JP7596815B2 - Method for manufacturing absorbent article and absorbent article - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an absorbent article and the absorbent article.

It is known that in absorbent articles that absorb liquids such as urine and body fluids, the absorbent body is compressed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-103782 A

It is known that in absorbent articles, the absorbent body is compressed to create compression grooves, which allow liquid to be diffused throughout the absorbent body via the compression grooves. However, the compressed parts of the absorbent body become hard, and when these parts come into direct or indirect contact with the skin, the wearing comfort of the absorbent article is reduced.

The present invention aims to provide a technology that can improve the wearing comfort of absorbent articles.

To solve the above problem, the present invention squeezes the absorbent from the non-skin side.

In detail, the present invention is a manufacturing method for an absorbent article having an absorbent body that absorbs liquid discharged by a wearer, and includes an SAP arrangement step of arranging a particle group of SAP, which is a highly absorbent polymer, on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, a squeezing step of forming a compressed portion by squeezing the absorbent body from the non-skin-facing side, and a recess formation step of pressing the absorbent body to form a recess at a position corresponding to the compressed portion on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body.

In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing an absorbent article, the compressed portion may be formed in a groove shape in the compression step, and the recess may be formed in a groove shape in the recess formation step.

The manufacturing method of the absorbent article may include a non-skin-facing sheet attachment step of attaching the non-skin-facing sheet to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and a non-skin-facing sheet attachment step of disengaging at least a portion of the surface of the compressed portion from the non-skin-facing sheet.

In the above-mentioned manufacturing method of an absorbent article, the absorbent body may have an absorbent core, and may include a hole forming step of forming a through hole penetrating the absorbent core from the skin-facing side to the non-skin-facing side.

The manufacturing method of the absorbent article may include, after the recess forming step, a skin-facing sheet attachment step in which a skin-facing sheet is attached in a stretched state to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body.

In the above-mentioned method for manufacturing an absorbent article, in the compression step, the compression portions are formed in a lattice pattern, and in the recess forming step, the recesses are formed in a lattice pattern, and the lattice points of the recesses are not adhered to the skin-facing sheet.

The present invention can also be seen from the perspective of an absorbent article. For example, the present invention may be an absorbent article that includes an absorbent body that absorbs liquid discharged by a wearer, and that includes a particle group of SAP, which is a highly absorbent polymer, arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, a compressed portion formed on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, and a recess formed in a position corresponding to the compressed portion on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body.

The present invention makes it possible to improve the wearing comfort of absorbent articles.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the diaper according to the first embodiment in a stretched state, as viewed from the skin-facing side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper according to the first embodiment taken along the width direction. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a recess of the diaper according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a diaper according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a manufacturing apparatus used in the diaper manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a compression section forming device of the manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing the diaper according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a diaper according to Modification 1-1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a manufacturing apparatus used in the method for manufacturing a diaper according to Modification 1-1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the absorbent body as viewed from the skin side. FIG. 12 is a plan view of a diaper according to the second embodiment in a stretched state, as viewed from the skin-facing side. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper according to the second embodiment taken along the width direction. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a diaper according to the second embodiment.

Below, absorbent articles according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

<Embodiment 1>
In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of a tape-type disposable diaper (an example of an "absorbent article" in the present application, hereinafter simply referred to as a "diaper") is the direction connecting the front body arranged opposite the wearer's abdomen and the rear body arranged opposite the wearer's back. Between the front body (one side in the longitudinal direction) and the rear body (the other side in the longitudinal direction) (the center in the longitudinal direction), a crotch part arranged under the wearer's crotch (opposed to the crotch). In addition, when the diaper is worn by a wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as "worn state"), the side facing the wearer's skin (the inner side when worn) is the skin-facing side, and the opposite side of the skin-facing side (the outer side when worn) is the non-skin-facing side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side is the thickness direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is the width direction. In addition, the view from the thickness direction is the planar view.

