JP2005517496A - Method for manufacturing absorbent article having pant shape - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a method for producing an absorbent article having a pant shape, which method provides the following steps: individual absorbent cores (109; 409; 609); absorbent cores (109; 409; 609) in the running direction Fastened to a continuously advanced elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ″); absorbent core (109; 409; 609) and a piece of elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408) 601 ″) each of the individual articles (104; 404; 604) are cut out; the individual articles are assembled to form a pants shape; the cutting and assembling process includes two leg openings (114; 414). 614) and one waist opening (124; 424; 624) for each article (104; 404; 604). The elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ") has an elastic extensibility of at least 80%, preferably at least 100% in the direction of travel, and the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601"). ) Is stretched up to 5% in the direction of travel of the material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ″) during manufacture.

Description

  The present invention is a method for producing an absorbent article having a pant shape, wherein the method provides individual absorbent cores, and the absorbent core is fixed to an elastic material web that is continuously advanced in the running direction. Cutting out individual articles each containing a piece of elastic material web and assembling the individual articles to form a pant shape, said cutting and assembling process providing two leg openings and one waist opening to each article About things.

  Cost is an important factor in the manufacture of disposable absorbent articles such as absorbent pants. Disposable articles are understood to mean articles that are intended to be discarded after use and are not washed or restored for absorption purposes. Therefore, such absorbent articles are manufactured as easily and efficiently as possible with the minimum possible material disposal and the maximum possible manufacturing speed so that the manufacturing costs and the resulting selling costs are kept low. It is important to be able to.

  The main component of the absorbent pants is usually an absorbent body arranged between two cover sheets, one of which is a liquid barrier sheet, for example a plastic film, and the other is a liquid permeable cover sheet, For example, a non-woven sheet. There can also be additional components such as an internal barrier disposed in conjunction with the liquid permeable cover sheet, such as a raised edge barrier, or a woven outer cover disposed outside the liquid barrier sheet. Absorbing pants are directed to the front of the user during use and lie across the user's heel area, the rear part oriented behind the user and lie across the user's buttocks, and front Designed with a crotch portion that is located between the portion and the back portion and is intended to be located in the user's crotch. The front, rear and crotch portions together form an absorbent pant having two leg openings and one waist opening. The absorber is typically located substantially centrally between the leg openings and extends at least over the crotch portion. The portion of the absorbent pants that is placed across the user's hips during use generally does not contain absorbent material. These parts consist, for example, of one or both of the cover sheets, a separate outer cover or a separate piece of material commonly referred to as a side panel.

  Absorbent pants are designed to ensure that the absorbent pants conform to the user's body shape and body size, such as clothing, and to form a fastener seal that prevents leakage around the leg and waist openings. Also, elastic members are generally provided in the form of elastic yarns or bands. The elastic yarn or band is generally secured to one or more components of the absorbent pant, generally to at least one cover sheet, in a stretched state in a continuous process. By fixing the stretched elastic member to, for example, a cover sheet, it is also possible to give elastic properties to the non-elastic material sheet. The elastic member continues to be stretched during the manufacture of known absorbent pants. When the individual absorbent pants are cut out from the continuous production web, the stretching of the elastic members stops and they are gathered together and become unstretched. When doing so, the components fixed to the elastic member are also collected together. This means that the finished absorbent pants have a wrinkled appearance in the area at least around the elastic member.

  Fixing the elastic member to the running material web in a continuous manufacturing process is relatively complicated. The elastic member is generally fixed with an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive or a cured adhesive. In order to ensure that the elastic member does not become loose from the material web, it is necessary to support the elastic member against the material web until the adhesive is cured, dried or solidified during the manufacturing process. This complicates the manufacturing process and adversely affects manufacturing speed. Problems also arise in synchronizing the tension of the various elastic members and achieving a uniform tension of the elastic members independent of the traveling material web speed. A further difficulty is the handling of the article when the finished article is cut from the traveling material web. This is because the article assumes an irregular three-dimensional shape as soon as the tension of the elastic member stops. The folding and packaging of the finished article has proved to be extremely difficult additionally due to their wrinkled three-dimensional shape.

