Unicharm Corporation

Yoshihiko Matsumoto

Hiroki Yamamoto

Kenichi Akaki

Takumi Nakano

Shinichi Ishikawa

Akihide Ninomiya

Tetsushi Shinohara

A factory for manufacturing an absorbent article includes a building that includes an upper story and a lower story located below the upper story. The upper story and lower story include a floor, a wall provided along an entire periphery of the floor, an illumination device provided on a ceiling, and an air conditioner having an air outlet for discharging air, respectively. An opening is formed in the floor of the upper story. The upper story includes a paying-out device to which a material coil on which a nonwoven fabric is wound is attached and that pays out the nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric serves as at least one type among a plurality of types of materials. The lower story includes a processing section that processes the plurality of types including the nonwoven fabric that is transported from the upper story through the opening.

Factory for manufacturing absorbent article

Method for manufacturing an absorbent article, the method including: while a lower bandlike member is transported in a transport direction, a process in which a cutting position is determined and an adhesion area is formed by putting adhesive on each side of the cutting position of the lower bandlike member in the transport direction; a process in which elastic members are placed so that a part of each of the elastic members overlaps the adhesion area, the elastic members being stretched in the transport direction; a process in which an upper bandlike member is stacked on and adheres to the lower bandlike member and the elastic member on the adhesion area; a process in which the lower bandlike member and the upper bandlike member are folded on the center in the intersecting direction; a process in which a welded section on which the lower bandlike member and the upper bandlike member are to be welded to each other is formed on each side of the cutting position in the transport direction; a process in which and the lower bandlike member, the upper bandlike member and the elastic members are cut together on the cutting position, a lower exterior member and an upper exterior member which are shaped in the form of underpants are cut and separated, the elastic members which are stretched in the transport direction contract towards the adhesion area from positions at which the elastic members are cut, the contraction being performed while the elastic members shifting relative to the lower exterior member and the upper exterior member.

Method for manufacturing absorbent article

A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a composite sheet associated with an absorbent article, including: a producing device that produces a substrate sheet by fixing a stretchable sheet to at least low-extensible sheet, the stretchable sheet continuing along a transporting direction, the stretchable sheet being in an extended state in which the stretchable sheet is extended in the transporting direction, the producing is performed while the producing device is transporting the stretchable sheet; a reference-section forming apparatus that forms a physical reference section on the substrate sheet, the substrate sheet being in a first extended state and being transported; a contraction apparatus in which the substrate sheet that has the reference section formed on it contracts until the substrate sheet becomes in a second extended state whose extension ratio is smaller than an extension ratio of the first extended state; and a processing apparatus that performs the certain process to the substrate sheet, the substrate sheet having contracted and being in the second extended state. The contraction apparatus includes: a transport path in which the substrate sheet is transported; a sensor that detects the reference section after the contraction in the contraction apparatus and that outputs a detection signal; and an alteration device that alters a transportation state of the substrate sheet in the transport path so that a position in the substrate sheet for the certain process is located close to a target position for the certain process, the alteration being performed according to the detection signal of the sensor.

Manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for manufacturing composite sheet associated with absorbent article

A fixing device for fixing an elastic sheet and a low-stretchable sheet via fixing parts while superposing the sheets in a thickness direction includes: a rotating member including protrusions on an outer peripheral surface to form the fixing parts and rotatable along a transport direction; and a sandwiching member arranged at a predetermined position of the rotating member in a rotational direction, and sandwiching the sheets by a surface portion in cooperation with each of the protrusions to form the fixing parts when each of the protrusions passes through the predetermined position, the surface portion being larger than a top surface of each of the protrusions. At a sandwiching position in which the sheets are sandwiched cooperatively by the sandwiching member and the rotating member, the low-stretchable sheet is located between the elastic sheet and the top surface of each of the protrusions of the rotating member.

Fixing device of plurality of sheets associated with absorbent article, and fixing method

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article, the method including: while a lower bandlike member is transported in a transport direction, a process in which a cutting position is determined and an adhesion area is formed on each side of the cutting position of the lower bandlike member in the transport direction; a process in which leg elastic members are placed so that a part of each of the leg elastic members overlaps the adhesion area, the leg elastic members being stretched in a direction having a component parallel to the transport direction; a process in which an upper bandlike member is stacked on and adheres to the lower bandlike member and the leg elastic member on the adhesion area; a process in which the lower bandlike member and the upper bandlike member are folded on the center in the intersecting direction; a process in which a welded section on which the lower bandlike member and the upper bandlike member are to be welded to each other is formed on each side of the cutting position in the transport direction; a process in which and the lower bandlike member, the upper bandlike member and the leg elastic members are cut together on the cutting position, a lower exterior member and an upper exterior member which are shaped in the form of underpants are cut and separated, the leg elastic members which are stretched contract towards the adhesion area from positions at which the leg elastic members are cut, the contraction being performed while the leg elastic members shifting relative to the lower exterior member and the upper exterior member.

A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article, the manufacturing apparatus including: an upstream transport mechanism and a downstream transport mechanism that transports a stretchable sheet-like member along a transporting direction, the stretchable sheet-like member continuing along the transporting direction; an extension-ratio adjustment mechanism that is located between the upstream transport mechanism and the downstream transport mechanism, and that adjusts an extension ratio at which the stretchable sheet-like member extends in the transporting direction; and a processing apparatus that performs the certain process to the stretchable sheet-like member that is being transported by the downstream transport mechanism. When the upstream transport mechanism transports a first stretchable sheet-like member in which parts to be the absorbent article are lined up at a first pitch in the transporting direction, the extension-ratio adjustment mechanism adjusts an extension ratio of the first stretchable sheet-like member so that the parts to be the absorbent article are lined up at a predetermined pitch. When the upstream transport mechanism transports a second stretchable sheet-like member in which the parts to be the absorbent article are lined up at a second pitch in the transporting direction, the second pitch being different from the first pitch, the extension-ratio adjustment mechanism adjusts an extension ratio of the second stretchable sheet-like member so that the parts to be the absorbent article are lined up at the predetermined pitch.

Manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for manufacturing absorbent article

An ultrasonic processing system adapted to subject a web running in a machine direction to ultrasonic processing includes a first mechanical element defined by one of an ultrasonic horn and an anvil and a second mechanical element defined by a remainder. The web placed on an outer peripheral surface of a rotary drum moves conforming to the drum in a machine direction. The first mechanical element is provided on the inner side of the drum and the second mechanical element is provided on the outer side of the drum. The first and second mechanical elements repeat a step of forward movement and a step of backward movement in a direction intersecting the machine direction across the web. In both steps, the first and second mechanical elements come in close contact with each other by the intermediary of the web and thereby subject the web to the ultrasonic processing.

System and method for subjecting web to ultrasonic processing

An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article includes a guide member that guides an elastic member fed on a web configuring a component of the absorbent article and being conveyed in a continuous state. The guide member includes: an arm member having a tip portion that is a feeding position of the elastic member to the web, and a base portion separated from the tip portion; a first drive member that swings the arm member about the base portion of the arm member as a rotational axis; and a second drive member that performs a back and forth movement of the arm member and the first drive member along a cross direction that crosses a conveyance direction in which the web is conveyed.

Apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article and method for manufacturing absorbent article

An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article includes a guide member that guides an elastic member fed on a web configuring a component of the absorbent article and being conveyed in a continuous state. The guide member includes: an arm member having a tip portion that is a feeding position of the elastic member to the web, and a base portion separated from the tip portion; a first driving member that swings the arm member about the base portion of the arm member as a rotational axis; and a second driving member that performs a back and forth movement of the arm member and the first driving member in a first direction in which the tip portion is close to a contact point where the elastic member is in contact with the web, and a second direction in which the tip portion is separated from the contact point.

A method of producing a stretchable sheet that involves: passing a nonwoven fabric including a plurality of types of fibers through a gap between a pair of gear rolls and that rotate while a plurality of teeth and formed on an outer circumferential surface and of each of the pair of gear rolls and engage with one another; and drawing the nonwoven fabric in a circumferential direction of the gear rolls and by the teeth. A circumferential velocity S of the gear rolls and is within a range of 50 to 300 m/min. A maximum value of distortion per unit time applied to the nonwoven fabric in the gap between the pair of gear rolls and is within a range of 5 to 100 sec.

Method of manufacturing stretchable sheet

An apparatus and a method for ultrasonic processing improved so as to prevent a fibrous web from being disfigured due to the ultrasonic processing. In an apparatus to ultrasonically process a fibrous web running in a machine direction MD, a first mechanical element defined by one of an ultrasonic horn and an anvil and a second mechanical element defined by the other of the ultrasonic horn and the anvil are moved forward or backward in a direction crossing the machine direction MD so as to pass transversely across the fibrous web.

Apparatus and method for ultrasonic processing of a fibrous web

The present invention provides a method includes the steps of: conveying in a conveyance direction MD a second web in which components forming one part of an absorbent article are sequentially arranged; swinging an elastic member in a cross direction CD at a predetermined cycle by using a swing guide mechanism for guiding the elastic member; and pressing, between one pair of press rollers, the second web on which the elastic member is arranged. The swing guide mechanism has a motor with a rotational shaft, an arm member for guiding the elastic member to a predetermined position on the second web in the cross direction, and a speed reducer provided between the rotational shaft and a base of the arm member to make a rotational speed of the arm member slower than a rotational speed of the rotational shaft.

Manufacturing method of absorbent article and manufacturing apparatus of absorbent article

A stretchable sheet having a large stretch amount is produced by increasing a drawing amount given to the nonwoven fabric. A method for producing the stretchable sheet from a nonwoven fabric containing a plurality of types of fibers, that is the nonwoven fabric having a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction. The method includes a first drawing step of drawing the nonwoven fabric in the longitudinal direction by applying a tension in the longitudinal direction of the nonwoven fabric, and a second drawing step of drawing, in the longitudinal direction, the nonwoven fabric that has been drawn in the first drawing step with a plurality of teeth formed on outer circumferential faces of each of a pair of gear rolls, the drawing being performed by passing the nonwoven fabric through a gap between the gear rolls that rotate while the teeth are being engaged with one another.

Method for producing stretchable sheet

A stretching apparatus for thermoplastic synthetic resin improved so as to ensure that a web can be easily stretched over its entire width. The stretching apparatusfor a thermoplastic synthetic resin webcomprises a plurality of first stretching members L arranged in a circumferential direction on a peripheral surface of a drumrotating in a machine direction M. The drumis provided around its rotating shaftwith rotatable membersadapted to rotate in synchronization with the drumin the direction in which the drumrotates. The rotatable membersare respectively provided with a plurality of second stretching members U operatively associated with the first stretching members U. Surfaces of the first and second stretching members L, U associated with each other are defined by convex portionsand concave portionsextending in parallel to the shaftand alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the drumin a complementary fashion to each other so that these surfaces of the first and second stretching members L, U configured in this manner may be engaged with and disengaged from each other. At least one of the first stretching member L and the second stretching member U is movable in the radial direction of the drum

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Kagawa, Japan

Yoshihiko Matsumoto