Stretch Laminate Wrinkle Adhesion for Absorbent Articles
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of stretch laminates for absorbent articles is challenging due to their difficulty and expense, necessitating the development of new, better-performing, and cost-effective methods for fabricating these materials.
Innovation Solution
The use of a stretch laminate comprising a chassis with a topsheet, backsheet, and an absorbent core, featuring an elastically elongatable panel with a pre-activated elastomeric film and cover layers, where the elastomeric film has skins with wrinkles and adhesive disposed in the furrows, enhancing bonding strength and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional stretch laminates are used to achieve proper fit and containment, then the article can accommodate various body types, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the elastomeric material by pre-activating it before lamination. This pre-activation creates a textured surface with increased surface area and altered mechanical properties, allowing the material to achieve the desired fit and stretch characteristics without requiring complex multi-layer constructions or extensive post-processing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric material is pre-activated before being laminated to the cover layer. This preliminary action of activating the elastomer creates surface texture and establishes the stretch properties in advance, simplifying the subsequent lamination process and reducing the complexity of manufacturing while maintaining the adaptability for various body types
2Reliability
If stretch laminates with elastomeric materials are used to achieve snug fit and waste containment, then leakage is limited, but manufacturing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the surface parameters of the elastomeric material through pre-activation, creating a textured surface that enhances adhesive bonding. This parameter change allows for more effective lamination with standard adhesives and processes, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining the reliability of waste containment and leakage prevention through the stretch laminate structure
3Strength
If conventional lamination methods are used for stretch laminates, then material layers can be bonded together, but the process requires extensive preparation steps and high costs
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric material undergoes pre-activation before lamination, which preliminarily prepares the surface by creating texture and establishing mechanical properties. This preliminary action reduces the number of subsequent fabrication steps needed and lowers costs while maintaining strong bonding between the elastomer and cover layer through the textured surface that enhances adhesive attachment
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 approach results in improved bonding strength and reduced manufacturing costs, allowing for more effective containment and fit of absorbent articles across a range of body types, while also simplifying the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
an adhesive disposed between the skin and the cover layer... at least some of the adhesive is disposed in at least some of the furrows
Implementation Method 2
the elastomeric film having two surfaces and a skin on at least one of the surfaces... the skin that is located in the stretch zone having a plurality of wrinkles that are substantially perpendicular to a stretch direction
Data Source
AI summary
An absorbent article includes a chassis comprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, and at least one elastically elongatable panel joined to the chassis. The elastically elongatable panel includes a stretch laminate that has at least one cover layer, an elastomeric film attached to the cover layer, the elastomeric film having two surfaces and a skin on at least one of the surfaces, and an adhesive disposed between the skin and the cover layer. The stretch laminate has at least one anchoring zone and at least one stretch zone, the skin that is located in the stretch zone has a plurality of wrinkles that are substantially perpendicular to a stretch direction of the stretch laminate, and the wrinkles have furrows, and at least some of the adhesive is disposed in at least some of the furrows.