Uniform Absorbent Body Thickness via Paired Suction Drum

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing devices for producing absorbent bodies, such as paper diapers and sanitary napkins, result in uneven thickness due to uneven sucking forces across the width of the rotating fiber stacking drum, leading to inconsistent absorbent body formation.

Innovation Solution

A device with a rotating fiber stacking drum equipped with paired side walls and sucking means connected to each side, ensuring uniform air suction across the width, and a supplying means that provides compressed air uniformly to both sides to maintain even pressure, allowing for consistent absorbent body thickness and easy removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the sucking means is connected to only one side wall of the rotating fiber stacking drum, then the device complexity is reduced, but the thickness uniformity of the absorbent body deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure complexityVSAvoidthickness uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The sucking means is divided into multiple independent suction units, with each side wall equipped with its own suction unit. This segmentation allows each side to independently control the suction force, enabling uniform thickness distribution across the width of the absorbent body while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular design

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each side wall is equipped with suction units that can be independently adjusted to provide locally optimized suction forces. This allows the system to compensate for variations in material distribution across the width of the drum, ensuring uniform thickness by applying appropriate suction force at each location rather than using a single centralized suction system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If the sucking force is increased to improve absorbent body formation, then the manufacturing precision improves, but the energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveabsorbent body formationVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The suction force parameters are optimized by distributing multiple suction units across both side walls, allowing each unit to operate at lower individual power levels while collectively achieving the required total suction force. This distribution of suction capacity reduces peak energy demands and allows for more efficient operation at optimized suction parameters

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution ensures a uniform thickness of the absorbent body in the width direction and facilitates successful removal by maintaining uniform sucking and pressing forces, addressing the issue of uneven thickness and removal challenges in existing technologies.

Implementation Method 1

the air in the rotating fiber stacking drum is sucked by a sucking means connected to a side wall of the rotating fiber stacking drum to keep the inside of the rotating fiber stacking drum to be negative in pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectNegative pressure: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

the mixed flow is transported to a rotating fiber stacking drum so that the mixed flow is adsorbed and retained by an adsorbent molding section which is formed on the outer circumference of the rotating fiber stacking drum

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Data Source

PatentEP2873396B1Device for producing absorbent body
Publication Date: 2017.11.15 ZUIKO CORP
  • EP2873396B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2873396B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present invention enables the thickness in the width direction of an absorbent body to be uniform. An aspiration means (31), which generates airflow from the outer peripheral surface side of a suction molding unit (12a) towards the interior of a tube (12) by means of aspirating the air within an aspiration region (14b), is connected to each of two sides (11) of a rotating, fiber-stacking drum (7).