Kao Corporation

Koji Kanazawa

Hideyuki Kobayashi

Wataru Saka

Tetsuya Masuki

Takanobu Miyamoto

Akihiko Gunji

Manabu Matsui

Akira Noda

Takeshi Miyamura

Hiroshi Kohira

In a process of producing a stretch sheet, a strip-shaped laminate sheetA having an elastically stretchable elastic layerand substantially inelastic, inelastic fiber layersandpartially joined to each other at bondsor a strip-shaped fibrous sheet containing an elastic component and a substantially inelastic component and having embossed regions formed by embossing in parts is stretched in directions starting from the bondsor the embossed regions to obtain a stretch sheet. The stretch sheet has raised ridges and recessed grooves extending in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction, and the bondsor the embossed regions are present in the ridges.

Stretch sheet and process of producing the same

A stretch nonwoven fabriccontains inelastic fibers having a varied thickness along the length and elastic fibers. The nonwoven fabricpreferably includes an elastic fiber layerand a substantially inelastic, inelastic fiber layeron at least one side of the elastic fiber layer. The fibers with a varied thickness along the length are contained in the inelastic fiber layer. The nonwoven fabricis conveniently produced by (a) superposing a web containing low-drawn, inelastic fibers having an elongation of 80% to 800% on at least one side of a web containing elastic fibers, (b) subjecting the webs, while in a non-united state, to through-air technique to obtain a fibrous sheet having the webs united together by thermal bonding the fibers at their intersections, and (c) stretching the fibrous sheet in at least one direction to draw the low-drawn inelastic fibers, followed by releasing the sheet from the stretch.

Stretch nonwoven fabric

An absorbent articlecomprising a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent memberis disclosed. The backsheetcomprises a laminated sheet composed of a breathable filmprinted with a multicolor patternand nonwoven materials 3and 3superposed on the printed side of the film. The printed area of the film has an L* value of 10 to 93 and a C* value of 20 to 120 as measured with a color difference meter. The nonwoven materialsandhave a light transmittance of 40 to 83%.

Absorbent article

Growing community of inventors

Tochigi, Japan

Koji Kanazawa