JP2004016611A - Method and apparatus for producing absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing an absorbent article greatly reducing the labor and cost of changing the specifications of products by easily and flexibly coping with changes to the product specifications. <P>SOLUTION: The method for producing the absorbent article produces the absorbent article by using a plurality of processors 2A-2C disposed on a predetermined path of conveyance to process materials of the absorbent article conveyed by a plurality of conveyors 1A-1C on the path of conveyance. A servomotor 17 is provided for each of the conveyors 1A-1C and the conveying speed of each conveyor is adjusted by controlling the rotating speed of the servomotor 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article that can easily and flexibly respond to a change in product specifications and can greatly reduce the labor and cost involved in changing the product specifications.
[0002]
Problems to be solved by the prior art and the invention
Conventionally, an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article as shown in FIG. 5 is known. In the illustrated device, a continuous absorbent body 5 'obtained by depositing pulp fibers 52 on a backing paper 51 continuously fed from a predetermined location is converted into a first cutting device by a first belt-type conveying device 1A. It is transported to the location of 2A, and is cut by the cutting device 2A to the length of the absorbent for one product. Then, the cut absorber 5 is transported by the second belt-type transport device 1B to a location where the sealing device 2B is arranged. During the conveyance by the second belt-type conveyance device 1B, a liquid-permeable top sheet 6 and a liquid-impermeable back sheet 7 are laminated on the upper and lower surfaces of the absorber 5, and the sealing device 2B has The laminate 8 including the top sheet 6, the back sheet 7, and the absorber 5 is introduced. In the sealing device 2B, the gap between the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate 8 is intermittently sealed at a portion where the absorber 5 does not exist to form a seal portion 9, and the laminate 8 on which the seal portion 9 is formed is a third laminate. Is transported to the position where the second cutting device 2C is arranged by the belt-type transport device 1C, and cut into a length of one product. Thus, the absorbent article 10 including the top sheet 6, the back sheet 7, and the absorber 5 interposed between the two sheets is continuously produced.
[0003]
In such a conventional apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article, a series of or a unitary transfer device or processing device, for example, the above-described first to third belt-type transfer devices 1A to 1C, first and second transfer devices. The cutting devices 2A and 2C and the sealing device 2B are driven by a single motor 11 as a power source as shown in FIG. 5, and when changing the specifications of a product, for example, changing the product (absorbent article) ( In the case of changing the product length, etc.) or changing the product length, the transfer speed of each transfer device can be adjusted to the product specifications by replacing the drive pulley 12 or sprocket of the belt type transfer device. The speed was changed accordingly.
[0004]
However, the replacement of the drive pulley 12, the sprocket, and the like requires time and effort for the work, and it is difficult to finely adjust the speed. In addition, the manufacturing apparatus has a complicated configuration including the handling of pulleys and sprockets, a gear box, a phase matching device (DEF), and the like.
If a large continuously variable transmission is introduced between the motor 11 and the pulley 12, the speed can be adjusted within a certain range without changing the pulley, but there is a problem that the cost increases. .
[0005]
In addition, when changing the product specifications, it was necessary to replace each processing device (unit) incorporating a uniform roll, so it took time and effort to replace the roll. Expensive costs, including contingency costs for owning each type of processing equipment, have been enormous.
[0006]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article that can easily and flexibly respond to a change in product specifications and can greatly reduce the labor and cost involved in changing the product specifications. is there.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention manufactures an absorbent article by sequentially processing the material of the absorbent article conveyed on a predetermined conveyance path by a plurality of conveyance apparatuses by a plurality of processing apparatuses arranged on the conveyance path. In the method for producing an absorbent article, a method for producing an absorbent article is provided, wherein a servomotor is provided for each of the transport devices, and the transport speed of each transport device is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the servomotor. By doing so, the above object has been achieved.
[0008]
The present invention is directed to an absorbent article that is sequentially processed by a plurality of processing devices disposed on the transport path on a material of the absorbent article continuously transported on a predetermined transport path by a plurality of transport apparatuses. In the manufacturing apparatus of an absorbent article for manufacturing a product, a servo motor is provided for each of the transporting devices, and each transporting device is driven by each servo motor. Thereby, the above object has been achieved.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article shown in FIG. 1 includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 6, a liquid-impermeable back sheet 7, and a liquid-retentive absorber 5 interposed between the two sheets, and has both ends in the longitudinal direction. Is a continuous production device for the absorbent article 10 having end seal portions 91, 91 formed by heat-pressure sealing between the top sheet 6 and the back sheet 7 in the section, particularly a liner for incontinence, a sanitary napkin It is suitable for the manufacture of an absorbent article which is used to absorb urine or menstrual blood by contacting the skin.