1 is a perspective view of a diaper according to this embodiment. The diaper 1 has a crotch region 1B, which is a region corresponding to the crotch of the wearer that covers the pubic area of the wearer when worn, a front body region 1F, which is located in front of the crotch region 1B and corresponds to the front body of the wearer, and a rear body region 1R, which is located behind the crotch region 1B and corresponds to the rear body of the wearer. Tapes 2L and 2R that can be attached to a front patch 2F provided on the non-skin-facing surface of the front body region 1F are provided on both left and right edges of the rear body region 1R. When the tapes 2L and 2R are attached to the front patch 2F with the front body region 1F positioned on the wearer's abdomen and the rear body region 1R positioned on the wearer's back, the diaper 1 is fixed to the wearer's body in a state that surrounds the wearer's abdominal circumference and thighs. Since the diaper 1 is fixed to the wearer's body in this manner, the wearer can stand and walk while wearing the diaper 1.

In the diaper 1, an absorbent capable of absorbing and retaining liquid is mainly arranged around the crotch region 1B. In addition, in order to prevent the formation of gaps between the diaper 1 and the wearer's skin that can serve as a liquid outflow path, the diaper 1 is provided with leg gathers 3AL, 3AR in the area surrounding the wearer's legs (thighs), three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR are provided on the inside of the leg gathers 3AL, 3AR in the width direction of the diaper 1, and a waist gather 3R is provided in the area surrounding the wearer's abdominal circumference. The leg gathers 3AL, 3AR, three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR, and waist gather 3R are in close contact with the wearer's skin by the elastic force of the elastic members. Therefore, liquid discharged from the wearer's genitals is absorbed by the absorbent of the diaper 1 without leaking out of the diaper 1. Note that thread-like or strip-like rubber can be appropriately selected as the elastic member.

2 is an exploded perspective view of the diaper 1. The diaper 1 has a cover sheet 4 that forms the outer surface when worn. The cover sheet 4 is a sheet-like member having a generally rectangular appearance with constrictions 4KL and 4KR at the portions corresponding to the long sides, and forms the exterior surface of the diaper 1. The constrictions 4KL and 4KR are provided at the portions where the wearer's thighs are located. The cover sheet 4 is provided to reinforce the back sheet 5 described later and to improve the feel. For example, in order to suppress leakage of excrement, a liquid-impermeable nonwoven fabric made of a thermoplastic resin can be used as the material for the cover sheet 4. Examples of thermoplastic resins include polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The cover sheet 4 is not limited to a single-layer structure, but may be a multi-layer structure having an inner cover sheet and an outer cover sheet.

The diaper 1 has a back sheet 5 (an example of the "non-skin-facing sheet" in this application), an absorbent 6, and a top sheet 7 (an example of the "skin-facing sheet" in this application) which are laminated in order on the wearer-facing surface of the cover sheet 4. The back sheet 5, the absorbent 6, and the top sheet 7 are all sheet-like members having a substantially rectangular appearance, and are laminated in order on the cover sheet 4 with their longitudinal direction coinciding with the longitudinal direction of the cover sheet 4. The back sheet 5, like the cover sheet 4, is a sheet formed from a liquid-impermeable thermoplastic resin material to suppress leakage of excrement. The back sheet 5 is preferably made of a material that also has moisture permeability in order to suppress stuffiness when worn. The top sheet 7 is made of an air-through nonwoven fabric formed containing thermoplastic resin fibers, which is arranged on the wearer's skin-facing surface so as to cover the water-absorbing surface of the absorbent 6. The top sheet 7 is liquid-permeable in part or in whole. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is worn, liquid excreted by the wearer passes through the top sheet 7, which may come into contact with the wearer's skin, and enters the absorbent body 6, where it is absorbed. The top sheet 7 may also be hydrophilic. The longitudinal direction of the diaper 1 is the same as the longitudinal directions of the absorbent body 6 and the top sheet 7.

