CN108697543B

CN108697543B - Method and apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article

Info

Publication number: CN108697543B
Application number: CN201680082791.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 石川宜秀; 多田浩亚希
Original assignee: Unicharm Corp
Current assignee: Unicharm Corp
Priority date: 2016-02-29
Filing date: 2016-02-29
Publication date: 2020-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 2036-02-29
Also published as: WO2017149609A1; JPWO2017149609A1; JP6051349B1; CN108697543A

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article (1s) comprises producing the absorbent article using a first material (3) and a second material (4). The first material is supplied from a first material joining device (20) and the second material is supplied from a second material joining device (50). The number of replacements per unit time of the first material coil on the one and the other first rotational axis associated with the first material engagement means is larger than the number of replacements per unit time of the second material coil on the one and the other second rotational axis associated with the second material engagement means.

Description

Method and apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article such as a disposable diaper.

Background

In a production line of disposable diapers exemplifying absorbent articles, various types of materials 3 ' associated with the diapers are brought into the production line in the form of respective material loops 3C ', wherein the materials 3 ' are wound in a coil-like manner. As shown in fig. 1A, the material joining device 20 ' bonds the material 3f ' with the material 3a ' before the material 3a ' continuously fed from the material coil 3Ca ' is exhausted; the material 3f 'is a coil of material 3 Cf' that has not yet been fed. The material 3' is thus continuously fed to the processing means of the production line without interruption.

More specifically, the material joining device 20 ' includes two rotation shafts 24a ' (24 ') and 24f ' (24 ') that can be driven and rotated while supporting the material coil 3C. One rotation shaft 24 a' is driven and rotated, and thereby, the material 3a is fed from the material coil 3Ca as the preceding material 3 a. And, when the material 3a ' of the material coil 3Ca ' is about to be exhausted, the following material 3f ' is bonded to the material 3 a; the trailing material 3f 'is the material 3 f' of the new material coil 3Cf 'supported by another rotation axis 24 f'.

[ list of references ]

[ patent document ]

[ patent document 1] European patent application publication No. 2491909.

Disclosure of Invention

[ problem ] to

For such material joining apparatus, there are two types. The first is to bond the following material 3f ' with the preceding material 3a ' while keeping the two rotation shafts 24a ' and 24f ' rotated, similarly to the material joining apparatus 20 ' described in patent document 1. The second bonds the following material 3f 'with the preceding material 3 a', while stopping the rotation of both the two rotation shafts 64a '(64') and 64f '(64'), as shown in fig. 1B.

In the type 1 material joining apparatus 20 ', in preparation for bonding, if a worker attaches the succeeding material coil 3 Cf' which is not fed to the rotary shaft 24f ', the bonding operation thereafter is generally automatically performed by the type 1 material joining apparatus 20'. This reduces the burden on the worker. However, there is a problem in that the material joining apparatus 20' is expensive.

In contrast, the class 2 material bonding apparatus 60' is inexpensive. However, in the type 2 material joining device 60 ', in preparation for bonding, the worker must not only attach the rear material coil, which is not fed, to the rotating shaft 64f ', but also pull the material 3f ' from the rear material coil 3Cf ' to set the front end portion 3fe ' of the material 3f ' to a certain bonding member 67K '. Thus, the class 2 material joining device 60' has a problem in that a burden on a worker is large.

Thus, if all the material joining apparatuses in the production line are the class 1 material joining apparatus 20', the facility cost is increased. On the other hand, if all the material joining apparatuses are the class 2 material joining apparatus 60', the burden on the worker is increased.

To achieve both goals, it is contemplated that both class 1 material bonding apparatus 20 'and class 2 material bonding apparatus 60' are employed.

In the production line, as described above, a plurality of types of materials 3 'are used, and the time span until the material 3' is exhausted from the material coil 3C 'differs depending on the type of the material 3'. For example, one type of material 3 ' is depleted from the material coil 3C ' within 30 minutes, while another type of material 3 ' is depleted within 60 minutes. That is, some types of materials 3 ' have a large number of replacements per unit time on the rotational axis 24 ' (64 ') of the material coil 3C ', while other types of materials 3 ' have a small number of replacements.

It is assumed that the above-described type 2 material joining apparatus 60 'is adopted for the material 3' having a large number of replacements per unit time. In this case, since the preparation work for adhesion is more complicated than the class 1 material joining device 20', there is a risk that the burden of the worker is significantly increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an advantage in that an increase in facility cost and an increase in worker burden caused by the adoption of the material joining device can be suppressed at the same time.

[ solution of problem ]

An aspect of the present invention to achieve the above advantages is

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article using a first material and a second material,

the method comprises the following steps:

bonding the subsequent first material to the preceding first material by using the first material bonding means, while feeding the subsequent first material in succession to the preceding first material,

the preceding first material is fed continuously from the preceding first material coil,

the trailing first material is the first material of the trailing first coil of material;

bonding the subsequent second material with the preceding second material by using a second material bonding means, while feeding the subsequent second material in succession to the preceding second material,

the preceding second material is continuously fed from the preceding second material coil,

the trailing second material is the second material of the trailing second material coil; and

an absorbent article is produced from a first material and a second material,

the first material is supplied from the first material joining apparatus,

the second material is supplied from the second material joining apparatus,

the bonding of the following first material with the preceding first material by the first material joining means is performed by pressing the preceding first material against the outer circumferential surface of the following first material coil,

the preceding first material is fed from the preceding first material coil supported by one of the first rotation shafts that is driven and rotated,

the latter first material coil is rotated by a driving rotating operation of the other of the first rotating shafts,

another first rotation shaft is supported at the rear first material coil,

bonding of the following second material with the preceding second material by the second material joining means is performed by clamping and pressing the preceding second material and the following second material while stopping the feeding operation of the second rotary shaft,

one of the second rotary shafts is supported at the front second material coil,

another one of the second rotary shafts supports a following second material coil,

the number of replacements per unit time of the first material coil on the one first rotation axis and the other first rotation axis associated with the first material engagement device is larger than the number of replacements per unit time of the second material coil on the one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis associated with the second material engagement device.

Further, in the present invention,

an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article using a first material and a second material,

the apparatus comprises:

a first material joining device that feeds a succeeding first material successively to a preceding first material by bonding the succeeding first material to the preceding first material,

the first material is fed continuously from the first material coil,

a second material joining device that feeds the succeeding second material successively to the preceding second material by bonding the succeeding second material with the preceding second material,

the second material is continuously fed from the second material coil in the front,

a generating device that generates an absorbent article from a first material and a second material,

the first material is supplied from the first material joining apparatus,

the second material is supplied from the second material joining apparatus,

another first rotation shaft is supported at the rear first material coil,

one of the second rotary shafts is supported at the front second material coil,

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

[ advantageous effects of the invention ]

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress both an increase in facility cost and an increase in the burden on workers caused by the use of the material joining apparatus.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a schematic side view of an example of a class 1 material bonding apparatus 20 'and fig. 1B is a schematic side view of an example of a class 2 material bonding apparatus 60'.

Fig. 2A is a schematic plan view of an example of the disposable diaper 1s (absorbent article) in an unfolded state, and fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 2A.

Fig. 3A is a schematic side view of the production line LM of the disposable diaper 1s, and fig. 3B is a schematic plan view of the production line LM along the arrow B-B in fig. 3A.

Fig. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating the type 1 material supply device 10 that supplies the material 3 of the back sheet 3s, and is a view along an arrow IV-IV in fig. 3B.

Fig. 4B is a schematic plan view along the arrow B-B in fig. 4A.

Fig. 5 is a schematic enlarged side view of a relevant portion in fig. 4A.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the type 2 material supply device 50 that supplies the material 4 of the leak-proof sheet 4s, and is a view along arrows VI-VI in fig. 3B.

Fig. 7A-7C are enlarged views of section VII in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a schematic side view for illustrating the operation of the class 2 material joining device 60 after the bonding operation.

Fig. 9 is a schematic enlarged view of the portion IX in fig. 3B.

Fig. 10 is a schematic side view of the relationship in the up-down direction between the positions of the class 1 material joining device 20 and the class 2 material joining device 60.

Fig. 11A is a schematic side view of a class 2 material bonding apparatus 60 according to another embodiment.

Fig. 11B is a schematic plan view illustrating a plan arrangement of a class 2 material joining device 60 according to another embodiment corresponding to a site IX in fig. 3B.

Detailed Description

At least the following matters will become clear from the description in the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

the method comprises the following steps:

an absorbent article is produced from a first material and a second material,

the first material is supplied from the first material joining apparatus,

the second material is supplied from the second material joining apparatus,

another first rotation shaft is supported at the rear first material coil,

one of the second rotary shafts is supported at the front second material coil,

With this method for manufacturing an absorbent article, an inexpensive but worker-burdened second material joining device is employed as the second material loop having a small number of replacements per unit time. Further, the first material joining device, which is small in burden on the worker but expensive, is employed as the first material coil having a large number of replacements per unit time. This makes it possible to suppress both an increase in facility cost and an increase in the burden on workers caused by the use of the material joining device.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

the feed length of the second material fed by the second material engagement means for producing individual absorbent articles is shorter than the feed length of the first material fed by the first material engagement means for producing individual absorbent articles.