[0010]
This manufacturing apparatus includes three transfer devices 1A to 1C and three processing devices 2A to 2C.
The first to third transfer apparatuses 1A to 1C are arranged in this order from the upstream to the downstream of the production line of the production apparatus, and each of the drive pulley 12, the driven pulley (single or plural) 13 and This is a belt-type conveyance device including an endless belt 14 stretched between the belts.
Each of the transporting devices 1A to 1C is provided with a servomotor 17 in a form in which the rotation shaft 16 of the servomotor 17 is directly connected to the rotation shaft of the drive pulley 12 at a speed proportional to the rotation speed of each servomotor 17. The transported object (material of the absorbent article) on the endless belt 14 is transported.
[0011]
An unwinding device (not shown) that continuously feeds the backing sheet 51 from the roll-shaped material 50 of the backing sheet 51 and a pulp fiber on the unrolled backing sheet 51 are provided upstream of the location of the first transporting device 1A in the present manufacturing apparatus. And / or a stacking device (not shown) for depositing an absorbent material 52 such as an absorbent polymer.
The first transporting device 1A transports the absorber continuous body 5 'obtained by depositing the absorbent material 52 on the backing sheet 51 to a place where the first processing device 2A is arranged, and the first processing device 1A 2A.
[0012]
The three processing devices 2A to 2C in the present manufacturing device are a first cutting device 2A, a sealing device 2B, and a second cutting device 2C, which are arranged in this order from upstream to downstream of the manufacturing line. I have.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the first cutting device 2 </ b> A is a pair of rolls that rotate in conjunction with a single power input shaft (a shaft to which a force required for driving is first input) 21. A cutter roll 23 having a cutting blade 22 having a shape in which two arcs are joined back to back at an axially symmetric portion of a peripheral surface; and an anvil roll disposed opposite to the cutter roll 23 and receiving the cutting blade 22 on the peripheral surface. 24 is a roll cutter.
[0014]
The second transport device 1B transports the absorber 5 cut by the first cutting device 2A to a location where the sealing device 2B is arranged. The second conveyance device 1B is provided with a device for introducing a top sheet and a back sheet, and has a liquid-permeable top sheet 6 and a liquid-impermeable back sheet on the upper and lower surfaces of the absorber 5 being conveyed. 7 are merged and laminated.
[0015]
The sealing device 2 </ b> B is formed as a pair of rolls that rotate in conjunction with a single power input shaft 21, in which convex pressing portions 25 and concave non-pressing portions 26 are alternately formed along the circumferential direction. A pair of hot-press rolls (only one is shown) 27 is provided, and when the power input shaft 21 rotates, the pair of hot-press rolls are synchronized so that the pressurizing portions of the pair press periodically. Rotate.
[0016]
The third transporting device 1C transports the stacked body 8 on which the sealing portion 9 is formed by the sealing device 2B to a location where the second cutting device 2C is arranged, and introduces the stacked body 8 into the second processing device 2C. .
[0017]
The second cutting device 2C has the same configuration as the first cutting device 2A, and has a similar cutter roll 23 and anvil roll as a pair of rolls that rotate in conjunction with a single power input shaft 21. (Not shown).
[0018]
The first cutting device 2A, the sealing device 2B, and the second cutting device 2C are provided with a servomotor 28 in a form in which a rotary shaft 29 of the servomotor 28 is directly connected to each power input shaft 21.
Further, the device of the present embodiment includes a control device 3 having an operation panel, and the rotation speed can be adjusted for each servo motor by operating the operation panel.
That is, the servomotors 17 provided in the first to third transfer devices 1A to 1C and the servomotors 28 provided in the three processing devices 2A to 2C are electrically connected to the control device 3, respectively. The rotation speed of the servomotors 17 and 28 can be increased or decreased by an electric control signal (such as a change in current or voltage) from the control device 3.
