Embossed multi-ply tissue products
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for tissue products that balance aesthetics with improved physical attributes such as reduced stiffness, increased absorbency, and enhanced wet resiliency, while maintaining a cloth-like appearance.
Innovation Solution
The development of embossed multi-ply tissue products using through-air drying and embossing techniques, where the tissue plies are bonded face-to-face with an embossing pattern covering less than 10% of the surface area, featuring discrete non-linear line elements, to achieve reduced stiffness, improved absorbency, and increased wet resiliency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional wet-pressing process with pressure roll and Yankee dryer creping is used, then water removal efficiency is improved, but web strength is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the creping step from the traditional wet-pressing process. By eliminating the doctor blade creping operation that causes significant strength loss, the process retains only the essential water removal functions through modified pressure rolling and controlled drying, thereby preserving web strength while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the pressure roll and dryer system. The pressure roll operates at optimized pressure and speed parameters, while the Yankee dryer uses controlled temperature and contact parameters to remove water gradually, avoiding the abrupt strength-reducing effect of traditional creping while maintaining efficient water removal.
2Shape
If through-air drying is used instead of wet-pressing, then web softness and bulk are improved, but water removal efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges through-air drying with a modified pressure roll system. The web undergoes gentle compression and drying in combination, where the pressure roll provides controlled water removal and the through-air drying provides bulk and softness, achieving both objectives simultaneously rather than using one method exclusively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite drying system that combines mechanical pressure drying and thermal air drying methods. This composite approach leverages the strengths of both methods: pressure roll for efficient water removal and through-air drying for softness and bulk development, achieving balanced performance.
3Shape
If embossing is applied to multi-ply tissue products, then aesthetic quality and bulk are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the pressure roll to serve multiple functions: water removal, web compression for bulk development, and embossing pattern application. By integrating these functions into a single device, the manufacturing process achieves aesthetic quality and bulk improvement without adding separate embossing equipment, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the embossing function with the existing pressure roll and drying system. The embossing pattern is applied during the same operational cycle where water removal and bulk development occur, merging multiple processing steps into one unified operation that reduces equipment complexity and streamlines manufacturing.
4Shape
If embossing elements compress and deform the web, then bulk and aesthetic pattern are improved, but web strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the embossing parameters including pressure magnitude, contact time, and embossing element geometry. By carefully controlling these parameters, the web receives sufficient compression for bulk and aesthetic pattern development while avoiding excessive deformation that would compromise strength. The embossing depth and pattern density are tuned to balance appearance with mechanical integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies embossing selectively to specific regions of the web rather than uniform compression. The embossing elements create localized patterns that provide aesthetic quality and bulk in visible areas while leaving other regions with minimal deformation, thereby preserving overall web strength. The multi-ply construction further distributes stress to maintain strength in embossed regions.
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 resulting tissue products exhibit reduced GM Flexural Rigidity, enhanced absorbency with low Residual Water values, and improved wet resiliency, providing a balance of aesthetic appeal and functional performance.
Implementation Method 1
through-air drying provides a relatively noncompressive method of removing water from the web by passing hot air through the web until it is dry
Implementation Method 2
Embossing elements on the rolls compress and/or deform the web
Implementation Method 3
two or more plies are fed through the nip and regions of each ply are brought into a contacting relationship with the opposing ply
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an embossed multi-ply tissue product that is visually pleasing and has improved physical attributes. For example, the inventive multi-ply tissue products have reduced stiffness, such as a GM Flexural Rigidity less than about 600 mg*cm, improved absorbency, such as a Residual Water (WResidual) value less than about 0.15 g, and improved wet resiliency, such as a wet elastic strain ratio greater than about 32 percent.