With such a method for manufacturing absorbent articles, the feed length of the second material for producing a single absorbent article is shorter than the feed length of the first material. This can make the number of times of replacement per unit time of the second material coil in the second material joining device smaller than the number of times of replacement per unit time of the first material coil in the first material joining device.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

includes a first processing device configured to process the first material delivered from the first material bonding device, and

the first support member supports the first rotational shaft of the first material joining device and is different from the support member supporting the first processing device.

With this method for manufacturing an absorbent article, the first support member is different from the support member of the first processing device described above. This makes it possible to reduce the layout restriction that would occur when a single support member is used for both purposes. That is, if a single support member is used for both purposes, it becomes difficult to make a configuration in which: wherein a direction in which the first material is fed in the first material joining apparatus intersects with a conveying direction of the first material in the first processing apparatus when viewed from above. However, as described above, making the first support member different from the support member of the first processing device makes it easier to make such a configuration.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

includes a first processing device configured to process the first material delivered from the first material bonding device,

in the first material joining device, the first material is fed in a feeding direction as a first direction, and in the first processing device, the first material is conveyed in a conveying direction as a second direction,

the second direction intersects the first direction when viewed from above,

the conveying direction changing member is provided between the first material joining device and the first processing device, and changes the conveying direction of the first material from a first direction to a second direction when viewed from above,

the first material engagement means comprises a turntable pivotable about a pivot axis parallel to the first axis of rotation,

one first rotation shaft and the other first rotation shaft are disposed in point-symmetric relation with respect to the pivot axis, and are rotatably supported on the turntable,

the pivoting operation of the turntable enables the one first rotation axis and the other first rotation axis to move from and to two positions determined in the pivoting direction of the turntable,

including a second processing device configured to process the second material delivered from the second material bonding device,

the second material is fed in a feeding direction as a first direction in the second material joining device as viewed from above, and the second material is conveyed in a conveying direction as a second direction in the second processing device as viewed from above,

the conveying direction changing member is provided between the second material joining device and the second processing device, and changes the conveying direction of the second material from the first direction to the second direction when viewed from above,

one second rotation shaft and the other second rotation shaft of the second material joining device are arranged side by side in respective fixed positions in the first direction, and

the pivot axis of the turntable of the first material engagement device is located between one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis in the first direction.

With such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, the pivot axis of the turntable of the first material engagement means is located between one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material engagement means in the first direction. This makes it possible to suppress the degree to which the first material joining device protrudes in the first direction beyond the second material joining device, and as a result, the size of the production line in the first direction in which the manufacturing method is employed can be reduced. This makes it possible to shorten the line of workers, thereby reducing the burden on the workers.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

the second direction intersects the first direction when viewed from above,

of the two positions, one position is located further away from the first processing device in the first direction than the other position,

when a first rotation axis is in one position, a new coil of first material is attached to one first rotation axis.

With this method for manufacturing an absorbent article, when a first rotation axis is located at a position remote from the first handling device, a new coil of first material is attached to the first rotation axis. This makes it possible to perform the attaching operation in a safe location remote from the first processing device.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material joining means are arranged side by side in a respective fixed position in the first direction,

one second rotation axis is located farther away from the second processing device in the first direction than the other second rotation axis, and

if the coil of second material that has not yet been fed is supported by a second rotary shaft,

the first rotation axis at one position of the first material joining means is located within a range in which the second material coil exists in the first direction.

With this method for manufacturing an absorbent article, at one position of the first material engagement means, a new loop of the first material is attached to the first rotation axis; the first rotating shaft at one position is located within a range in which the second material coil that is not fed and supported by one rotating shaft of the second material joining device exists in the first direction. Thus, the worker can move in a relatively short line between the position of one rotation shaft of the second material joining device and the position of the first material joining device. This makes it possible to effectively perform the attaching of the first material coil to the first rotation axis and the attaching of the second material coil to the second rotation axis.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

if a first axis of rotation is located at a position of the first material engagement means,

the first rotation axis is located above one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material joining device in the up-down direction.

With this method for manufacturing an absorbent article, at one position of the first material engagement means, a new coil of first material is attached to the first rotation axis whose previous material is depleted; the position of the first rotation axis in the up-down direction is located above the second rotation axis of the second material joining device. This makes it easier to intuitively recognize the state of the first rotating shaft, which has a large number of replacements per unit time, from a distance. Thereby, if the worker forgets to attach a new coil of the first material to the first rotation shaft, it can be found quickly.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

the second direction intersects the first direction when viewed from above,

the pivoting operation of the turntable enables the one first rotation axis and the other first rotation axis to move from and to the determined two positions in the pivoting direction of the turntable,

one second rotation shaft and the other second rotation shaft of the second material joining device are respectively arranged at respective fixed positions in the first direction, and

one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material engagement means are located in a range in the first direction of a pivot locus of the first material loop when the turn table is pivoted about the pivot axis while one first rotation axis supports the first material loop which has not been fed yet.

With this method for manufacturing an absorbent article, one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material joining device are located in a range in the first direction, which is a pivot locus of the first material loop that is not fed when the turn table of the first material joining device is pivoted about the pivot axis. This makes it possible to suppress the second material joining device from protruding beyond the first material joining device in the first direction, and as a result, the size of the production line employing the manufacturing method in the first direction can be reduced. This makes it possible to shorten the line of workers, thereby reducing the burden on the workers.

In such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, it is desirable that,

the first material is a pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric, and

the method comprises the following steps: an absorbent body associated with an absorbent article is produced by cutting a pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric.

With such a method for manufacturing an absorbent article, an increase in the burden on the worker can be suppressed. That is, since the above pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric generally has a large thickness, the number of times of replacement per unit time of the material loops increases. Therefore, the pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric is fed by the first material joining device in which the burden on the worker is small. This makes it possible to effectively suppress an increase in the burden associated with a large number of replacements per unit time.

Further, in the present invention,

the apparatus comprises:

the first material is fed continuously from the first material coil,

the first material is supplied from the first material joining apparatus,

the second material is supplied from the second material joining apparatus,

another first rotation shaft is supported at the rear first material coil,

one of the second rotary shafts is supported at the front second material coil,

With such an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article, the same effects as those of the aforementioned manufacturing method can be achieved.

This embodiment is also referred to as an embodiment

The method and apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article according to the present embodiment are used in a production line LM of a disposable diaper 1 s. That is, in the present embodiment, according to the method and apparatus, the disposable diaper 1s is manufactured as an example of the absorbent article.

Fig. 2A is a schematic plan view of an example of the disposable diaper 1s in an unfolded state. Fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 2A.

The diaper 1s includes: an absorber 1k that absorbs excrement such as urine; a liquid-permeable top sheet 2s disposed on the skin side of the absorbent body 1 k; a back sheet 3s provided on the non-skin side of the absorbent body 1 k; and a liquid-impermeable leakproof sheet 4s provided between the absorbent body 1k and the back sheet 3s to prevent leakage of excrement to the non-skin side. In the unfolded state shown in fig. 2A, the top sheet 2s and the back sheet 3s have an equivalent substantially hourglass shape as viewed from above. The leakage-preventing sheet 4s has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, and its dimensions in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the diaper 1s are smaller than those of the top sheet 2s and the back sheet 3 s.

In this example, the materials 2 and 3 of the top sheet 2s and the back sheet 3s are nonwoven fabrics containing thermoplastic resin fibers made of substances such as polyethylene and polypropylene. Also, the material 4 of the leakage-preventing sheet 4s is a thermoplastic resin film made of a substance such as polyethylene.

Fig. 3A is a schematic side view of the production line LM for the diapers 1s, and fig. 3B is a schematic plan view of the production line LM along the arrow B-B in fig. 3A. Note that a case where a member which is generally visible is omitted from fig. 3A and 3B in order to prevent the drawings from being complicated.

As shown in fig. 3A, the

materials

2, 3 and 4 of the top sheet 2s, the back sheet 3s and the leak-proof sheet 4s enter the production line LM in the form of respective material coils 2C, 3C and 4C, wherein the continuous sheets 2, 3 and 4 (materials) are wound in a coil-like manner on the paper tube p (fig. 4A). The material coils 2C, 3C and 4C are mounted to

material supply devices

10, 10 and 15 provided in the production line LM for the respective types of

materials

2, 3 and 4, whereby the

materials

2, 3 and 4 are fed. While being conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path in the production line LM, the

materials

2, 3, and 4 are subjected to processing such as pressing and cutting by various types of

processing devices

110, 110. (corresponding to the generating devices), and are further combined, for example,

other materials

2, 3, and 4 and/or other members such as the absorbent body 1k, to finally manufacture the disposable diaper 1 s.