  In order to achieve a good fit of the known absorbent pants and the absorbent pants can be used by people with different body shapes and body sizes, the absorbent pants can be run in parallel across the front and rear parts of the absorbent pants. Often provided with an elastic member. Although such an arrangement works fairly well from a technical point of view, many elastic members give the known absorbent pants a particularly wrinkled, dub-dub look. This is a negative factor for various reasons. The biggest drawback is that it is difficult to hide this type of absorbent pants under normal clothing, which can be extremely embarrassing, especially for adult absorbent pant users. The wrinkled appearance also reinforces the immediate impression that the absorbent article is in fact a diaper that is perceived as a negative factor by adults with incontinence. It is therefore desirable to produce absorbent pants that are perceived as underwear rather than diapers. Another disadvantage of using wrinkled absorbent pants is that folds and wrinkles can cause discomfort in the form of friction and irritation on the user's skin.

  A conventionally known method that achieves improved fit and avoids the use of multiple stretched elastic members is to make the side panels of the absorbent pants from elastic members, such as elastic nonwovens, or elastic laminates. However, the main problem of the absorbent pants with elastic side panels proposed so far is that their manufacture is complicated because they require handling separate pieces of elastic material at high production speed. Moreover, even with the elastic side panels, the front and rear portions of the absorbent pants remain largely inelastic, so only limited size and shape fit of the absorbent pants can be obtained. .

  According to the invention, a process of the kind mentioned at the beginning is obtained, which substantially eliminates the problems of this kind of previously known production process.

  The production method according to the invention is such that the elastic material web has an elastic stretch of at least 80%, preferably at least 100% in the running direction, and the elastic material web is stretched up to 5% in the running direction of the material web during production The main distinction is.

  Elastic extensibility here relates to the extension in the direction of extension which is permitted without the material being plastically deformed or ruptured. If the material is to be considered elastically extensible, once the material stops stretching it must also shrink and attempt to restore its original range in the direction of stretching. The fully elastic material returns completely to the unstretched state, and the inelastic material remains slightly stretched even when the stretching force is stopped. For the purposes of the present invention, it is preferred that the elastic material web can be returned to a range that is up to 150%, preferably up to 120% of the unstretched material web.

  Since the production is carried out with the elastic material web substantially unstretched, it is possible to produce more absorbent articles than previously possible per unit time. This is because each absorbent article requires a smaller portion length of the material web if the material web contains a large amount of extra material that is crimped together to achieve an elastic effect.

  The fact that the material web is in a substantially unstretched state means that the tension in the material web is only the height that the material web is carried against the rollers and other parts of the production equipment. This is necessary to guide and control the advancement of the material web. The material web is preferably stretched up to 3% in the running direction of the material web during manufacture.

  According to one embodiment of the invention, the absorbent core is enclosed between a liquid-permeable cover sheet and a liquid-impermeable cover sheet, after which the absorbent core is fixed towards the elastic material web with the liquid-impermeable cover sheet. The Thus, according to this embodiment, a core pack fixed to the elastic outer cover is manufactured, wherein the elastic outer cover forms an elastic outer pant that supports the core pack after cutting and assembly. For reasons of comfort, such outer pants preferably have a woven or woven-like character, i.e. consist of a fiber material or a material having fiber properties. The elastic material web is advantageously an elastic nonwoven.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the elastic material web is an elastic plastic film, and the liquid permeable material layer is disposed on the second surface of the absorbent core facing away from the plastic film. The manufacturing method according to this embodiment results in an absorbent article that constitutes the main component of the part where the liquid blocking cover sheet of the article provides the article shape. The article can also be provided with an elastic liquid permeable material layer. The liquid permeable material layer can be arranged on an absorbent core in the form of a running material web. In such an embodiment, both cover sheets can be used to form elastic pants that support the absorbent core.

  According to a further embodiment of the invention, the absorbent core provides a liquid-impermeable cover sheet on the second surface, i.e. the surface intended to face away from the user of the absorbent pants in the finished absorbent pants. It is done. In this case, the elastic material web consists of a liquid permeable material fixed to the first surface of the absorbent core, wherein said first surface is the surface intended to be directed to the user in the finished absorbent pants and absorbs It is a surface that receives body fluid discharged into the pants. Such a manufacturing method results in an absorbent article having an absorbent core disposed outside the elastic pants.