The back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 all extend from the front body region 1F to the rear body region 1R. Therefore, when the wearer's private parts are covered with the cover sheet 4 in which the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are laminated, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back sheet 5, absorbent body 6, and top sheet 7 are located on the wearer's ventral side and back side. In other words, the wearer's private parts are covered by the absorbent body 6 from the wearer's ventral side to the back side. Therefore, whether the wearer is in a ventral or back-down position when excreting liquid, the excreted liquid comes into contact with the absorbent body 6 via the top sheet 7.

The diaper 1 also includes elastic members 4SL, 4SR for forming the leg gathers 3AL, 3AR described above, which are provided between the cover sheet 4 and the back sheet 5 so as to stretch in the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1. The elastic members 4SL, 4SR are provided in an appropriate number (three in this embodiment) determined according to the elastic force (contractile force) required for the design of the diaper 1.

The diaper 1 also has long, narrow, strip-shaped side sheets 8L, 8R. The side sheets 8L, 8R are liquid-impermeable sheets provided on the long sides of the top sheet 7. As with the cover sheet 4, the side sheets 8L, 8R have constrictions 8KL, 8KR at the locations where the wearer's thighs are located. The side sheets 8L, 8R have elastic members 8EL, 8ER arranged along their longitudinal direction to form three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR. When the diaper 1 is worn, i.e., when the diaper 1 is U-shaped in side view, the side sheets 8L, 8R are pulled in the longitudinal direction by the contractile force of the elastic members 8EL, 8ER and rise from the top sheet 7, forming three-dimensional gathers 3BL, 3BR that prevent liquid from leaking out.

In addition, the cover sheet 4 is provided with an elastic member 4C that prevents a gap from forming between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference, and is provided along the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1 on the inner side in the width direction of the diaper 1 from the elastic members 4SL and 4SR. The elastic member 4C is provided according to the elastic force (contractile force) required for the design of the diaper 1.

The elastic member 9ER for forming the waist gather 3R described above is provided between the back sheet 5 and the top sheet 7 at a position further back than the end of the absorbent body 6. The elastic member 9ER is provided between the back sheet 5 and the top sheet 7 with its longitudinal direction, which is the stretch direction, oriented in the left-right direction of the diaper 1. Therefore, when the tapes 2L, 2R provided on both the left and right sides of the elastic member 9ER are attached to the front patch 2F on the abdominal side of the wearer, the elastic member 9ER exerts a contractile force to bring the diaper 1 into close contact with the wearer and prevent the formation of a gap between the diaper 1 and the wearer's abdominal circumference.

The absorbent body 6 has an absorbent core and a core wrap sheet that wraps the entire absorbent core (see Figure 4). The core wrap sheet is made of tissue paper or liquid-permeable nonwoven fabric. The absorbent core is made of short fibers of cellulosic fibers such as pulp fibers, rayon fibers, or cotton fibers, or short fibers of synthetic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate that have been hydrophilically treated.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in a stretched state, as viewed from the skin side. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper 1 in the width direction, taken along line AA in Figure 3. Note that the front patch 2F, elastic members 4C, 4SR, 4SL, 8EL, 8ER, 9ER, and side sheets 8L and 8R are not shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The diaper 1 according to this embodiment comprises compressed portions 20 and recesses 21 formed in a diagonal lattice pattern on a rectangular absorbent body 6. The compressed portions 20 are formed by compressing the absorbent body 6 from the non-skin-facing side. The recesses 21 are formed at positions corresponding to the compressed portions 20 on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 by pressing the absorbent body 6 after forming the compressed portions 20. Here, the corresponding positions refer to positions that overlap in the thickness direction of the diaper 1. The process of forming the compressed portions 20 and the recesses 21 will be described later.