As examples of the processing device 110, there are provided a fiber storage device 110a, a cutting device 110b, a pressing device 110c, a leg-opening cutting device 110d, an end-cutting device 110e, and the like. The

devices

110a, 110b, for example, have the corresponding functions as follows.

The fiber storage device 110a produces an absorbent body 1k mainly made of liquid-absorbent fibers such as pulp fibers.

The cutting device 110b (corresponding to the first processing device and the second processing device) cuts the material 4 into the single-cut leakage preventing sheets 4s, and conveys the leakage preventing sheets 4s while being spaced between each pair of leakage preventing sheets 4s adjacent in the conveying direction; the material 4 is fed from a material coil 4C for the leak-proof sheet 4 s. Each of the leak-proof sheets 4s is bonded to the material 3 conveyed from the material coil 3C for the back sheet 3s with the interval maintained. Note that the cutting device 110b is exemplified by a known sliding cutting device (e.g., japanese patent application publication No. 2011-083547).

The pressing device 110c (corresponding to the first processing device and the second processing device) presses the materials 2, 3, and so on by a pair of upper and lower rollers. For example, in this example, the material 2 for the top sheet 2s and the material 3 for the back sheet 3s are conveyed to the pressing device 110c while the absorbent body 1k is placed on the top surface of the material 2 and while the material 3 is placed thereon; the material 2 is fed from the material coil 2C, and the material 3 is bonded with the leak-proof sheet 4 s. Thereby, the pressing means 110c presses and integrates these materials 2, 3, etc., to produce the base sheet 1 of the diaper 1 s.

The leg-opening cutting device 110d (corresponding to the first processing device) includes a cutter roller as an upper roller and an anvil roller as a lower roller. The leg-opening cutting device 110d forms leg openings in the substrate 1 sent from the pressing device 110c while passing the substrate 1 between the rollers.

The end portion cutting device 110e (corresponding to the first processing device) includes a cutter roller as an upper roller and an anvil roller as a lower roller. The end cutting device 110e cuts the base sheet 1 sent from the leg-opening cutting device 110d while passing the base sheet 1 between the rollers, and produces a diaper 1 s.

In the following description, three directions perpendicular to each other in the production line LM are referred to as an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, respectively. As shown in fig. 3B, the X-direction and the Y-direction are in the horizontal direction, and as shown in fig. 3A, the Z-direction is in the vertical direction. As shown in fig. 3B, the X-direction and the Y-direction are perpendicular to each other. The X direction corresponds to the "second direction" in the claims, and the Y direction corresponds to the "first direction" in the claims.

In the production line LM, the

processing devices

110a, 110b are arranged side by side along the X direction. Thus, between the

processing units

110a, 110 b.. the

materials

2, 3 and 4 are transported substantially in the X-direction, seen from above.

As shown in fig. 3B, in order to reduce the total length of the production line LM in the X direction, the

material supply devices

10, and 50 are each arranged at a position away from the processing devices 110a, 110B. Thereby, the

materials

2, 3 and 4 are fed from the

material feeding devices

10, 10 and 50 to the

processing units

110a, 110b mainly in the Y direction. That is, after the

materials

2, 3, and 4, which have been fed in the Y direction by the

material supply devices

10, and 50, respectively, are conveyed in the Y direction, a turn bar TB (to be described later) changes the conveying direction of each material to the X direction, thereby supplying the

materials

2, 3, and 4 to the

material supply devices

10, and 50, respectively.

As shown in fig. 3B, the material supply means 10, 10 and 50 include

material joining means

20, 20 and 60, respectively. The

material joining means

20, and 60 bond the respective succeeding

materials

2f, 3f, and 4f with the

respective materials

2a, 3a, and 4a before the preceding

materials

2a, 3a, and 4a fed from the material coils 2Ca, 3Ca, and 4Ca are exhausted; the following

materials

2f, 3f and 4f are

materials

2f, 3f and 4f of another material coil 2Cf, 3Cf and 4Cf which have not yet been fed. Thus, the materials 2(2a, 2f), 3(3a, 3f) and 4(4a, 4f) are continuously fed to the

processing devices

110b, 110c, respectively, of the line LM without interruption.

There are two types for the

material joining means

20 and 60. Specifically, the first (fig. 4A) bonds the following material 3f with the preceding material 3a while keeping both the feed rotation shaft 24 rotated; one of the feed rotary shafts 24 is supported at the front material coil 3Ca, and the other of the feed rotary shafts 24 is supported at the rear material coil 3 Cf. The second (fig. 6) bonds the succeeding material 4f with the preceding material 4a while stopping the rotation of both the feed rotation shafts 64; one of the feed rotary shafts 64 is supported at the front material coil 4Ca, and the other of the feed rotary shafts 64 is supported at the rear material coil 4 Cf.

In the present embodiment, as for the material 2 for the top sheet 2s and the material 3 for the back sheet 3s, the material supplying device 10 including the class 1 material joining device 20 (hereinafter also referred to as the class 1 material supplying device 10) is used. On the other hand, as the material 4 for the leak-proof sheet 4s, a material supplying device 50 including a type 2 material joining device 60 (hereinafter also referred to as a type 2 material supplying device 50) is used.

The class 1 and class 2

material supply apparatuses

10, 50 will be described below.

< < < type 1 Material supplying apparatus 10 comprising type 1 Material joining apparatus 20 > >)

Fig. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating the material supply device 10 that supplies the material 3 for the back sheet 3 s. Fig. 4A is a view along arrows IV-IV in fig. 3B, and fig. 4B is a schematic plan view along arrows B-B in fig. 4A. Fig. 5 is a schematic enlarged side view of a relevant portion in fig. 4A. Note that in fig. 4A, 4B, and 5, some components are omitted for the purpose of preventing the drawings from being complicated. The basic configuration of the material supply device 10 that supplies the material 2 for the top sheet 2s is substantially identical to the material supply device 10 associated with the material 3 for the back sheet 3s, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

The material supplying apparatus 10 includes a class 1 material joining apparatus 20 (corresponding to the first material joining apparatus). The material joining device 20 bonds the succeeding material 3f with the material 3a before the preceding material 3a (corresponding to the preceding first material) fed from the material coil 3Ca (corresponding to the preceding first material coil) is exhausted; the following material 3f is a material 3f (corresponding to the following first material) of another material coil 3Cf (corresponding to the following first material coil) that has not yet been fed. Thus, the material 3(3a, 3f) is continuously fed to the processing device 110 of the production line LM without interruption. Further, an accumulation device 40 is provided at a position downstream of the material joining device 20 in the conveying direction, and the accumulation device 40 accumulates the materials 3(3a, 3f) sent from the material joining device 20 in the form of a loop 3L. This suppresses tension variations in the material 3(3a, 3 f). Further, a steering bar TB is provided downstream of the accumulating device 40 in the conveying direction as a conveying direction changing member. The steering bar TB changes the conveying direction of the material 3 from the Y direction to the X direction, and as a result, the material 3 whose conveying direction has been changed to the X direction is dispatched to the processing device 110.

The

devices

20, 40 and TB associated with the type 1 material supply device 10 will be described below.

(1) Class 1 material joining apparatus 20

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the class 1 material joining apparatus 20 includes: a support member 21; a turntable 22; two

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24; a servo motor (not shown); a pressing mechanism 26; and a cutting mechanism 28. The support member 21 is a plate (corresponding to the first support member) that is disposed upright on the bottom plate portion LMB of the production line LM. The turntable 22 has the shape of an elongated plate, and is supported by the support member 21 in a manner pivotable about a pivot axis C22 extending along the X direction. Two

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24 are provided on the longitudinal ends of the turntable 22 and extend in the X direction. One of the servo motors is used to drive and rotate the turntable 22, and the other servo motors are each used to drive and rotate a corresponding one of the two

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24. The pressing mechanism 26 bonds the preceding material 3a with the following material 3f by pressing the preceding material 3a against the outer peripheral surface 3Cfs of the following material coil 3 Cf; the preceding material 3a is fed by one feeding rotary shaft 24 (corresponding to one first rotary shaft), and the following material coil 3Cf is supported by another feeding rotary shaft 24 (corresponding to another first rotary shaft). Simultaneously with or after the bonding, the cutting mechanism 28 cuts the preceding material 3a from the paper tube p of the preceding material coil 3 Ca. These servomotors,

elements

24, 26, 28, etc. are controlled by a controller (not shown) such as a computer and a sequencer installed in the production line LM.

The two

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24 are disposed in a point-symmetrical relationship with respect to the pivot axis C22 of the turn table 22. Thereby, pivoting the turn table 22 about the pivot axis C22 makes it possible to switch the positions of the

rotation shafts

24 and 24. Each of the

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24 may support the material coil 3C by being inserted into the paper tube p at the center of the material coil 3C. The feed rotation shaft 24, which inserts and supports the material coil 3C, is driven and rotated so as to feed the material 3 from the material coil 3C in the Y direction when viewed from above.