  According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, an elongated elastic member in the form of a band or thread having a primary stretch direction is secured to the elastic material web prior to the cutting process. The elastic member can in this case be secured to the elastic material web in such a way that, after the material web has been cut and assembled, for example by gluing or ultrasonic welding, the elastic member is arranged along the leg opening of the absorbent article. . Therefore, the absorbent article can be provided with leg elastics in this way. Correspondingly, the elastic member can be secured to the elastic material web in a manner such that after the material web is cut and assembled, the elastic member is positioned along the waist opening of the absorbent article. Such an arrangement of course results in an article with a waist elastic. Since it is desirable to minimize the degree of wrinkling of the absorbent article after the cut-out process, it is advantageous if the elastic member is stretched up to 10%, preferably up to 5% in the stretch direction of the elastic member during the manufacturing process. . In order to achieve a good seal around the waist and leg openings of the finished article, it is generally advantageous if the stretch of the elastic member being manufactured is greater than the stretch of the elastic material web. When applying an elastic member with low or no pre-tension, it is important that the elastic member is fixed in such a way that its elasticity is not disturbed. This can be done, for example, by using an elastic adhesive, by adhering in a stretchable pattern along the elastic member, or by intermittent welding. Examples of stretchable adhesive patterns are spot adhesive, spray adhesive, and adhesive applied in the form of adhesive strands placed across the elastic member.

  The ratio between the extensibility of the elastic member and the extensibility of the part of the finished article formed by the elastic material web is controlled by selecting a less extensible material for the elastic member rather than for the elastic material web. You can also. Thus, the extensibility of the elastic member can advantageously be at least 10% lower than the extensibility of the elastic material web.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure,
FIG. 1 shows the production of an absorbent pant according to a first embodiment of the invention comprising a core pack.
FIG. 2 shows the core pack of FIG.
FIG. 3 shows an absorbent pant made by the method shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 shows the production of an absorbent pant according to a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 shows an absorbent pant made by the method shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 shows the production of an absorbent pant according to a third embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7 shows an absorbent pant made by the method shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a method of manufacturing an absorbent pant in which the pant material is substantially unstretched during manufacture.

  The various components of the absorbent pants are bonded together on a continuous conveyor belt (not shown), and a first material web 101 in the form of an elastic unstretched nonwoven material is disposed on the conveyor belt. Adhesive 102 is then applied, for example by spraying or coating the first material web 101, after which the elastic member 103 in the form of a continuous elastic band or thread is secured in a curved pattern across the first material web 101. The elastic member 103 forms a leg elastic body in the completed absorbent pants. Instead of placing the adhesive on the first material web 101 or as a reinforcement of this, the adhesive can be applied directly to the elastic member. This form of adhesive application can also take place, for example, by spraying, patterned surface formation or coating. As mentioned above, complete coverage of an elastic member applied in a substantially unstretched state requires that the adhesive used be elastic.

  A second elastic material web 105 made of a substantially unstretched elastic nonwoven is then applied onto the first material web 101 and the elastic member 103. The second material web can also be coated with an adhesive on the surface towards the first material web 101 before the two material webs are bonded together. The adhesive is then applied, for example in the form of a spray coating, a complete or broken film, or in a pattern such as a strip or spot. Since the elastic member is disposed substantially without pre-tension as described above, the adhesive does not hinder the elasticity of the elastic member on the surface of the second material web 105 toward the direction away from the first material web 101. It is important to ensure. The adhesive is intermittently applied in the region 106 of the second material web 105 where the core pack 107 is next secured.

  The core pack 107 is best shown in FIG. 2 and includes a liquid barrier sheet 108, an absorbent core 109, and a liquid permeable inner sheet 110. The core pack 107 is fixed toward the second material web 105 with a liquid barrier sheet 108. 1 and 2 show an absorbent core 109 consisting of two absorbent sheets 111, 112, one on top of the other, with the lower absorbent sheet 111 located closest to the liquid barrier sheet 108 being the most of the inner sheet 110. It is slightly larger than the upper absorbent sheet 112 located nearby. In the example shown, the core pack 107 has a rectangular planar shape that is defined by the shape of the liquid barrier sheet 108 and the liquid permeable inner sheet 110, which together enclose the absorbent core 109. Of course, the core pack 107 can be used in another planar shape, for example, the liquid barrier sheet 108 and the inner sheet 110 can have substantially the same shape as the absorbent core 109.