In this embodiment, the compression portion 20 and the recess 21 are formed in the shape of a groove extending diagonally in the absorbent body 6. The diaper 1 can disperse urine discharged by the wearer throughout the absorbent body 6 along the recess 21 provided on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6. The diaper 1 can also disperse urine that has permeated the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 throughout the absorbent body 6 along the compression portion 20. This allows the diaper 1 to efficiently absorb urine discharged by the wearer throughout the absorbent body 6. The diaper 1 can also make the absorbent body 6 easier to bend by providing the compression portion 20 and the recess 21 in the absorbent body 6, thereby improving the fit of the diaper 1 to the wearer. The diaper 1 can also ensure breathability on the skin-facing side by providing the recess 21 on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6, thereby suppressing stuffiness when worn.

The compressed portion 20 is formed by compressing the absorbent body 6. The compressed portion becomes hard, and if the compressed portion 20 indirectly touches the wearer's skin through the sheet, it will feel unpleasant to the touch and the fit will be reduced. However, in this embodiment, the compressed portion 20 is formed on the non-skin side, so the compressed portion 20 will not indirectly touch the wearer's skin through the sheet. In addition, the recessed portion 21 is formed by pressing, not by compression, and is therefore less hard than the compressed portion 20. Therefore, the diaper 1 can suppress the fit from being reduced even if the recessed portion 21 touches the wearer through the top sheet 7, thereby improving the fit.

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the compressed portion 20 and the recess 21 in Figure 4. The top sheet 7 is not bonded to the entire surface of the recess 21, and is bonded to the surface of the absorbent body 6 outside the recess 21 by a hot melt adhesive 30. In the diaper 1 according to this embodiment, the absorbent body 6 has SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer) particle groups 32, which are highly absorbent polymers, arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6A. SAP is a hydrophilic polymer with a cross-linked structure that can absorb and retain water. SAP is granular, and the SAP particle groups 32 are formed by gathering a large number of SAP. In the absorbent core 6A, the volume change of SAP before and after absorbing liquid basically occurs within the short fibers that hold the SAP in the gaps. Therefore, when the entire absorbent core 6A is viewed from above, it can be said that the expansion rate of the thickness of the absorbent core 6A that has absorbed liquid is not as large as the expansion rate of the SAP itself.

In addition, the SAP particles of this embodiment refer to a resin composition containing SAP in a granular form. The term "SAP-containing resin composition" as used here is a concept that encompasses both a composition consisting of SAP alone and a composition in which SAP is the main component and other substances are contained to the extent that they do not adversely affect water absorption. Examples of "other substances" include additives (such as surface modifiers added to make the particle surface hydrophobic), unreacted monomers remaining during the synthesis of SAP, etc.

In the diaper 1 according to this embodiment, SAP particle groups 32 are arranged on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent core 6A, so that the fibers on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent core 6A and the SAP particles become entangled with each other, exerting an anchoring effect. When the absorbent core 6A is squeezed or compressed, a restoring force is generated in response, but the anchoring effect of the SAP suppresses the restoring force of the absorbent core 6A. In the diaper 1, the anchoring effect suppresses the restoring force of the absorbent core 6A, which makes it easier to maintain the shape of the compressed portion 20. The anchoring effect is exerted to a greater extent as the density of the SAP in the absorbent core 6A increases and the entanglement between the SAP and the absorbent core 6A becomes stronger.

Furthermore, by disposing the SAP particle group 32 on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent core 6A, the absorbent core 6A mainly absorbs and retains urine on the non-skin facing side, so that the non-skin facing side of the absorbent core 6A expands after absorbing urine. Therefore, the absorbent core 6A is less likely to expand on the skin facing side even after absorbing urine, and the shape of the recesses 21 formed on the skin facing side can be easily maintained. As a result, the diaper 1 can ensure breathability by maintaining the shape of the recesses 21 even after absorbing urine, and can improve the wearing comfort.