The two

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24 perform the feeding operation substantially alternately. Specifically, while one feeding rotary shaft 24 feeds the material 3a from the material coil 3Ca, the other feeding rotary shaft 24 is in a standby state where feeding is not performed. When the material 3a of one feeding rotation shaft 24 is about to be exhausted, the preceding material 3a (material 3a) is bonded to the following material 3 f; the rear material 3f is the material 3f of the material coil 3Cf, and the rear material 3f is attached to the other feeding rotation shaft 24 and has not been fed yet. Thereby, the other feeding rotary shaft 24 subsequently feeds and feeds the material 3f from the succeeding material coil 3 Cf. In addition, when the material 3f of the other feeding rotation shaft 24 is about to be exhausted, the same operation as described above is performed again; at this stage, the material 3f becomes a preceding material, and the non-fed material coil 3Cn newly attached to one feeding rotation shaft 24 becomes a succeeding material coil.

As shown in fig. 4A, in this example, in order to smoothly perform the bonding operation, a rear material loop position P3Cf and a front material loop position P3Ca are set in the pivoting direction of the turntable 22; the after-material-coil position P3Cf is a position where the after-material coil 3Cf that has not been fed during the bonding operation is to be positioned, and the before-material-coil position P3Ca is a position where the before-material coil 3Ca that is fed during the bonding operation is to be positioned. In this example, the rear material loop position P3Cf and the front material loop position P3Ca are set on respective sides in the Y direction, with the same height in the up-down direction (Z direction). However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In this example, the feeding rotation shaft 24 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and thus the material coils 3Ca and 3Cf feed the

materials

3a and 3f from below. For this reason, the conveyance path of the material 3a fed by the preceding material coil 3Ca is defined below the succeeding material coil 3Cf located at the succeeding material coil position P3 Cf. And, the pressing mechanism 26 and the cutting mechanism 28 are further arranged below the conveying path.

The pressing mechanism 26 includes: an arm member 26A supported swingably about a rotation axis C26A extending along the X direction; a pressing roller 26R supported by a swinging end portion of the arm member 26A so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis C26R extending in the X direction; and an actuator 26C (e.g., an air cylinder) that drives the arm member 26A. In accordance with the swing operation of the arm member 26A, the pressing roller 26R presses the preceding material 3a against the material 3f on the outer peripheral surface 3Cfs of the following material coil 3Cf from below, thereby bonding the preceding material 3a and the following material 3f at a predetermined bonding position Pj (fig. 5).

Note that the pressing roller 26R may be a follower roller that rotates due to a rotational force received by contact with the material 3, or may be a drive roller that is driven and rotates due to a driving rotational force received from a driving source such as a servo motor. It should be noted that in the case of the drive roller, for example, the rotation speed (rpm) is controlled based on the instruction value (mpm; to be described later).

As shown in fig. 4A, the cutting mechanism 28 includes an arm member 28A, a cutting blade 28B, and an actuator 28C (e.g., an air cylinder). The arm member 28A is supported swingably about a rotation axis C28A extending along the X direction. The cutting blade 28B is fixed to the swing end of the arm member 28A. The actuator 28C drives the arm member 28A. According to the swing operation of the arm member 28A, the cutting blade 28B positioned at the standby position Pw28B moves toward the preceding material 3a and comes into contact with the preceding material 3a from below, whereby the preceding material 3a is cut at a position between the bonding position Pj (fig. 5) and the feed rotation shaft 24 (fig. 4A) located at the preceding material loop position P3Ca, as shown in fig. 5. Thus, the preceding material 3a that has adhered to the following material 3f is cut and separated from the paper tube p of the feeding rotary shaft 24.

Referring to fig. 4A, the bonding operation will be described in more detail below. First, at the time before the bonding operation, the double-sided adhesive tape 7j for bonding has been provided on the top surface of the front end portion 3fe of the material 3f, the material 3f is located on the outer peripheral surface 3Cfs of the rear material coil 3Cf, and the double-sided adhesive tape 7k for temporary holding is provided on the back surface of the front end portion 3fe so that the front end portion 3fe does not become separated from the material coil 3 Cf. On the other hand, the preceding material 3a is conveyed in the Y direction, and the controller controls the rotation speed (rpm) of the feed rotary shaft 24 based on a command value indicating the feed speed V3(mpm) requested by the processing device 110 so that the feed speed (mpm) of the preceding material 3a becomes equal to the command value. That is, the rotation of the feed rotation shaft 24 is controlled in accordance with the command rotation speed (rpm) according to which the feed speed (mpm) becomes equal to the command value.

If the controller determines that the remaining amount of the material 3a of the preceding material coil 3Ca is equal to or less than the prescribed value, the controller starts the bonding operation. Specifically, the rotation speed (rpm) of the feed rotation shaft 24 supported at the trailing material coil 3Cf is raised to a command rotation speed (rpm) according to which the circumferential speed (mpm) of the material coil 3Cf becomes equal to the above-mentioned command value. Then, when the controller determines that the rotation speed has reached the instructed rotation, and also determines that the leading end portion 3fe has reached a position immediately before the pressing roller 26R of the pressing mechanism 26, the controller controls the actuator 26C of the pressing roller 26R. Thus, as shown in fig. 5, the roller 26R at the standby position Pw26R is moved toward the outer peripheral surface 3Cfs of the back material coil 3Cf, thereby pressing the preceding material 3a against the outer peripheral surface 3Cfs of the back material coil 3 Cf. During this pressing, the leading end portion 3fe of the following material coil 3Cf passes the position of the pressing roller 26R, and therefore, the leading end portion 3fe and the preceding material 3a are bonded with the double-sided adhesive tape 7j for bonding. Then, the controller controls the actuator 26C so that the pressing roller 26R moves toward the standby position Pw26R in the direction of separating from the following material coil 3 Cf. And, the controller controls the cutting mechanism 28 to cut the preceding material 3a as shown in fig. 5, whereby the preceding material 3a is cut out from the paper tube p. As a result, the following material 3f is bonded to the preceding material 3a without stopping the feeding operation. That is, both the

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24 respectively supporting the preceding material coil 3Ca and the following material coil 3Cf keep their own rotations (do not stop their own rotations), and the following material 3f is bonded to the preceding material 3 a.

Thereafter, the controller decreases the rotation speed of the feed rotary shaft 24 at the preceding material coil position P3Ca as shown in fig. 4A, and then stops the rotation of the rotary shaft 24. Then, the worker removes the paper tube P of the preceding material 3a from the feed rotating shaft 24 located at the position P3Ca, and fits a new non-fed material coil 3Cn onto the rotating shaft 24. A double-sided adhesive tape 7j for adhesion is provided on the top surface of the leading end portion 3ne of the material 3n located on the outer peripheral surface 3Cn of the new material coil 3Cn, and a double-sided adhesive tape 7k for temporary holding is provided on the back surface.

When the controller determines that the turntable 22 satisfies the pivotable condition, the controller controls the servo motor of the turntable 22 so that the turntable 22 pivots in the clockwise direction; more specifically, when the outer diameter of the succeeding material coil 3Cf located at the succeeding material coil position P3Cf is reduced due to the feeding, as a result, the controller determines that the turntable 22 can be pivoted without the coil 3Cf interfering with the bottom plate portion LMB of the production line LM, the pressing roller 26R located at the standby position Pw26R, the cutting blade 28B located at the standby position Pw28B, and the like. Thereby, the following material coil 3Cf moves downward along an arc-shaped path and then moves upward. As a result, the material coil 3Cf is moved to the preceding material coil position P3Ca, and the new non-fed material coil 3Cn is moved to the following material coil position P3 Cf. Then, when the next bonding operation timing is reached, the controller repeats the above bonding operation.

(2) Accumulation device 40

As shown in fig. 4A, the accumulation device 40 is a device that accumulates the preceding material 3a or the following material 3f fed from the material joining device 20 in the form of a loop 3L so as to allow the material to be sent to the turn bar 50. By adjusting the size of the loop 3L, the tension variation in the material 3 is suppressed/absorbed, and the material 3 whose tension variation is suppressed is sent to the steering bar TB.

The accumulation device 40 having this function includes: a pair of

stationary rollers

41u and 41d rotatably supported at respective fixed positions; a moving roller 41m that is guided so as to be movable back and forth in a predetermined direction (substantially Y direction) in which the size of the loop 3L can be changed; and an arm member 41A supported swingably about a rotation axis C41A extending along the X direction so as to guide the moving roller 41m in a predetermined direction so as to be movable back and forth. The

rollers

41u, 41m, and 41d are rotatably supported about rotation axes C41u, C41m, and C41d extending in the X direction, respectively. Material 3 was wound on

rolls

41u, 41m and 41d in the following order: an upstream stationary roller 41u located upstream in the conveying direction, of the pair of

stationary rollers

41u and 41 d; a moving roller 41 m; and a downstream stationary roller 41 d. Thus, the loop 3L is formed in the material 3. Further, the actuator 41C (e.g., an air cylinder) applies a predetermined load (N) to the moving roller 41m via the arm member 41A in a direction for increasing the size of the loop 3L. Thus, if the tension (N) of the material 3 is smaller than a predetermined value based on a predetermined load, the moving roller 41m moves to increase the size of the loop 3L. On the other hand, if the tension (N) of the material 3 is greater than the predetermined value, the moving roller 41m moves to reduce the size of the loop 3L. The dimensions of the loop 3L are measured by a suitable sensor (not shown), such as a linear encoder or a rotary encoder, and the resulting measurement signals are transmitted to the controller. Thus, based on the measurement signal, the controller corrects the command rotational speeds (rpm) of the

feed rotary shafts

24 and 24 of the material joining device 20 so that the dimension of the loop 3L is constant, with the result that variations in the tension in the material 3 are suppressed.