  The liquid permeable inner sheet 110 can be made of any material known for that purpose, for example, a layer of nonwoven material, a perforated plastic film, a net material, a tow, and the like. The inner sheet 110 can of course also consist of a laminate of two or more sheets of the same or different materials.

  The liquid barrier sheet 108 can comprise a liquid impermeable plastic film, a nonwoven sheet coated with a liquid barrier material, or other flexible material sheet that is resistant to liquid permeation. However, it is advantageous if the liquid barrier sheet 108 has a certain degree of breathability, i.e. allows passage of the water vapor sheet 108.

  The absorbent core can be made from absorbent materials such as cellulose fluff pulp, tissue, absorbent foam. The absorbent core can also contain a superabsorbent material, i.e. a polymeric material that can absorb a body fluid corresponding to several times its own weight to form a hydrogel. Such superabsorbent materials are usually present in the form of particles, although fibers, flakes, granules and films are also available. Further, the absorbent core 109 can contain non-absorbing components such as a stiffening element, a shaping element, and a binder. Various types of liquid-receiving porous structures such as fiber filling, open cell foam, etc. can be included in the core pack 107.

  The core pack 107 is manufactured in a separate process using a normal manufacturing technique. The manufacture of the core pack 107 is not shown in the figure. The various components contained in the core pack 107 can be connected to each other in the usual way, for example by adhesive bonding or by thermal or ultrasonic welding. The core pack 127 can of course contain additional components in addition to those described herein, for example, the core pack can contain liquid transport sheets, elastic members, shape stabilizing members, modeling elements, and the like. Although the absorbent core is shown with two absorbent sheets 111, 112, alternative configurations can be used. For example, a single absorbent sheet may be sufficient for some applications, while other applications may require more than one absorbent sheet.

  After the core pack is applied, leg openings 114 are cut out from the web between each core pack 107. The production web 113 is then folded in two in the production direction, thereby forming a folding edge 115 and an open edge 116. The folded production web 113 is then intermittently welded transversely to the production direction, and the weld 117 extends from the open edge 116 to the edge 118 on each leg opening 114. The weld is conveniently formed and operable by methods known in the art. This means that when the parts welded together are pulled apart, the weld will be broken before the surrounding material is broken. However, it is of course necessary to ensure that the weld is strong enough to hold the completed absorbent pants in use. Alternatively, it is of course possible within the scope of the invention to glue the production web halves together.

  The welded production web 113 is then split by being cut at each weld 117 and the individual absorbent pants 104 are separated from the production web 113. The completed absorbent pants 104 can then go through further processing steps such as folding and packaging.

  The completed absorbent pant 104 shown in FIG. 3 includes an elastically extensible outer pant 120 that is formed by a first elastic material web 101 and a second elastic material web 105. The outer pant 120 also includes an elastic member 103 disposed around the leg opening 114, which is secured between the first elastic material web 101 and the second elastic material web 105. As described above, the elastic material webs 101 and 105 are made of an elastic nonwoven material. This elastic nonwoven material must be elastically stretchable at least in the direction of transport of the production web, and preferably elastically stretchable also in the transverse direction of the production web, ie in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction. .

  The outer pant 120 is designed with a front portion 121, a rear portion 122, and a narrow intermediate crotch portion 123 disposed therebetween, and has two leg openings 114 and one waist opening 124. The outer pant 120 also has two side seams 125 that connect the front portion 121 to the rear portion 122 between the waist opening 124 and the leg opening 114, which are used by the user during use of the absorbent pant 104. Intended to be placed across the hip. The side seam 125 is advantageously designed in such a manner that it can resist the tensile forces that occur when the absorbent pants are worn and used, but can be torn when the absorbent pants are removed. is there. In this case, the openable side seam 125 does not have a large holding capacity, and the seam breaks with a force lower than that required to separate the absorbent pant surrounding material.

  The above-described core pack 107 is fixed to the inside of the external pants 120 that can be elastically extended. In connection with the cutout of the leg opening, the cover sheet portion of the core pack is also cut out, and the core pack 107 in the absorbent pants thus completed is given an hourglass shape.