Next, a method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to the present embodiment is characterized by the steps of forming the compressed portion 20 and the recessed portion 21 in the absorbent body 6, and therefore these steps will be mainly described below. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an overview of the method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to the present embodiment. In the method for manufacturing the diaper according to the present embodiment, first, SAP particles are dispersed on the non-skin side of the absorbent core 6A (step S101, an example of the "SAP placement step" in this application). Next, the absorbent body 6 is compressed from the non-skin side to form the compressed portion 20 (step S102, an example of the "compression step" in this application). Next, the absorbent body 6 is pressed to form the recessed portion 21 at a position corresponding to the compressed portion 20 on the skin side of the absorbent body 6 (step S103, an example of the "recess formation step" in this application). By pressing the absorbent body 6, the skin side of the absorbent body 6 at a position corresponding to the compressed portion 20 is recessed to the non-skin side, and the recessed portion 21 is formed. Next, the top sheet 7 is attached in a stretched state to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 (step S104, an example of the "skin-facing sheet attachment process" in this application). In this embodiment, the top sheet attachment process is performed after the recess formation process.

Next, the manufacturing method of the diaper 1 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing apparatus for the diaper 1. The manufacturing apparatus M used in the manufacturing method for the diaper 1 includes a conveying line M10, an SAP spraying device M11, a conveying line M20, a compression section forming device M2, a pressing device M3, an application device M4, and a top sheet supply roller M5. The conveying line M10 is a conveyor that conveys the absorbent core 6A in a fixed direction (the direction of the arrow A1 in the figure). The conveying line M20 is a conveyor that conveys the absorbent body 6 and the top sheet 7 in a fixed direction (the direction of the arrow A1 in the figure). In the manufacturing process, the absorbent body 6 and the top sheet 7 are continuous bodies, and the absorbent body 6 and the top sheet 7 for one diaper are obtained by dividing them individually.

On the conveying line M10, the absorbent core 6A is conveyed with the non-skin-facing side facing up. The SAP spraying device M11 sprays SAP particles onto the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6A (step S101 shown in FIG. 6). After the SAP particles are sprayed onto the absorbent core 6A, it is wrapped in a core wrap sheet 6B (not shown). This completes the absorbent body 6. The absorbent body 6 is then transported to the conveying line M20 where the next manufacturing process takes place.

In the conveying line M20, the absorbent 6 is conveyed with the skin side facing up. The compression section forming device M2 has an anvil roller M21 and a compression roller M22. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the compression section forming device M2. The anvil roller M21 is arranged on the skin side of the absorbent 6 (upper side in the figure), and the compression roller M22 is arranged on the non-skin side of the absorbent 6 (lower side in the figure). The anvil roller M21 and the compression roller M22 are arranged opposite each other with a predetermined clearance. The compression roller M22 has a convex portion M22C that compresses the non-skin side of the absorbent 6. The convex portion M22C is formed in a diagonal lattice shape with respect to the absorbent 6 passing through. In FIG. 8, the convex portion M22C of the part hidden by the absorbent 6 is also illustrated by a solid line for explanation. The anvil roller M21 and the compression roller M22 are made of metal such as iron. The compressed portion forming device M2 passes the absorbent body 6, which has flowed from the upstream side of the conveyor line M20, between the anvil roller M21 and the compression roller M22, and compresses the non-skin-facing side with the convex portions M22C (step S102 shown in FIG. 6). This forms the compressed portions 20 in the absorbent body 6.

A press device M3 is provided downstream of the compression section forming device M2 in the conveying path of the conveying line M20. The press device M3 has a press roller M31 and an anvil roller M32. The press roller M31 and the anvil roller M32 are arranged facing each other with a predetermined clearance. The press roller M31 and the anvil roller M32 are made of metal such as iron. The press device M2 presses the absorbent body 6 by passing the absorbent body 6 flowing from the upstream side of the conveying line M20 between the press roller M31 and the anvil roller M32 (step S103 shown in FIG. 6). By pressing the absorbent body 6, the skin side at the position corresponding to the compression section 20 is recessed to the non-skin side, and a recess 21 is formed.