In the process for correcting the command rotational speed, various correction methods may be used. As one example of the correction processing, the following processing may be repeated at a predetermined control cycle. First, an actual value of the size of the loop 3L at the present time is obtained based on the measurement signal from the above-described sensor, and then a deviation amount is obtained by subtracting a target value for the size of the loop 3L from the actual value. Next, a control amount is calculated by multiplying the deviation amount by a predetermined control gain, and the control amount is subtracted from the above-described command rotational speed (rpm). The result of the subtraction is used as the corrected command rotational speed to control the servo motor of the feed rotary shaft 24.

The correction processing is performed not only on the feed rotation shaft 24 fed on the front material 3a but also on the feed rotation shaft 24 fed on the rear material 3f at least after the rear material 3f is bonded to the front material 3a (e.g., at the time of bonding or after bonding). Preferably, the correction processing is performed immediately before the bonding or when the rotation operation of the rotation shaft 24 is started. This makes it possible to reliably suppress a change in tension at the outer surface of the trailing-material coil 3Cf at the time of feeding the first winding (first turn) (which will be described later).

(3) Steering bar TB

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the steering bar TB changes the conveying direction of the material 3 fed by the accumulating apparatus 40 from the Y direction to the X direction, thereby feeding the material 3 to the processing apparatus 110. As the steering bar TB, for example, a round bar having a predetermined diameter, such as a stainless steel polished rod, is used. That is, as shown in fig. 4B, the round bar TB is arranged in a non-movable and non-rotatable manner with its longitudinal direction in a direction inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the X-direction and the Y-direction. Thereby, when the material 3 is wound on the steering bar TB, the conveying direction of the material 3 is changed by 90 degrees from the Y direction to the X direction.

< < < type 2 Material supplying apparatus 50 comprising type 2 Material bonding apparatus 60 > >)

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the material supply device 50 that supplies the material 4 for the leak-proof sheet 4 s. Fig. 6 is a view along arrows VI-VI in fig. 3B. Fig. 7A-7C are enlarged views of section VII in fig. 6. Note that in fig. 6, 7A to 7C, some components are omitted for the purpose of preventing the drawings from being complicated.

The material supplying apparatus 50 includes a class 2 material joining apparatus 60 (corresponding to a second material joining apparatus). First, in the material joining device 60, before the preceding material 4a (corresponding to the preceding second material) fed from the preceding material coil 4Ca (corresponding to the preceding second material coil) is exhausted, the rotation of the one feeding rotation shaft 64 supporting the material coil 4Ca is stopped. Then, the succeeding material 4f (corresponding to the succeeding second material) is bonded to the preceding material 4a whose feeding is stopped; the succeeding material 4f is the material 4f of the succeeding material coil 4Cf (corresponding to the succeeding second material coil) which is not fed, and which is supported by the other feeding rotation shaft 64 whose rotation is also stopped. Thus, the material 4(4a, 4f) is continuously fed to the processing devices 110 of the production line LM without interruption. Further, an accumulation device 90 is provided at a position downstream of the material joining device 60 in the conveying direction, the accumulation device 90 accumulating the materials 4(4a, 4f) sent from the material joining device 60 in the form of a loop 4L. This makes it possible to continuously supply the material 4 to the processing device 110 when the material 4 is not being sent from the material joining device 60 as described above. In this type 2 material joining device, the steering bar TB is disposed downstream of the accumulating device 90 in the conveying direction as a conveying direction changing member, similarly to the case of the type 1 material joining device described above. The steering bar TB changes the conveying direction of the material 4 from the Y direction to the X direction, and as a result, the material 4 whose conveying direction has been changed to the X direction is dispatched to the processing device 110.

The

devices

60, 90 and TB associated with the type 2 material supply device 50 will be described below. However, the steering bar TB has the same configuration as the above-described steering bar, and the description thereof is omitted.

(1) Class 2 material joining apparatus 60

The class 2 material bonding apparatus 60 includes: a plate-shaped support member 61; two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64; a servo motor (not shown); and a bonding mechanism 66. The support member 61 is provided upright on the floor portion LMB of the production line LM. The two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 extend in the X direction, are arranged at respective fixed positions in the support member 61, and are rotatably supported. The servo motors are each used to drive and rotate a corresponding one of the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64. The bonding mechanism 66 bonds the succeeding material 4f with the preceding material 4 a; the preceding material 4a is fed from one feeding rotary shaft 64 (corresponding to one second rotary shaft), and the following material 4f is fed from a following material coil 4Cf supported by another feeding rotary shaft 64 (corresponding to another second rotary shaft). These servomotors,

elements

64, 66, etc. are controlled by the above-mentioned controller comprised in the production line LM.

The two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 are arranged side by side in the Y direction at respective fixed positions. In this example, the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 are located at equivalent positions in the up-down direction (Z direction). However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Each of the

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 can support the material coil 4C by being inserted into the paper tube p at the center of the material coil 4C. Thereby, the feed rotation shaft 64 that inserts and supports the material coil 4C is driven and rotated, thereby feeding the material 4 from the material coil 4C in the Y direction as viewed from above.

The two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 perform the feeding operation substantially alternately. Specifically, while one feeding rotary shaft 64 feeds the material 4a from the material coil 4Ca, the other feeding rotary shaft 64 is in a standby state where feeding is not performed. When the material 4a of one feeding rotation shaft 64 is about to be exhausted, the preceding material 4a (material 4a) is bonded to the following material 4 f; the succeeding material 4f is the material 4f of the material coil 4Cf attached to the other feeding rotation shaft 64 and not yet fed. Thereby, the other feeding rotary shaft 64 subsequently feeds and feeds the material 4f from the succeeding material coil 4 Cf. In addition, when the material 4f of the other feed rotation shaft 64 is about to be exhausted, the same operation as described above is performed again; at this stage, the material 4f becomes a preceding material, and the non-fed material coil 4Cn newly attached to one feeding rotation shaft 64 becomes a succeeding material coil.

The bonding mechanism 66 is a mechanism 66 that bonds the material 4f of the succeeding material coil 4Cf supported by the other feed rotation shaft 64 with the preceding material 4a fed by the one feed rotation shaft 64, at which stage the succeeding material coil 4Cf is in a standby state. Thus, the material 4(4a, 4f) is continuously supplied to the processing apparatus 110 without interruption.

As shown in fig. 7A, the bonding mechanism 66 includes a compressing mechanism 67 and a cutting mechanism 68. The compression mechanism 67 includes: a pair of

compression members

67K and 67K that are guided in such a manner as to be able to move back and forth in a predetermined direction (e.g., Y direction) in which the size of the space G therebetween can be changed; and

actuators

67C and 67C (e.g., air cylinders) that move the pair of

compression members

67K and 67K back and forth in a predetermined direction. The cutting mechanism 68 includes: a cutting blade 68B that cuts and separates the preceding material 4a from the paper tube p; and an actuator 68C (e.g., an air cylinder) that moves the cutting blade 68B back and forth relative to the preceding material 4 a.

The bonding operation is performed as follows. First, the worker pulls the front end portion 4fe of the material 4f from the following material coil 4Cf supported by the feed rotation shaft 64 whose rotation is stopped, and the front end portion 4fe is placed in the above-described space G between the pair of

compression members

67K and 67K of the compression mechanism 67, as shown in fig. 7A. For example, due to the suction of one of the pair of compressing

members

67K and 67K located on the rear material 4f side, the front end portion 4fe abuts on the compressing member 67K and is supported by the compressing member 67K. At this stage, on the front end portion 4fe, a double-sided adhesive tape 7j has been provided for adhering to the front material 4 a.

In the above-described space G, the conveyance path of the preceding material 4a fed from the preceding material coil 4Ca is positioned, and the preceding material 4a is conveyed along the conveyance path. If the controller determines that the remaining amount of the material 4a of the preceding material coil 4Ca is equal to or less than the prescribed value, the controller stops the rotation of the feed rotation shaft 64 supporting the preceding material coil 4 Ca. During this stop, the controller brings the pair of compressing

members

67K and 67K close to each other as shown in fig. 7B, whereby the preceding material 4a, the double-sided adhesive tape 7j, and the following material 4f are pressed between the pair of compressing

members

67K and 67K. As a result, the preceding material 4a and the following material 4f are bonded to the double-sided adhesive tape 7 j. Then, the controller controls the cutting mechanism 68, as shown in fig. 7B, so that the cutting blade 68B cuts the preceding material 4a at a position between the feed rotation shaft 64 and the pair of

compression members

67K and 67K. Thus, the material 4a is cut out from the paper tube p on the feeding rotation shaft 64. And, the controller separates the pair of compressing

members

67K and 67K from each other as shown in fig. 7C, thereby releasing the pressing of the preceding material 4a, the double-sided adhesive tape 7j, and the following material 4 f. Then, the controller starts the rotation of the feed rotation shaft 64 supported to the rear material coil 4 Cf. Thus, finally, the feeding of the material 4 is switched from the preceding material coil 4Ca to the following material coil 4 Cf.