  The core pack 107 can be secured to the external pants 120 across the entire common surface or only over a portion thereof. For example, the core pack 107 can be secured only along a line or band-shaped region that extends centrally across the absorbent pants 104 from the front portion 121 to the rear portion 122. The core pack 107 can also be fixed via a number of attachment points or attachment areas. The wick pack 107 should be secured firmly inside the outer pants 120 to ensure that it does not loosen or move out of position during use. However, it is advantageous if the core pack 107 has a certain degree of mobility with respect to the external pants 120. This is because the elastic stretchability of the external pants 120 can be used well if the stretch is limited as small as possible by the core pack 107.

  In the method shown in FIG. 4, a first elastic material web 401 in the form of a substantially unstretched elastic nonwoven material is placed on a conveyor belt (not shown). Adhesive 402 ′ is then applied in a manner similar to that of FIG. 1 and elastic member 403 is secured in a curved pattern across first material web 401.

  A second elastic material web 408 of a substantially unstretched elastic liquid barrier material, such as a plastic film, is then applied over the first elastic material web 401 and the elastic member 403. The second material web 408 can also be coated with an adhesive on the surface towards the first material web 401 before the two material webs are bonded together. Thereafter, an adhesive is applied as a continuous coating 402 ″ on the surface of the second elastic material web 408 in a direction away from the first elastic material web 401, and then the absorbent including the first absorbent sheet 411 and the second absorbent sheet 412. A core 409 is intermittently disposed on the second elastic material web 408.

  The third elastic material web 410 is disposed on the first and second elastic material webs 401 and 408 and fixed on the absorbent core 409. Advantageously, the third elastic material web 410 is coated with an adhesive on the surface towards the second elastic material web 408 before the third elastic material web is applied to the second elastic material web 408. It is alternatively possible to use a non-elastic material instead of the elastic material web 410. However, in such an embodiment, the inelastic material needs to be arranged in the form of a separate piece across the absorbent core 409. Otherwise, the inelastic material will interfere with the function of the elastic member 403.

  After the various components are applied, leg openings 414 are cut out from the production web 413. The production web 413 is then folded in half in the production direction, thereby forming a folding edge 415 and an open edge 416. The folded production web 413 is then intermittently welded transversely to the production direction, and the weld 417 extends from the open edge 416 to the edge 418 on each leg opening 414. The welded production web 413 is then split by cutting at each weld 417 and the individual absorbent pants 404 are separated from the production web 413. The completed absorbent pants 404 can then pass through further processing steps such as folding and packaging.

  FIG. 5 shows the completed absorbent pants 404 manufactured by the method shown in FIG. The completed absorbent pant 404 shown in FIG. 5 includes an elastically extensible outer pant 420 similar to the absorbent pant of FIG. 3, which is formed by a first elastic material web 401 and a second elastic material web 408. In this case, the first elastic material web 401 constitutes a woven outer sheet of the diaper pants, and the second elastic material web 408 constitutes a liquid barrier sheet in the absorbent pants 404, and prevents liquid leakage from the absorbent pants 404 during use. To prevent. The outer pant 420 also includes an elastic member 403 disposed around the leg opening 414, which is secured between the fabric outer sheet 401 and the liquid barrier sheet 408 of the outer pant 420. As described above, the fabric outer sheet 401 is made of an elastic nonwoven material.

  The liquid barrier sheet 408 comprises an elastic liquid impervious plastic film, an elastic liquid blocking nonwoven material or the like. Liquid impervious materials are considered materials that prevent liquid intrusion. However, the liquid-impermeable material is breathable and allows gas and water vapor to pass through. The liquid barrier material resists liquid ingress, but does not have to be completely liquid impermeable and is generally respirable.

  Similar to the absorbent pant 104 shown in FIG. 3, the outer pant 420 is designed with a front portion 421, a rear portion 422, and a narrow intermediate crotch portion 423 disposed therebetween, with two leg openings 414 and one. There are two waist openings 424. The outer pant 420 also has two side seams 425 that connect the front portion 421 to the rear portion 422 between the waist opening 424 and the leg opening 414, which are used by the user during use of the absorbent pant 404. Intended to be placed across the hip.