Applicator M4 is provided downstream of press device M3 on the conveying path of conveyor line M20. Applicator M4 applies hot melt adhesive to the skin side of absorbent body 6. Applicator M4 has multiple nozzles, and by ejecting hot melt adhesive from each nozzle, applies hot melt adhesive to absorbent body 6 in stripes or dots.

A top sheet supply roller M5 is provided downstream of the coating device M4 on the transport path of the transport line M20. The top sheet supply roller M5 places the top sheet 7, which is a continuous body, from a long raw material roll onto the absorbent body 6 placed on the transport line M20. At this time, the top sheet 7 is placed on the absorbent body 6 in a stretched state (step S104 shown in Figure 6).

The manufacturing method of the diaper 1 according to this embodiment squeezes the absorbent body 6 from the non-skin side to form the compressed portion 20, and presses the absorbent body 6 to form the recess 21 at a position corresponding to the compressed portion 20 on the skin side of the absorbent body 6. The recess 21 is formed by pressing, not squeezing, and is therefore less hard than the compressed portion 20. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the diaper 1 according to this embodiment, even if the recess 21 touches the wearer through the top sheet 7, it is possible to suppress a decrease in fit, thereby improving fit.

In addition, in this embodiment, after the recesses 21 are formed, the top sheet 7 is attached in a stretched state to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6. This prevents the top sheet 7 from sinking into the recesses 21, or causes the top sheet 7 to sink only slightly into the recesses 21, and prevents the recesses 21 from touching the wearer's skin via the top sheet 7, improving the fit.

In addition, if the absorbent 6 is squeezed from the skin-facing side with the top sheet 7 attached to it, there is a risk that the top sheet 7 will be loaded and broken. In this embodiment, the absorbent 6 is squeezed from the non-skin-facing side before the top sheet 7 is attached to the skin-facing side of the absorbent 6, so that the top sheet 7 is not squeezed as well, and squeezing the absorbent 6 from the non-skin-facing side prevents the skin-facing side of the core wrap sheet 6B from breaking due to squeezing. This prevents the SAP contained in the absorbent core 6A from spilling onto the skin-facing side.

In addition, by arranging the SAP particle group 32 on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent core 6A, an anchor effect is exerted, suppressing the restoring force of the absorbent core 6A and making it easier for the shape of the compressed portion 20 to be maintained.

<Modification 1-1>
Next, a method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to the modified example 1-1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an outline of the method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to this modified example. In the method for manufacturing the diaper according to this modified example, after the top sheet 7 is attached in a stretched state to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 (after step S104), the back sheet 5 is attached to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 (step S105, an example of the "non-skin-facing sheet attachment step" in this application). In step S105, at least a part of the surface of the compressed portion 20 is not bonded to the back sheet 5. As a result, a gap is formed between the compressed portion 20 and the back sheet 5, so that the compressed portion 20 can function as a flow path for diffusing urine. As a result, the diaper 1 can easily diffuse urine on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6, and can absorb and retain more urine on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6. Therefore, the diaper 1 can maintain the shape of the recesses 21 formed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 even after absorbing urine, and the recesses 21 can ensure breathability. Furthermore, by covering the non-skin side of the absorbent body 6, which is the side that is compressed, with the back sheet 5, even if the non-skin side of the core wrap sheet 6B is torn, SAP can be prevented from spilling out to the outside of the diaper 1.

Next, the manufacturing method of the diaper 1 according to this modified example will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing apparatus for the diaper 1. The manufacturing apparatus M used in the manufacturing method for the diaper 1 includes a conveying line M30, an application device M7, and a backsheet supply roller M8. The conveying line M30 is a conveyor that conveys the backsheet 5, absorbent body 6, and topsheet 7 in a fixed direction (the direction of the arrow A1 in the figure). In the manufacturing process, the backsheet 5, absorbent body 6, and topsheet 7 are continuous bodies, and the backsheet 5, absorbent body 6, and topsheet 7 for one diaper are obtained by dividing them individually. Note that the topsheet 7 has already been attached to the absorbent body 6, and the absorbent body 6 and topsheet 7 are conveyed with the absorbent body 6 on the upper side.