The paper tube p (fig. 8) of the preceding material coil 4Ca whose material is exhausted is removed from the feeding rotation shaft 64 by a worker. By the time of the next bonding operation, the worker fits a new material coil 4Cn, which is not fed, to the feed rotation shaft 64. In the next bonding operation, the new material coil 4Cn becomes the following material coil 4 Cf.

(2) Accumulation device 90

As shown in fig. 6, the accumulation device 90 accumulates the materials 4(4a, 4f) fed by the feed rotation shaft 64 in the form of a loop 4L and in such a manner as to be feedable downstream in the conveying direction. The accumulation device 90 includes: a stationary roller group G95s consisting of a plurality of

stationary rollers

95s, 95 s.. disposed in fixed positions; a set of moving rollers G95m consisting of a plurality of moving

rollers

95m, 95 m.. in a manner that can be moved back and forth in a predetermined direction (Z direction) in which the size of the loop 4L of material can be changed; and an actuator 95C (e.g., an air cylinder) that applies a predetermined load (N) to the moving roller group G95m in a direction for increasing the size of the circuit 4L. All the

rollers

95s, 95m are supported rotatably about respective rotation axes extending in the X direction. The material 4 is alternately wound around each stationary roller 95s constituting the stationary roller group G95s and each moving roller 95m constituting the moving roller group G95m, thereby forming a plurality of

loops

4L, 4L. As described above, the actuator 95C applies a predetermined load (N) to the moving roller group G95m in a direction for increasing the size of the circuit 4L. Thus, if the tension (N) of the material 4 is smaller than a predetermined value based on a predetermined load, the moving roller group G95m moves to increase the size of the loop 4L. If the tension (N) of material 4 is greater than a predetermined value, moving set of rollers G95m moves to reduce the size of loop 4L.

With the accumulation device 90 having such a configuration, even at the time of the bonding operation in which the following material 4f is bonded to the preceding material 4a, in other words, even during a period in which the material 4 is not sent from the material joining device 60 located upstream, the material 4 can be processed by feeding the material 4, which has been accumulated in advance in the form of the loop 4L by the accumulation device 90, to the processing device 110 without stopping the conveyance of the material 4 in the processing device 110 and without decelerating it.

That is, when the feeding operation is switched from one feeding rotary shaft 64 to the other feeding rotary shaft 64 as described above, the feeding speed (mpm) of the preceding material 4a by the one feeding rotary shaft 64 is gradually reduced, and then the rotation of the feeding rotary shaft 64 is stopped. In this case, the preceding material 4a becomes not fed from one feeding rotation shaft 64. However, the material 4a is dispatched towards a processing device 110 located downstream. Thereby, when the feeding of the preceding material 4a starts to stop as described above, the preceding material 4a is pulled downstream in the conveying direction, thereby increasing the tension of the preceding material 4 a. Then, when the tension becomes larger than the above predetermined value, based on the above description, the moving roller group G95m is moved in the direction for reducing the size of the loop 4L. As a result, the accumulating device 90 feeds the accumulated material 4(4a) to the processing device 110.

The aforementioned feeding operation of the material 4(4a) by the accumulation device 90 continues until at least the aforementioned gluing operation is finished. Also, as shown in fig. 8, when the bonding operation is ended and the feeding operation from the succeeding material coil 4Cf by the other feeding rotary shaft 64 is ready, the controller raises the rotation speed (rpm) of the feeding rotary shaft 64 to the command rotation speed (rpm); the command rotational speed (rpm) is a command value according to which the feed speed of the feed rotary shaft 64 becomes equal to the feed speed V4(mpm) required by the processing device 110. Then, when the controller determines that the rotation speed has reached the command rotation speed (rpm), the controller controls the rotation of the feed rotation shaft 64 according to the command rotation speed.

To complete preparation by at least the next bonding operation, the controller increases the size of the loop 4L of the accumulation device 90, thereby causing the accumulation device 90 to accumulate the following material 4f to be fed by the feeding rotation shaft 64. For example, the controller sets the feed speed (mpm) of the feed rotary shaft 64 to be greater than the command value of the feed speed V4(mpm) required by the processing device 110. Then, the tension of the material 4 becomes smaller than the above-described predetermined value, with the result that the size of the loop 4L is increased from the state indicated by the solid line to the state indicated by the dashed-two dotted line in fig. 8. When the controller determines that the size of the circuit 4L reaches the predetermined value, the controller controls the rotation of the feed rotary shaft 64 based on the above-described command rotational speed (rpm) corresponding to the command value of the feeding speed V4 (mpm).

< assignment of type 1 and type 2

Material supply apparatuses

10 and 50> >)

In the present embodiment, as described above, the type 1 material supply device 10 shown in fig. 4A is used to supply the material 3 of the back sheet 3s, and the type 2 material supply device 50 shown in fig. 6 is used to supply the material 4 of the leakage-preventing sheet 4 s. This is because the number of times of replacement (times/hour) per unit time of the material coil 3C for the back sheet 3s in the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 is larger than the number of times of replacement (times/hour) per unit time of the material coil 4C for the leakage-preventing sheet 4s in the two

feed rotation shafts

24 and 24.

Specifically, in the class 2 material joining apparatus 60, the material 4f needs to be pulled to the compression member 67K as shown in fig. 7A, and therefore, the preparation for adhesion is more complicated than that of the class 1 material joining apparatus 20. Thereby, the type 2 material joining device 60 is assigned to the material coil 4C for the leakage-preventing sheet 4s having a smaller number of times of replacement per unit time, thereby suppressing an increase in the burden on the worker.

It should be noted that, in this example, the number of times of replacement per unit time (times/hour) of the material coil 4C for the leak-proof sheet 4s is smaller than the number of times of replacement per unit time (times/hour) of the material coil 3C for the back sheet 3s, and the following points mainly contribute to this.

First, in this example, the feed length LGH4 of the material 4 for the leak-proof sheet 4s is shorter than the feed length LGH3 of the material 3 for the back sheet 3s, the material 4 for the leak-proof sheet 4s is fed by the type 2 material joining device 20 for producing individual diapers 1s, and the material 3 for the back sheet 3s is fed by the type 1 material joining device 60 for producing individual diapers 1 s.

That is, as shown in fig. 2A, in this example, the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1s is in the direction of the

feeding materials

3 and 4. The length LGH4 of the leak-proof flap 4s is smaller than the length LGH3 of the back flap 3s, as compared with the length in the longitudinal direction of the diaper 1 s.

Thus, the consumed length LGH4 of the material 4 for the leakage-preventing sheet 4s is smaller than the consumed length LGH3 of the material 3 for the back sheet 3s for the consumed lengths LGH3 and LGH4 of the

materials

3 and 4 consumed from the material coils 3C and 4C per unit time. This contributes to a smaller number of times of replacement (times/hour) per unit time of the material coil 4C for the leak-proof sheet 4 s.

It should be noted that making the feed length LGH4 of the material 4 for the leakproof sheet 4s shorter than the feed length LGH3 of the material 3 for the back sheet 3s as described above is achieved, for example, by maintaining the ratio (V3: V4) of the feed speed V3 to the feed speed V4 at the aforementioned ratio (LGH3: LGH4) of the feed length. Here, the supply speed V3 is a speed (mpm) for supplying the material 3 required for the processing device 110 to the type 1 material supply device 10, and the supply speed V4 is a speed (mpm) for supplying the material 4 required for the processing device 110 to the type 2 material supply device 50.

Second, in this example, since the leakage preventing sheet 4s is made of a film and the back sheet 3s is made of a nonwoven fabric, when the thickness (average thickness) of the material 4 for the leakage preventing sheet 4s is compared with the thickness (average thickness) of the material 3 for the back sheet 3s in the form of material loops (3C, 4C), the material 4 for the leakage preventing sheet 4s is smaller in thickness than the material 3 for the back sheet 3s, as shown in fig. 2B. Generally, the outer diameters of the material coils 3C and 4C have an upper limit from the viewpoint of loading and transportation by truck. In this case, if the thickness of the material is smaller, the length of the material wound with the same outer diameter is larger. Thus, the smaller thickness of the material 4 for the leak-proof sheet 4s as described above contributes to the aforementioned reduction in the number of replacements per unit time (times/hour).

