Water-Disintegrable Paper Embossing to Prevent Roller Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for producing water-disintegrable paper for toilet cleaning wipes face challenges such as high manufacturing costs due to time-consuming adhesive bonding processes, adhesion issues with embossing rollers, and the problem of paper powder adhering to dry surfaces after use.
Innovation Solution
A method involving embossing a base-paper sheet in a non-wet state before water-soluble binder impregnation, followed by drying, folding, and aqueous chemical treatment, with a crosslinker to form a cross-linked structure, which reduces adhesion and enhances surface strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If water-soluble binder is sprayed onto base paper sheets before embossing, then the sheets can be bonded together, but the base paper sheet adheres to the emboss roller making it difficult to come off
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by embossing the base paper sheet first to create projections and depressions, then subsequently applying the water-soluble binder to the projections. This sequence ensures that the binder is positioned exactly where needed for bonding while avoiding adhesion problems during embossing, as the binder is not present on the sheet surface during the embossing process.
2Strength
If adhesive bonding process is used to bond paper sheets, then the sheets are securely bonded, but the process requires time and manpower increasing manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical adhesive bonding process with a water-soluble binder system that utilizes the embossed structure. The binder is sprayed onto the projections and naturally bonds the sheets together through capillary action and evaporation, eliminating the need for complex adhesive application equipment and manual bonding operations, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and application method of the binder from a pre-mixed adhesive requiring mechanical application to a water-soluble binder that is sprayed as a solution and bonds through evaporation. This parameter change simplifies the bonding process and reduces manufacturing complexity while maintaining bond strength.
3Device complexity
If water-soluble binder is contained only inside paper layer, then the structure is simple, but paper powder adheres and remains on dry surface after wiping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the water-soluble binder specifically on the projections (raised surfaces) rather than uniformly distributing it throughout the entire paper layer. This localized application ensures that the binder is positioned where it can effectively bond sheets while the embossed structure prevents excessive binder exposure that would cause paper powder adhesion on wiped surfaces.
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 method simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces costs, and prevents paper powder from adhering to dry surfaces, providing high-quality water-disintegrable paper with improved wet strength and usability.
Implementation Method 1
a crosslinker causing a cross-linking reaction with the water-soluble binder to form cross-linked structure of the water-soluble binder
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
To provide a method of producing water-disintegrable paper capable of addressing a disadvantage of adhesion of a base-paper sheet to an embossing apparatus when the base-paper sheet impregnated with a water-soluble binder is embossed, achieving simple manufacturing and low manufacturing cost, and minimizing the likelihood of paper powder remaining on a dry surface of a cleaned object after use. To produce water-disintegrable paper, a base-paper sheet 2 in a non-wet state before a water-soluble binder is impregnated is embossed in order to form a bulking unit 17, made up of a plurality of uneven elements 12, on the base-paper sheet 2; a water-soluble binder solution 5 is sprayed to the base-paper sheet 2 having the bulking unit 17 formed, from outside of a face of the base-paper sheet 2 to impregnate the water-soluble binder solution 5 into the base-paper sheet 2; the base-paper sheet 2 impregnated with the water-soluble binder solution 5 is dried; the base-paper sheet 2 is folded after the drying; and an aqueous chemical solution is sprayed to the base-paper sheet 2 thus being folded to impregnate the aqueous chemical solution into the base-paper sheet 2.