The applicator M7 has multiple nozzles that dispense hot melt adhesive, and applies the hot melt adhesive to the absorbent body 6 in stripes or dots. A back sheet supply roller M8 is provided downstream of the applicator M7 on the conveying path of the conveying line M30. The back sheet supply roller M8 places the back sheet 5, which is a continuous body, from a long original roll onto the absorbent body 6 placed on the conveying line M30. At this time, the back sheet 5 is placed on the absorbent body 6 in a stretched state (step S105 shown in FIG. 9). As in this modified example, a gap can be formed between the compressing section 20 and the back sheet 5 by not adhering at least a part of the surface of the compressing section 20 to the back sheet 5.

Furthermore, urine that reaches the non-skin side of the absorbent 6 spreads throughout the absorbent 6 through the compression section 20. Because SAP is disposed on the non-skin side of the absorbent core 6A, the absorbent 6 retains urine on the non-skin side, which causes the non-skin side to expand. As a result, the absorbent core 6A is less likely to expand on the skin side even after absorbing urine, making it easier to maintain the shape of the recesses 21 formed on the skin side.

<Modification 1-2>
Next, a method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to Modification 1-2 of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the absorbent body 6, viewed from the skin-facing side, to which the hot melt adhesive 30 has been applied. In this modification, lattice points 21A where recesses 21 formed in a lattice pattern intersect with each other are not bonded to the top sheet 7.

In the manufacturing method of the diaper 1 according to this modified example, the hot melt adhesive 30 is applied in stripes, avoiding the lattice points 21A, as shown in FIG. 6, by the application device M4 shown in FIG. 7. As a result, even if the top sheet 7 falls into the recess 21 during the manufacturing process of the diaper 1, the lattice points 21A can be made non-adherent to the top sheet 7. The lattice points 21A are the hardest parts of the recess 21, and by making the lattice points 21A non-adherent to the top sheet 7, the contact with the wearer's skin can be made softer, improving the wearing comfort.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a diaper 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. The same components as those of the diaper 1 and manufacturing apparatus M according to the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described. Fig. 12 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in a stretched state as viewed from the skin side. Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the diaper 1 in the width direction taken along line BB in Fig. 12. The front patch 2F, elastic members 4C, 4SR, 4SL, 8EL, 8ER, 9ER, and side sheets 8L and 8R are not shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

The diaper 1 according to this embodiment has a through hole 22 extending from the skin-facing side to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6A. The through hole 22 is formed in the front body region 1F side of the crotch region 1B at the center of the width of the absorbent body 6. This position is the position where the urethral opening of the wearer is located when the diaper 1 is worn. As shown in FIG. 13, the through hole 22 is formed by penetrating the absorbent core 6A from the skin-facing side to the non-skin-facing side. The diaper 1 according to this embodiment moves urine to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 by the through hole 22. In addition, the diaper 1 according to this embodiment moves urine to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 by making at least a part of the surface of the compression portion 20 and the back sheet 5 non-adhesive as in the modified example 1-1 of the above embodiment 1, so that when a gap is formed between the compression portion 20 and the back sheet 5, the urine is moved to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 by the through hole 22, and a larger amount of urine can be diffused to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6 by the compression portion 20. The diaper 1 allows urine to be easily diffused on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent 6, and can absorb and retain more urine on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent 6. Therefore, the diaper 1 can maintain the shape of the recesses 21 formed on the skin-facing side of the absorbent 6 even after absorbing urine, and the recesses 21 ensure breathability.

Next, a method for manufacturing the diaper 1 according to this embodiment will be described. The manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes a hole forming step for forming the through holes 22 in the absorbent body 6. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an overview of the manufacturing method for the diaper 1 according to this embodiment. In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, SAP particles are first dispersed on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6A (step S201, an example of the "SAP placement step" in this application). The step 201 is the same as the step S101. Next, the through holes 22 are formed in the absorbent core 6A of the absorbent body 6 by a punching device (step S202, an example of the "hole forming step" in this application). Next, steps S203 to S206 are the same as steps S102 to S105 in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. Note that the order of the steps S201 and S202 can be reversed. The through holes 22 may also be formed so as to penetrate the core wrap sheet 6B.