  Absorber 409 is secured inside elastically extensible outer pants 420. The absorber 409 is fixed to the liquid barrier sheet 408 of the external pants 420 by, for example, adhesive bonding. Absorber 409 is a first liquid collection sheet 411 disposed closest to the liquid barrier sheet, and a second liquid collection inner sheet 410 formed of liquid collection sheet 411 and third material web 410. A liquid receiving sheet 412 is included. Although the absorbent body 409 is shown as a two sheet structure, other types of absorbent bodies can be used. The absorbent body in an absorbent article for absorbing body fluids usually consists of a fiber sheet, such as cellulose fluff pulp. It is also possible to use a fiber sheet bonded with a binder, for example heat-sensitive fibers. It is also customary to use polymer gel-forming absorbent materials called superabsorbent materials. It can be mixed with the fibers or placed on a separate carrier sheet. The design of the absorber 409, such as the choice of material, will of course depend on the intended application and the amount of liquid that the absorber is expected to be able to absorb. The liquid permeable inner sheet 410 comprises a liquid permeable nonwoven material, a perforated plastic film, a net material, or the like. The liquid permeable inner sheet 410 can be elastic or inelastic. In the latter case, the inner sheet 410 is disposed as a separate piece of material that does not cover the elastic member 403 disposed around the leg opening 414.

  The manufacturing method shown in FIG. 6 is that the completed absorbent pants have an elastically extensible part intended to surround the lower part of the user's torso during use in addition to the conventional leg elastics. This is different from the manufacturing method described earlier.

  Absorbent pants 604 of FIG. 6 is formed by a first material web 601 'in the form of an unstretched non-elastic nonwoven material disposed on a conveyor belt (not shown). Adhesive 602 is then applied, for example, by spraying, crimping or coating the first material web 601 'so that the elastic member 603 in the form of a continuous elastic band or thread is pre-tensioned in the normal manner and the first material web. Fixed in a curved pattern across 601 '. A second material web 608 of a liquid impermeable material, such as a plastic film, is secured over the first material web 601 ′ and the elastic member 603. The second material web 608 can also be coated with an adhesive on the surface towards the first material web 601 'before the two material webs are bonded together. Thereafter, an adhesive is applied as a coating 602 ′ on the surface of the second material web 608 going away from the first elastic material web 601 ′, and then an absorbent core 609 is intermittently applied on the second material web 608. The

  For example, an elastic non-woven elastic material band 601 ″ is additionally disposed along each side edge 630, 631 of the first material web 601 ′. The elastic band 601 ″ includes the first material web 601 ′ and the second material web. It is applied and secured to 608 in a substantially unstretched state to form a girdle-like waist belt or band-shaped elastically extensible portion that is closest to the waist opening of the completed absorbent pants 604.

  It should be noted that in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the absorbent core 609 is fixed directly to the second material web 608 and only indirectly to the elastic band 601 ″.

  The third material web 610 is disposed on the first and second material webs 601 and 608 and fixed on the absorbent core 609. Advantageously, the third material web 610 is coated with an adhesive on the surface towards the second material web 608 before the third material web 610 is applied to the second material web 608.

  Similar to the previously described manufacturing method, the leg openings 614 are cut from the material web 613 and then the material is folded, welded and cut into individual absorbent pants 604 as described above.

  FIG. 7 shows an absorbent pant 604 made by the method described in connection with FIG. The absorbent pant shown in FIG. 7 includes a substantially inelastic portion 632 that substantially coincides with the crotch portion 623 of the absorbent pant. The inelastic portion includes an absorbent body 609 disposed between the liquid impermeable laminate and the liquid permeable inner sheet 610. The liquid impervious laminate in this case includes a barrier sheet 608 formed by the second material web and an outer nonwoven sheet 601 'formed by the first material web. The non-elastic portion 632 includes an elastic member 603 that is pre-tensioned and secured to the non-elastic portion, and this elastic portion 603 forms a leg elastic body around the leg opening 614 of the absorbent pants 604.

  Absorbent pant 604 includes an elastic portion 633 formed by an elastic band 601 ″, which elastic portion 633 surrounds the fuselage and is held together by two side seams 625 to provide a wide elastic stretchable belt. The side seam 625 is intended to be placed across the user's hips during use, connecting the front portion 621 of the absorbent pant to the rear portion 622 between the waist opening 624 and the leg opening 614. .

  All of the described absorbent pants are such that they are made from materials that are bonded together in a substantially unstretched state, i.e. with only a small degree of elastic tension. As previously mentioned, this means that the elastic components are stretched by up to 5% from their original size in the stretch direction. A certain slight extensibility is generally necessary to maintain control of the material during the manufacturing process. The fact that the absorbent pants are made from a substantially unstretched material means that the number of absorbent pants per unit length of the production web is quite large compared to conventional production methods, even up to twice as large. It means that you can.