However, the requirement that the number of replacements per unit time be different between the

materials

3 and 4 is not limited to this. That is, the number of replacements per unit time (times/hour) may be different depending on other requirements.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 3A, the absorbent body 1k is produced by shaping pulp fibers using the fiber storage device 110 a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the absorbent body 1k may be produced by cutting from a so-called pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric (nonwoven fabric made mainly of pulp fibers) by a cutting unit (not shown). In this case, however, the material of the pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric enters the line LM in the form of material loops. Also in this case, since the pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric generally has a large thickness, the consumption time of the material loops is short; as a result, the number of times of replacement (times/hour) of the material coil per unit time increases. Thus, preferably, the type 1 material supply device 10 is used for material loops of pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric. In this case, in general, the thickness (average thickness) of the material made of the pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric and in the form of the loop of material is larger than the thicknesses (average thicknesses) of the materials 2 and 3 for the top sheet 2s and the back sheet 3s in the form of the loops of

material

2C and 3C, respectively. Thus, the number of replacements per unit time (times/hour) for the material loop 2C for the top sheet 2s and the material loop 3C for the back sheet 3s is smaller than that for the material loop of the pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric. In this case, the type 2 material supply device 50 may be used for the material coils 2C and 3C of the top sheet 2s and the back sheet 3 s.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 3B, the processing devices 110a, 110B in the production line LM are each supported by a panel LMK (corresponding to a support member) of the production line LM. The panel LMK is a plate member made of metal (e.g., iron) and is disposed upright on the bottom plate portion LMB of the production line LM so as to support the

processing devices

110a, 110b in the production line LM. That is, the panel LMK extends in the up-down direction (Z direction) and in the X direction. The panel LMK includes a substantially vertical top surface LMKs1 on one side in the Y direction and a substantially vertical back surface LMKs2 on the other side in the Y direction. On the top surface LMKS1, the

processing devices

110a, 110b are supported, for example, in a cantilevered fashion.

At a location in the Y direction relative to the top side of the top surface LMKs1 of the panel LMK, category 1 and category 2

material engagement devices

20 and 60 are arranged. For each material joining

device

20 and 60, a dedicated support member 21 and 61 (corresponding to the first support member; see fig. 4A, 4B and 6 as appropriate) is provided separately from the panel LMK provided upright on the floor portion LMB of the production line LM, and the

support members

21 and 61 are arranged along the Y direction. Thus, the pair of

feed rotation shafts

24 and 64 of the

material joining devices

20 and 60 are supported by the

support members

21 and 61, respectively.

This makes it possible to easily arrange the

material joining devices

20 and 60 at positions away from the positions of the

processing devices

110a, 110b in the Y direction, so that the total length of the manufacturing line LM in the X direction can be easily reduced, as described above.

Referring to fig. 4A and 4B, in this example, in the type 1 material joining device 20 that feeds the material 3 for the back sheet 3s, as described above, there are two positions in the pivoting direction of the turntable 22: previous material coil position P3 Ca; and a posterior material loop position P3 Cf. Here, referring to fig. 4B, the front material loop position P3Ca is located farther away from the cutting device 110B (processing device 110B) in the Y direction than the rear material loop position P3 Cf. When the feed rotation shaft 24 is located at the preceding material coil position P3Ca, the worker attaches a new material coil 3Cn, which is not fed, to the feed rotation shaft 24. This allows the worker to perform the attachment operation at a safe location remote from the processing device 110 b.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic enlarged view of the location IX in fig. 3B. In this example, comparing the position of the pivot axis C22 of the turn table 22 of the type 1 material joining device 20 in the Y direction with the position of one and the other

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 of the type 2 material joining device 60 in the Y direction, the type 2 material joining device feeds the material 4 for the leak-proof sheet 4 s. The position of the pivot axis C22 is located within a range R64 between one feed rotation axis 64 and the other feed rotation axis 64 of the class 2 material engagement device 60.

This makes it possible to suppress the degree to which the class 1 material joining device 20 protrudes beyond the class 2 material joining device 60 in the Y direction, and as a result, the dimension of the production line LM in the Y direction can be reduced. This makes it possible to shorten the line of workers in the Y direction, thereby reducing the burden on the workers.

In the example of fig. 9, if, of the two feed rotation axes 64 and 64 associated with the type 2 material joining device 60, the feed rotation axis 64 positioned away from the cutting device 110b (processing device 110b) supports the material coil 4Cn that is not fed, the feed rotation axis 24 at the preceding material coil position P3Ca of the type 1 material joining device 20 is located within the range R4Cn in the Y direction in which the material coil 4Cn exists. As described above, at the preceding material coil position P3Ca, the material coil 3Cn that is not fed is attached to the feed rotation shaft 24.

Thus, the worker can move in a relatively short line between the position of the feed rotation shaft 64 of the type 2 material joining apparatus 60 and the preceding material loop position P3Ca of the type 1 material joining apparatus 20. This makes it possible to effectively perform the following operations: at the previous material coil position P3Ca, the new material coil 3Cn is attached to the feed rotation shaft 24; and, the new material coil 4Cn is attached to the feed rotation shaft 64 of the class 2 material bonding apparatus 60.

It should be noted that, in order to shorten the line of workers, it is more preferable that at least a part of the feed rotation shaft 24 located at the preceding material loop position PCa of the type 1 material joining device 20 be present within the range R64a in the Y direction, wherein the above-mentioned further feed rotation shaft 64 associated with the type 2 material joining device 60 be present within the range R64 a.

Fig. 10 is a schematic side view showing the relationship between the positions of the class 1 material joining device 20 and the class 2 material joining device 60 in the up-down direction. In this example, when the feed rotation shaft 24 is positioned at the preceding material coil position P3Ca in the type 1 material joining device 20, the feed rotation shaft 24 is located above the one feed rotation shaft 64 and the other feed rotation shaft 64 of the type 2 material joining device 60 in the up-down direction.

This makes it easier to intuitively recognize the state of the feed rotary shaft 24 of the material coil 3C, which is replaced a large number of times per unit time, from a distant place. Thereby, if the worker forgets to attach the new material coil 3Cn to the feed rotation shaft 24, it can be found quickly.

Other embodiments are also possible

Although the embodiments according to the present invention have been described, the above embodiments of the present invention are for the convenience of understanding the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. Of course, the invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and equivalents are intended to be included therein. For example, the invention may be modified as described below.

In the foregoing embodiments, the absorbent article is exemplified by a so-called tape-type disposable diaper 1 s. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a pants-type disposable diaper can be used. As the pants-type disposable diaper, a so-called 3-piece diaper may be employed in which a liquid-permeable absorption body (a sheet member having an absorbent body 1k therein) is bridged between a front belt member and a back belt member when the diaper is opened, or a so-called 2-piece diaper may be employed in which the absorption body is placed on the skin-side surface of an outer sheet having a substantially hourglass shape when the diaper is opened. Further, the absorbent article is not limited to the disposable diaper 1. That is, it can be any article that absorbs fluid expelled by the wearer. For example, the absorbent article may be a sanitary napkin, a urine absorbing pad, or the like.

In the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 3B, the production line LM includes two class 1 material supply apparatuses 10 and one class 2 material supply apparatus 50. The present invention is not limited to this for the number of each device. That is, one or more than two type 1 material supply devices 10 may be included, and two or more than two type 2 material supply devices 50 may be included.

In the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 4A and 6, in each of the class 1 material joining device 20 and the class 2 material joining device 60, the following material 3f (4f) is bonded to the preceding material 3a (4A) with the double-sided adhesive tape 7 j. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the bonding may be performed by welding such as heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, or may be performed by any other method for bonding.

In the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 4A, the pressing mechanism 26 of the class 1 material joining apparatus 20 includes the pressing roller 26R. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration of constituting a pair of rollers and an endless belt wound around the pair of rollers may be adopted instead of the pressing roller 26R. In this case, based on the driving of the actuator 26C, the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt presses the preceding material 3a against the material 3f on the outer peripheral surface 3Cfs of the following material coil 3 Cf. Note that the pair of rollers may both be follower rollers, or at least either one of them may be a drive roller.

In the foregoing embodiment, the first coil of material is exemplified by the coil of material 2C for the top sheet 2s and the coil of material 3C for the back sheet 3s, and the second coil of material is exemplified by the coil of material 4C for the leak-proof sheet 4 s. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as the first and second material loops, material loops for any other type of material may be entered into the production line LM for producing the disposable diaper 1 s. For example, the material for forming the so-called barrier sleeve sheet of the barrier sleeve may be fed into the production line LM in the form of a coil of material, or the material for forming the pictorial sheet with the picture pattern may be fed into the production line LM in the form of a coil of material. Note that whether each of the material coils corresponds to the first material coil or the second material coil is determined based on a relationship of its consumption time to the consumption time of the other material coils; that is, it is determined based on the relationship of the number of times of replacement per unit time in its feed rotation axis.

In the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 4A, the class 1 material bonding apparatus 20 includes an accumulation apparatus 40. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the accumulation device 40 is not an essential element of the class 1 material bonding device 20 and may not include the accumulation device 40.

