Embossed Apertured Laminate for Absorbent Articles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current absorbent articles, such as diapers and sanitary napkins, face challenges in rapidly absorbing fluids while maintaining air circulation for skin wellness and minimizing rewet, with existing materials often being two-dimensional and lacking in three-dimensional structure and compressive resilience.
Innovation Solution
A laminate comprising a fibrous nonwoven web first layer with embossments and apertures, bonded to a second layer, creating an air gap for enhanced fluid intake and transfer, and maintaining structural integrity under compressive forces, formed through a counter-rotating roll process with embossing and aperturing pins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If planar two-dimensional liner materials are used, then manufacturing is simple, but fluid intake is slow and rewet is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar two-dimensional liner materials to a three-dimensional embossed structure with vertical channels and cavities. This dimensional change creates pathways for rapid fluid transport while maintaining structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between simple manufacturing and high fluid intake performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates apertured and embossed structures that create porous pathways through the liner material. These porous features enable rapid fluid intake and transport by providing multiple channels for fluid flow, while the embossed design maintains structural strength to prevent collapse under compression.
2Productivity
If more three-dimensional liner structures are created, then fluid handling improves, but the structure collapses under compressive forces
Solution Approach 1:
The liner is segmented into multiple embossed regions with vertical channels and cavities distributed throughout the structure. This segmentation creates a network of load-bearing elements that maintain structural integrity under compression while providing pathways for fluid transport. The segmented design prevents collapse by distributing compressive forces across multiple structural elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining embossed three-dimensional features with apertured regions. This composite design integrates fluid transport channels with load-bearing walls, enabling the material to simultaneously handle fluids efficiently and resist compressive forces without collapsing.
3Area of stationary object
If liner material contact with skin is increased, then coverage is improved, but comfort and dryness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The embossed three-dimensional structure lifts portions of the liner away from the skin surface, creating air gaps between the liner and skin. This dimensional change reduces the actual contact area between the liner and skin while maintaining overall coverage, thereby improving comfort and allowing skin to breathe and dry.
Solution Approach 2:
The embossed structure acts as an intermediary between the liner material and the skin, creating air circulation pathways. These intermediary air gaps allow moisture to escape and air to circulate, improving skin comfort and preventing irritation while the liner maintains its protective coverage function.
4Productivity
If aperturing and embossing are applied to liner materials, then fluid intake improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines aperturing and embossing operations into a single integrated manufacturing process. By merging these two operations that would traditionally require separate steps, the invention achieves complex three-dimensional apertured structures with improved fluid intake while minimizing manufacturing complexity and maintaining production efficiency.
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 laminate achieves rapid fluid intake, reduced rewet, and maintains a three-dimensional structure even under compressive loads, enhancing comfort and fluid handling properties in absorbent articles.
Implementation Method 1
The bonding apparatus is positioned adjacent the first roll surface of the first roll in the first roll bonding region and each of the first roll and the second roll are rotated in a counter-rotating relationship with respect to one another
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2~2A
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A laminate with a fibrous nonwoven web first layer (20) bonded to a second layer (40) by way of a plurality of first layer embossments is disclosed. The first layer (20) further includes a plurality of apertures and an air gap between the first layer (20) and second layer (40). The laminate is well-suited for a wide variety of uses and in particular as a top sheet or liner material for absorbent articles such as, for example, diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products, incontinence devices and wipes. Also disclosed is a process for forming such a laminate.