[0019]
A method for manufacturing the absorbent article 10 using the above-described manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to an example.
The control device 3 described above keeps the rotation speed of the servo motors 17 and 28 provided in each of the transfer devices 1A to 1C and each of the processing devices 2A to 2C at the optimum speed set for each servo motor, and When the absorber continuous body 5 ′ (material of the absorbent article) obtained by depositing the absorbent material 52 thereon is introduced onto the endless belt 14 of the first conveyor 1A, the introduced absorbent The body continuum 5 'is conveyed by the first belt-type conveying device 1A to a position where the first cutting device 2A is arranged, and as shown in FIG. 2, the cutter roll 23 and the anvil roll 24 in the cutting device 2A. Introduced between. Thus, the continuous absorbent body 5 ′ is intermittently cut at predetermined intervals by the cutting blades 22 on the peripheral surface of the cutter roll, and cut into a length of one product.
[0020]
Then, the cut absorbent body 5 is transported by the second transport device 1B to the place where the sealing device 2B is arranged. Normally, the transport speed V2 of the second transport device 1B is higher than the transport speed V1 of the first transport speed 1A.
A liquid-permeable top sheet 6 and a liquid-impermeable back sheet 7 are merged and stacked on the upper and lower surfaces of the absorber 5 being conveyed by the second conveyance device 1B. Between the pressure rolls 26 (only one is shown), a laminate (material of the absorbent article) 8 including the top sheet 6, the back sheet 7, and the absorber 5 is introduced. Then, between the upper and lower surfaces of the laminate 8 between the pair of hot-press rolls, the pressure is periodically heated and pressed between the pressurizing portions at a portion where the absorber 5 does not exist inside, thereby sealing.
[0021]
Then, the stacked body 8 on which the seal portion 9 is formed is transported by the third transporting device 1C to a location where the second cutting device 2C is arranged. Normally, the transport speed V3 of the third transport device 1C is higher than the transport speed V2 of the second transport speed 1B.
Then, the stacked body 8 transported by the third transporting device 1C and introduced between the pair of rolls of the second cutting device 2C is cut by the cutting blades 22 on the peripheral surface of the cutter roll 23 to a length of one product. It is cut at the center position of each seal part 9 so as to be as follows.
In this way, a large number of the absorbent articles 10 having the end seal portions 91 at both ends are continuously produced.
[0022]
According to the method and apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article of the present embodiment, not only can an absorbent article having a specific specification be stably manufactured in this manner, but also it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the specification of the absorbent article. be able to.
[0023]
For example, when changing the composition or structure of the forming material of the absorbent article such as the backing sheet 51, the back sheet 7, the top sheet 6, etc., the elongation characteristics in the flow direction of the transfer object to be transferred by each transfer device change. If the transport speed of each transport device and the transport speed ratio (V2 / V1, V3 / V2, etc.) between the transport devices are not adjusted, wrinkles may occur on the transported object, or the transport may become unstable, resulting in an unfavorable result. The quality of the absorbent article (product) to be used is uneven, which causes inconvenience such as increased waste.
According to the manufacturing method and the manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, the transfer speed of each of the transfer devices 1A to 1C can be easily adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the servomotor 17 provided in each of the transfer devices. It is possible to easily and flexibly cope with a change in the composition or structure of the forming material of the absorbent article without requiring a large-scale operation such as replacement of the sprocket and the like.
[0024]
In addition, in addition to changing the composition or structure of the forming material of the absorbent article, changing the length of the absorbent article itself, changing the expansion / contraction ratio of the forming material, and the like, the transfer speed of each transfer device and the like. It is necessary to adjust the transfer speed ratio (V2 / V1, V3 / V2, etc.) between the transfer devices. However, according to the manufacturing method and the manufacturing device of the present embodiment, the adjustment can be performed only by adjusting the rotation speed of the servomotor. Since it is possible, these changes can be easily and flexibly dealt with.
[0025]
Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method and the manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, each of the processing apparatuses 2A to 2C is also provided with the servomotor 28, and the processing interval of each processing apparatus is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the servomotor. Therefore, for example, products having different lengths of the absorber 5 can be manufactured using the same manufacturing apparatus as follows.
