Tampon Shaping via Radial Compression and Mold Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital tampons often experience deformation and are difficult to remove from their wrappers due to snug fits or material adhesion, and static charges can cause wrapper pieces to cling to users, posing challenges in maintaining shape and cleanliness during storage and insertion.
Innovation Solution
A method for forming a shaped, dimensionally stable tampon involves radially compressing a tampon blank to form an intermediate pledget, which is then inserted into a shaped primary tampon package and expanded to fill a mold, ensuring the tampon maintains its shape and is easily removable from the wrapper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a tight-fitting wrapper is used to maintain tampon shape, then dimensional stability is improved, but removal difficulty increases due to snug fit and material adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The wrapper is divided into two distinct layers: an inner wrapper that maintains dimensional stability and an outer wrapper that facilitates removal. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between holding shape and enabling easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner wrapper acts as an intermediary between the tampon and the outer wrapper. It provides a smooth, low-friction surface that prevents the outer wrapper from adhering to the tampon, thereby facilitating easy removal while the outer wrapper maintains the overall shape during storage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If wrapper material contacts the tampon surface, then shape maintenance is improved, but static charge causes wrapper pieces to cling to user's fingers
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the wrapper into inner and outer layers, the static charge issue is isolated to the outer wrapper which is discarded after opening. The inner wrapper that contacts the tampon is designed to be static-free, eliminating the harmful static effect while preserving shape maintenance functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The problematic static-generating properties are extracted from the wrapper system by using different materials for the inner and outer wrappers. The outer wrapper may use materials with static properties, while the inner wrapper uses static-free materials that do not transfer charge to the user.
3Ease of operation
If a shaped tampon with non-cylindrical form is created, then user-friendliness and cleanliness are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner wrapper is pre-formed with the desired shaped cavity before the tampon is inserted. This preliminary shaping action eliminates the need for complex post-forming operations and simplifies the manufacturing process while still achieving the user-friendly shaped design.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner wrapper serves as a shaping intermediary that defines the final tampon shape during insertion. This allows the tampon to be manufactured in a simpler cylindrical form and then shaped by the wrapper cavity, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the benefits of shaped design.
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 method produces tampons with enhanced dimensional stability and ease of removal, maintaining shape and cleanliness, while preventing wrapper adhesion and static issues, ensuring effective storage and user-friendly insertion.
Implementation Method 1
radially compressing a tampon blank to form a dimensionally stable intermediate pledget
Implementation Method 2
expanding the first portion of the intermediate pledget to substantially fill the first enlarged portion of the shaped primary tampon package
Data Source
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AI summary
A process of forming a shaped, dimensionally stable tampon includes the steps of: radially compressing a tampon blank to form a dimensionally stable intermediate pledget having an intermediate pledget diameter and a longitudinal axis; placing the intermediate pledget into a hollow carrier and inserting the intermediate pledget and hollow carrier into a mold; urging the intermediate pledget into the mold via a ram bearing on an end of the intermediate pledget contained within the hollow carrier and withdrawing the hollow carrier from the mold to permit the exposed end of the intermediate pledget to substantially fill the mold and to form the shaped, dimensionally stable tampon; removing the shaped, dimensionally stable tampon from the mold; and enclosing the shaped, dimensionally stable tampon in a primary package that conforms to the shape thereof. The mold has an access opening through which the hollow carrier can be withdrawn.