<Other embodiments>
Next, other embodiments will be described. The diaper 1 according to the above embodiment is a tape-type diaper, but the manufacturing method and manufacturing device for absorbent articles according to the present invention can be applied to the manufacture of pants-type diapers. In addition, in the above embodiment, the compressed parts 20 and the recesses 21 are formed in a lattice pattern, but this is not limited thereto, and they may be formed in a dot pattern or a stripe pattern. By providing the recesses 21 on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body 6, the diaper 1 can reduce the area that comes into contact with the wearer's skin, improving the wearing comfort.

In the above embodiment, the top sheet 7 may be made of two nonwoven fabrics, with the lower sheet being an example of the skin-facing sheet. The absorbent body 6 may be configured without the core wrap sheet 6B. A group of SAP particles may be arranged on the skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6A. In this case, more SAP particles are arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent core 6A than on the skin-facing side. The above embodiments and variations can be combined with each other.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Diaper 1B: Crotch region 1F: Front body region 1R: Back body region 2F: Front patch 2L, 2R: Tape 3BL, 3BR: Three-dimensional gathers 3R: Waist gathers 4: Cover sheet 4KL, 4KR: Constrictions 4C, 4SL, 4SR, 8EL, 8ER, 9ER: Elastic member 5: Back sheet 6: Absorbent body 6A: Absorbent core 6B: Core wrap sheet 7: Top sheet 8: Side sheet 20: Compressed portion 21: Depressed portion 21A: Lattice point 22: Through hole 30: Hot melt adhesive 32: SAP particle group M: Manufacturing device M2: Compressed portion forming device M3: Press device M4: Coating device M5: Top sheet supply roller M6: Press device M7: Coating device M8: Back sheet supply roller M10, M20, M30: Conveyor line M11: SAP spraying device

Claims (7)

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article having an absorbent body that absorbs liquid discharged by a wearer, comprising:
a SAP arranging step of arranging particles of SAP, which is a highly absorbent polymer, on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body;
a squeezing step of squeezing the absorbent body from the non-skin facing side to form a squeezed portion;
a recess forming step of pressing the absorbent body to form recesses at positions corresponding to the compressed portions on the skin-facing side of the absorbent body;
A method for manufacturing an absorbent article comprising the steps of: In the compressing step, the compressing portion is formed in a groove shape,
In the recess forming step, the recess is formed in a groove shape.
A method for producing the absorbent article according to claim 1. 3. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, further comprising: a non-skin-facing sheet attaching step of attaching a non-skin-facing sheet to the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body, the non-skin-facing sheet being attached to at least a portion of a surface of the compressed portion such that the non-skin-facing sheet is not adhered to at least a portion of the surface of the compressed portion. The absorbent body has an absorbent core,
The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1 , further comprising: a hole forming step of forming a through hole penetrating the absorbent core from the skin-facing side to the non-skin-facing side. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1 , further comprising: a skin-facing side sheet attaching step of attaching a skin-facing side sheet in a stretched state to the skin-facing side of the absorbent body after the recess forming step. In the squeezing step, the squeezing portion is formed in a lattice shape,
In the recess forming step, the recess is formed in a lattice shape,
The lattice points of the recesses are not bonded to the skin-facing sheet.
A method for producing the absorbent article according to claim 5. An absorbent article having an absorbent body that absorbs liquid discharged by a wearer,
A group of particles of SAP, which is a highly absorbent polymer, arranged on the non-skin-facing side of the absorbent body;
A compressed portion formed on the non-skin facing side of the absorbent body;
A recess formed at a position corresponding to the compressed portion on the skin side of the absorbent body;
An absorbent article comprising:

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