[0026]
For example, FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section orthogonal to the axis of the cutter roll 23 in the first cutting device 2A. The cutter roll 23 is driven by the servomotor 28 as described above. The circumferential speed (rotational speed) of the cutter roll 23 can be accelerated / decelerated in a fixed pattern while the cutter roll 23 makes one rotation. For example, the absorption obtained when the absorber continuous body 5 ′ is cut while the rotation speed of the cutter roll 23 (abbreviated as cutter speed in FIG. 4) is kept constant during one rotation (see FIG. 4A). The body 5 is an absorber having a length L1 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the length L2 of the absorber obtained by decelerating the rotation speed of the cutter roll 2 in the acceleration / deceleration region in FIG. 3 and accelerating / decelerating it in the pattern shown in FIG. As shown in e), the length is longer than the length L1 in the case of constant speed rotation. Conversely, on the contrary, the length L3 of the absorber obtained by accelerating the rotation speed of the cutter roll 2 in the acceleration / deceleration region in FIG. 3 and accelerating / decelerating in the pattern shown in FIG. As shown in f), the length is shorter than the length L1 in the case of constant speed rotation.
As described above, it is possible to increase or decrease the length of the cut absorber 5 only by controlling the rotation speed of the cutter roll 23 of the first cutting device 2A. In the present embodiment, since the rotation speed of the rolls of the sealing device 2B and the second cutting device 2C can also be adjusted by the servo motor 28, even if the length of the absorber 5 changes, the length of the absorber 5 is not changed. It is possible to form the seal portion 9 at a corresponding position and cut the laminate 8 at the center position of the seal portion 9.
[0027]
As mentioned above, although each embodiment of the manufacturing method and the manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent article of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and can be changed suitably.
[0028]
For example, in the above embodiment, the servomotors are provided in the three processing devices 2A to 2C, respectively, but some or all of the processing devices are driven using a conventional driving mechanism as shown in FIG. Is also good. In addition, when a large number of transport devices are arranged on the production line of the absorbent article, at least three or more adjacent transport devices are driven by a servo motor provided for each transport device as in the above-described embodiment. However, it is more preferable that all the transport devices are driven by servo motors provided for each transport device. In addition, the material of the absorbent article to be transported by each transport device may be sequentially changed as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, the absorbent article may be a disposable diaper of a deployment type or a pants type other than the sanitary napkin and the incontinence pad. Examples of the material of the absorbent article include various materials (simple or combined) conventionally used for the absorbent article.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of an absorptive article which can respond | correspond to the specification change of a product easily and flexibly, and can reduce the labor and cost accompanying the specification change of a product significantly can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a main part of a method and a device for manufacturing an absorbent article according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (a) is a diagram mainly showing an outline of the device. FIG. 1B is a view mainly showing an outline of a manufacturing method.
FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged perspective view showing a first cutting device in the apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section orthogonal to an axis of a cutter roll of the cutting device shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating control patterns of the rotation speed of a cutter roll and absorbers corresponding to the respective control patterns.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a main part of a conventional method and apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article.
[Explanation of symbols]
1A to 1C First to third belt-type transfer devices (conveyance devices)
2A First cutting device (processing device)
2B Sealing equipment (processing equipment)
2C Second cutting device (processing device)
3 control device 5 absorber 5 'absorber continuum (material of absorbent article)
6 Top sheet 7 Back sheet 8 Laminate (material of absorbent article)
9 Seal part 10 Light incontinence pad or sanitary napkin (absorbent article)

Claims (3)

The material of the absorbent article transported on the predetermined transport route by the plurality of transport devices is subjected to sequential processing by the plurality of processing devices arranged on the transport route to produce the absorbent article. In the manufacturing method,
A method for manufacturing an absorbent article, wherein a servo motor is provided for each of the transport devices, and the transport speed of each transport device is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the servo motor. 2. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein a servo motor is provided for each of the processing devices, and a processing interval of each processing device is adjusted by controlling a rotation speed of the servo motor. Absorbing material that is sequentially processed by a plurality of processing devices disposed on the transport path on the material of the absorbent article continuously transported on a predetermined transport path by a plurality of transport apparatuses to produce the absorbent article. In a manufacturing apparatus for a conductive article,
A servo motor is provided for each of the transport devices, and each transport device is driven by each servo motor.

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