipment, and minimizes damage to elastic elements, resulting in a more efficient and robust composite stretchable member production process.
Implementation Method 1
heating a clamped and pressed part of the two sheets to thereby bond each of the elastic elements to the sheets and further bond the sheets together, by means of welding
Implementation Method 2
the elastic elements are allowed to escape into the grooves. This makes it possible to keep down a pressure to be applied to the elastic elements to thereby suppress damage to the elastic elements
Data Source
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AI summary
Using a conveyance roller (210) having an outer peripheral surface which is capable of conveying two sheets (2a, 2b) with an elastic element (10) sandwiched therebetween, in a longitudinal direction of the sheets (2a, 2b), and formed with a convex section (212); and a clamping and pressing device (220), the sheets (2a, 2b) with the elastic element (10) sandwiched therebetween are ultrasonic-welded together under pressing. The convex section (212) is formed in a shape extending along a line intersecting a conveyance direction of the conveyance roller (210), and the convex section (212) is provided with a plurality of grooves at positions spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction thereof, wherein each of the grooves extends in the conveyance direction of the conveyance roller (210) to allow a portion of the sheets (2a, 2b) on which the elastic element is disposed, to be inserted therein.