Waist Panel Frangible Bonding for Stable Absorbent Article Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturing absorbent articles with waistbands having unattached edges poses challenges during high-speed production, leading to issues such as air entrapment, deformation, and unintentional bonding, which can cause separation or tearing of the waistband from the topsheet.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a frangible bond on the inboard lateral edge of the waist panel, allowing it to be releasably bonded with the chassis, preventing separation during assembly and enabling controlled detachment during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a waist panel is provided to connect front and rear panels, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The waist panel is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be independently formed and bonded. Each segment can be separately manufactured and then joined to form the complete waist panel, reducing the complexity of forming a single large panel while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The waist panel structure incorporates nested layers including a liquid-acquiring layer, a frangible bond layer, and a release liner. These layers are nested within each other, with the frangible bond providing a breakable connection between the waist panel and the adhesive layer, allowing for controlled separation during disposal.
2Ease of operation
If a frangible bond is used to connect waist panel to adhesive layer, then ease of disposal is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible bond is pre-formed during manufacturing as a predetermined breakable connection. The bond is designed with specific fracture characteristics that allow it to break easily during disposal operations, eliminating the need for manual cutting or complex separation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible bond exhibits different mechanical properties under different conditions. During manufacturing, it maintains sufficient strength to hold the panels together, but during disposal, it is designed to break at a predetermined location with minimal force. This parameter change allows the same structure to serve both manufacturing and disposal requirements.
3Reliability
If multiple layers are combined in the waist panel, then functional performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional layers including the liquid-acquiring layer, adhesive layer, and frangible bond are merged into a single integrated waist panel structure. This consolidation provides multiple functions (liquid absorption, adhesion, controlled separation) in one component, reducing the number of separate parts while maintaining functional performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The waist panel structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support to connect front and rear panels, contains the liquid-acquiring layer for absorbent material, incorporates the adhesive layer for bonding, and includes the frangible bond for controlled separation during disposal. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to absorbent articles with waist panels including frangible bonds, wherein a waist panel may be connected with a chassis and positioned in a front or back waist region. A first region of the waist panel is bonded with the chassis and extends laterally adjacent an outboard lateral edge of the waist panel, and at least a portion of an inboard lateral edge of the waist panel is unattached to the chassis so as to form a pocket during use. The waist panel is also releasably bonded with the chassis with a frangible bond positioned on the inboard lateral edge of the waist panel and/or longitudinally between the inboard lateral edge of the waist panel and the first region. The frangible bond may be an adhesive and/or mechanical bond and may be configured to break during production or during normal use of the absorbent article.