  In addition, after they are separated from the production web, the finished absorbent pants are substantially smooth and have a substantially flat shape. This makes the absorbent pants have an aesthetically pleasing appearance, is comfortable to wear, and folds much easier than previously known absorbent pants with wrinkled three-dimensionally curved parts And can be packaged.

  The elastic part of the absorbent pants manufactured by the method described above is activated when the absorbent pants are worn. The elastic part is stretched and thus the absorbent pants can be adapted to the user's body. The dimensions of the absorbent pants are such that the elastic parts are held stretched during use and are therefore sized to pull together to return to their unstretched state, thereby maintaining the absorbent pants on the user's body. The

  The present invention should not be considered limited by the above-described exemplary embodiments, but further variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. For example, the various material webs and components need not be bonded together with an adhesive, but instead other bonding methods such as ultrasonic, thermal welding, calendering, sewing, etc. can be used as desired.

  In the exemplary embodiment of the absorbent pants described, it is shown that the absorbent body is disposed over the front, rear and crotch portions of the absorbent pants. For specific purposes, eg for use in light incontinence or menstruation, the absorbent body is mainly placed on the crotch part of the absorbent pants, ie the part that is placed on the user's crotch during use. Can do.

2 shows the production of an absorbent pant according to a first embodiment of the invention comprising a core pack. The core pack of FIG. 1 is shown. Fig. 2 shows an absorbent pant made by the method shown in Fig. 1; 4 shows the production of an absorbent pant according to a second embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4 shows an absorbent pant made by the method shown in Fig. 3; 4 shows the production of an absorbent pant according to a third embodiment of the invention. Fig. 7 shows an absorbent pant made by the method shown in Fig. 6;

Claims (12)

A method for producing an absorbent article having a pant shape, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
Give individual absorbent cores (109; 409; 609);
Fixing an absorbent core (109; 409; 609) to an elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ″) continuously advanced in the direction of travel;
Cutting out individual articles (104; 404; 604) each comprising an absorbent core (109; 409; 609) and a piece of elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ″);
Assembling individual articles to form pants;
Wherein the cutout and assembly process provides each leg (104; 404; 604) with two leg openings (114; 414; 614) and one waist opening (124; 424; 624),
The elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ") has an elastic extensibility of at least 80%, preferably at least 100% in the direction of travel, and the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601"). ) Is stretched up to 5% in the direction of travel of the material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ″) during manufacture.   Each absorbent core is fixed on the first surface toward the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408) and the second surface is directed away from the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408). The method according to 1.   The absorbent core (109) is enclosed between the liquid-permeable cover sheet (110) and the liquid-impermeable cover sheet (108), and then the absorbent core (109) is the liquid-impermeable cover sheet (108) and elastic material. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method is fixed towards the web (101, 105).   4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ") comprises an elastic nonwoven web.   The elastic material web (401, 408) includes an elastic plastic film (408), and the liquid permeable material layer (410) is disposed on the second surface of each absorbent core (409) facing away from the plastic film (408). The method of claim 2, wherein:   The method of claim 5, wherein the liquid permeable material layer (410) is an elastic material layer.   The method of claim 6, wherein the liquid permeable material layer (410) is disposed on an absorbent core (409) in the form of a running material web.   A liquid permeable material having an absorbent core (409) provided with a liquid impermeable cover sheet (408) on the second surface and an elastic material web (410) fixed to the first surface of the absorbent core (409) The method of claim 2 comprising:   9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an elongated elastic member (103; 403; 603) in the form of a band or thread is secured to the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 "). .   In such a manner that after the material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ") has been cut and assembled, the elastic member is positioned along the leg opening (114; 414; 614) of the absorbent article (104; 404; 604). 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the elastic member (103; 403; 603) is fixed to the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ″).   After the material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ") has been cut and assembled, the elastic member (103; 403) is arranged in such a way that the elastic member is placed along the waist opening (124; 424; 624) of the absorbent article. 603) is fixed to the elastic material web (101, 105; 401, 408; 601 ").   The elastic member (103; 403; 603) is stretched by a maximum of 10%, preferably a maximum of 5% in the stretching direction of the elastic member (103; 403; 603) during the manufacturing process. The method described.

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