In the foregoing embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 of the second material joining device 60 are arranged side by side in the Y direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in the schematic side view of fig. 11A, the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 may be arranged side by side in a fixed position in the up-down direction.

In this case, it is desirable that the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 are arranged as follows with respect to the plane of the class 1 material joining device 20. Fig. 11B is a schematic plan view showing an ideal positional relationship corresponding to a site IX in fig. 3B. That is, as shown in fig. 11B, it is desirable that the two

second rotation shafts

64 and 64 of the type 2 material joining device 60 are located within a range of R3Cn in the Y direction, the range R3Cn being a pivoting locus of the above-mentioned material coil 3Cn when the turn table 22 is pivoted about the pivot axis C22 at least once for a full rotation while one first rotation shaft 24 of the first material joining device 60 supports the material coil 3Cn which is not fed.

With this configuration, the extent to which the class 2 material joining device 60 protrudes beyond the class 1 material joining device 20 in the Y direction can be suppressed, and as a result, the dimension of the production line LM in the Y direction can be reduced. This makes it possible to shorten the line of workers, thereby reducing the burden on the workers.

It should be noted that in the example of fig. 11A and 11B, the positions of the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 in the Y direction are completely equivalent. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the positions of the two

feed rotation shafts

64 and 64 may be different from each other in the Y direction.

[ list of reference marks ]

1 substrate, 1s disposable diaper (absorbent article), 1k absorber,

material 2, material 2C coil, material 2Ca coil, material 2Cf coil,

2a material, 2f material, 2s top sheet,

3 material (first material), 3C material coil (first material coil),

the 3Ca preceding material coil (preceding first material coil),

3Cf at the trailing material coil (the trailing first material coil),

a 3Cfs peripheral surface, a 3Cn coil of material, a 3Cns peripheral surface,

a 3L loop is arranged in the device,

3a preceding material (preceding first material), 3f following material (following first material),

the front end portion of 3fe,

3n material, 3ne front end portion,

the 3s back of the sheet-like article,

4 material (second material), 4C material coil (second material coil),

the 4Ca preceding material coil (preceding second material coil),

4Cf at the trailing material coil (the trailing second material coil),

the coils of 4Cn of a material are,

a 4L loop is arranged in the device,

4a preceding material (preceding second material), 4f following material (following second material),

the front end portion of the 4fe is,

4s of the leak-proof sheet-shaped object,

7j double-sided tape, 7k double-sided tape,

a class 101 material supply apparatus for supplying a material,

class 201 material bonding apparatus (first material bonding apparatus),

21 a support member (first support member), 22 a turntable,

24 feed the rotary shaft (first rotary shaft),

26 pressing mechanism, 26A arm member, 26R pressing roller,

a 26C actuator, and a control unit,

28 cutting mechanism, 28A arm member, 28B cutting blade,

28C of the actuator, and the actuator is provided with a motor,

40 accumulating means, 41A arm member, 41C actuator,

41u stationary roller, 41m moving roller, 41d stationary roller,

a class 502 material supply apparatus for supplying a material,

class 602 material bonding apparatus (second material bonding apparatus),

61 support member

64 feed rotation shaft (second rotation shaft),

66 a bonding mechanism for bonding the substrate to the substrate,

67 compression mechanism, 67K compression member, 67C actuator,

68 cutting mechanism, 68B cutting blade, 68C actuator,

90 accumulation devices, 95s stationary rollers, 95m moving rollers,

the 95C actuator is used for driving the motor to rotate,

110a processing means (generating means),

110a fiber storage device (processing device),

110b cutting means (first processing means, second processing means, processing means),

11c pressing means (first processing means, second processing means, processing means),

110d leg-opening cutting means (first processing means, processing means),

110e end cutting means (first processing means, processing means),

an LM production line, an LMB backplane section,

LMK panel (support member), LMKs1 top surface, LMKs2 back surface,

a TB divert bar (conveying direction changing member),

g95s stationary roll set, G95m moving roll set,

the space G, the paper tube p,

p3Ca at the front material loop position, P3Cf at the rear material loop position,

pj bonding position, Pw26R standby position, Pw28B standby position

A C22 pivot axis, a C26A rotational axis, a C26R rotational axis, a C28A rotational axis,

C41A axis of rotation, C41u axis of rotation, C41d axis of rotation

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an absorbent article using a first material and a second material,

the method comprises the following steps:

bonding a succeeding first material with a preceding first material by using a first material bonding device, while the succeeding first material is supplied from the first material bonding device in succession to the preceding first material,

the preceding first material is continuously fed from the preceding first material coil,

bonding a succeeding second material with a preceding second material by using a second material bonding device to which the succeeding second material is supplied in succession to the preceding second material by the second material bonding device,

the trailing second material is a second material of the trailing second material coil; and

producing the absorbent article from the first material supplied from the first material joining device and the second material supplied from the second material joining device,

bonding of the trailing first material to the leading first material by the first material joining means is performed by pressing the leading first material against the outer circumferential surface of the trailing first material coil,

the preceding first material coil is supported by one of the first rotary shafts that is driven and rotated to feed the preceding first material,

the further first rotation axis supports the subsequent first coil of material,

one of the second rotary shafts supports the preceding second material coil,

another one of the second rotary shafts supports the succeeding second material coil, and a number of times of replacement per unit time of the first material coil on the one first rotary shaft and the another first rotary shaft associated with the first material joining device is larger than a number of times of replacement per unit time of the second material coil on the one second rotary shaft and the another second rotary shaft associated with the second material joining device.

2. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein,

the feed length of the second material fed by the second material joining means for producing the absorbent article is shorter than the feed length of the first material fed by the first material joining means for producing the absorbent article.

3. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

a first support member supports the first rotational axis of the first material engagement device and is distinct from a support member supporting the first processing device.

4. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein,

including a first processing device configured to process the first material delivered from the first material bonding device,

the second direction intersects the first direction when viewed from above,

a conveying direction changing member that is provided between the first material joining device and the first processing device and changes the conveying direction of the first material from the first direction to the second direction when viewed from above,

said first material engagement means comprises a turntable pivotable about a pivot axis parallel to said first axis of rotation,

the one first rotation shaft and the other first rotation shaft are disposed in point-symmetric relation with respect to the pivot axis and are rotatably supported on the turntable,

a second processing device configured to process the second material delivered from the second material bonding device,

the second material is fed in a feeding direction as the first direction in the second material joining device as viewed from above, and the second material is conveyed in a conveying direction as the second direction in the second processing device as viewed from above,

a conveying direction changing member that is provided between the second material joining device and the second processing device and changes the conveying direction of the second material from the first direction to the second direction when viewed from above,

the one second rotation shaft and the other second rotation shaft of the second material joining device are arranged side by side in respective fixed positions in the first direction, and

the pivot axis of the turntable of the first material engagement means is located between the one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis in the first direction.

5. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein,

the second direction intersects the first direction when viewed from above,

one position being located further away from the first processing device in the first direction than the other position, of the two positions,

when the one first rotation axis is located at the one position, a new coil of first material is attached to the one first rotation axis.

6. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 5, wherein,

the one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material joining device are arranged side by side in respective fixed positions in the first direction,

the one second rotation axis is positioned farther away from the second processing device in the first direction than the other second rotation axis, and

if the second material coil that has not been fed is supported by the one second rotary shaft,

the first rotation axis at the one position of the first material joining device is located within a range in which the second material coil exists in the first direction.

7. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 5 or 6, wherein,

if said one first axis of rotation is in said one position of said first material engagement means,

the first rotation axis is located above the one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material joining device in the up-down direction.

8. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein,

the second direction intersects the first direction when viewed from above,

the one second rotation shaft and the other second rotation shaft of the second material joining device are respectively arranged at respective fixed positions in the first direction, and

the one second rotation axis and the other second rotation axis of the second material engagement device are located within a range in the first direction, which is a pivot locus of the first material coil when the turn table pivots about the pivot axis while the one first rotation axis supports the first material coil that has not been fed yet.

9. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein,

the first material is a pulp air-laid nonwoven fabric, and

the method comprises producing an absorber associated with the absorbent article by cutting the pulp airlaid nonwoven fabric.

10. An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article using a first material and a second material,

the apparatus includes:

a first material joining device that feeds a succeeding first material in succession to a preceding first material by bonding the succeeding first material to the preceding first material,

said preceding first material is continuously fed from the first material coil,

a second material joining device that feeds a succeeding second material in succession to a preceding second material by bonding the succeeding second material to the preceding second material,

the preceding second material is continuously fed from the second material coil,

a generating device that generates the absorbent article from the first material supplied from the first material joining device and the second material supplied from the second material joining device,

the other first rotary shaft supports the succeeding first material coil, performs adhesion of the succeeding second material to the preceding second material by the second material joining means by nipping and pressing the preceding second material and the succeeding second material while stopping the feeding operation of the second rotary shaft,

one of the second rotary shafts supports the preceding second material coil,