JP6711849B2 - Absorbent article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

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

Corresponds to the front waist area corresponding to the front waist area of the wearer, the back waist area corresponding to the back waist area of the wearer, and the inseam of the wearer like a pants-type sanitary napkin or disposable diaper An absorbent article including a crotch region is known (Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a pants-type absorbent article having a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region and a method for folding the absorbent article. A method of manufacturing an absorbent article includes a step of transporting a web in which regions to be absorbent articles are continuously arranged, a step of folding the web in two with a fold line passing through a crotch region of the absorbent article as a base point, and a web. Cutting into individual absorbent articles. Further, the method for folding an absorbent article is to use a pant-shaped absorbent article by inserting the absorbent article into a front body at an intermediate portion between the front end of the front waist region of the absorbent article and the fold line of the crotch region. There is a step of folding the peripheral region and the crotch region so as to overlap each other.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-200912

In the pants-shaped absorbent article, the absorbent body is doubly overlapped in the thickness direction. When such an absorbent article is further folded at the intermediate portion between the front end of the front waist region and the folding line of the crotch region of the absorbent article so that the front waist region and the crotch region overlap each other. , The folded part may open naturally during the manufacturing process.

In particular, when the fold line located in the middle between the front end of the front waist region of the absorbent article and the fold line of the crotch region passes through the portion where the absorber is present, the absorber is Since they are overlapped with each other, the thickness of the absorbent article tends to be relatively large. Therefore, in particular, the folded portion is likely to open naturally during the manufacturing process.

Therefore, a method for manufacturing an absorbent article that is difficult to open after being folded is desired.

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to one aspect is a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region between a front waist region and a rear waist region, and an absorber disposed in at least the crotch region. And a step of forming an absorbent article having at least an elastic member arranged in a region overlapping with the absorbent body, and the absorbability is based on the first folded portion passing through the crotch region and extending in the width direction of the absorbent article. A first folding step of folding the article in two and a second folding step of further folding the absorbent article based on a pair of second folding portions which overlap each other in the absorbent article folded in two and extend in the width direction. Have. At least one of the pair of second folded portions intersects with the elastic member.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an absorbent article according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a developed plan view of the absorbent article according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a part of the method for manufacturing the absorbent article according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5: is a figure for demonstrating another one part of the manufacturing method of the absorbent article which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Drawing 6 (a), Drawing 6 (b), and Drawing 6 (c) are figures showing the folding mode of the absorptive article concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are schematic diagrams showing the state of the elastic member in the folded absorbent article according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view for explaining the packaging process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic top view for explaining the packaging process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10: is a figure for demonstrating a part of manufacturing method of the absorbent article which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. Drawing 11 (a), Drawing 11 (b), and Drawing 11 (c) are figures showing the folding mode of the absorptive article concerning a 2nd embodiment. FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are schematic diagrams showing the state of the elastic member in the folded absorbent article.

(1) Outline of Embodiments At least the following matters will be made clear by the present specification and the description of the accompanying drawings.

The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to one aspect is a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region between the front waist region and the rear waist region, and at least the crotch region in the thickness direction. A step of forming an absorbent article having an absorbent body disposed in the absorbent body, and an elastic member disposed in at least a region overlapping with the absorbent body; and a step along the width direction of the absorbent article passing through the crotch region. A first folding step of folding the absorbent article in two with one folding portion as a base point, and a pair of second folding portions that overlap each other in the absorbent article folded in two and extend in the width direction, with the first folding step as a base point. A second folding step of further folding the absorbent article, wherein at least one of the pair of second folding portions intersects with the elastic member.

According to the method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to this aspect, at least one of the pair of second folded portions intersects the elastic member. The elastic member contracts a region near the second folding portion in a direction intersecting with the second folding portion. In order to open the absorbent article that has been folded once at the second folding portion, it is necessary to stretch the elastic member that intersects the second folding portion to some extent. In other words, the elastic member acts so as to stably maintain the state in which the absorbent article is folded back at the second folding section. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the folded portion of the absorbent article from opening naturally during the manufacturing process.

According to a preferred aspect, in the second folding step, the absorbent article is folded such that the inner side of the pair of second folding portions intersects with the elastic member.

In this case, in the state of being folded at the pair of second folds, the elastic member draws a curve shorter than the curve drawn by the outer surface of the absorbent article at the second fold due to the contracting action (see FIG. 12). .. As a result, the elastic member is in a slightly contracted state as compared with the case where the elastic member extends along the outer surface of the absorbent article (when the absorbent article is not folded). In order to expand the absorbent article, it is necessary to extend the elastic member by the amount that the elastic member slightly contracts. In other words, the absorbent article is in a stable state when it is folded by the pair of second folding portions. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pair of second folding parts from opening naturally during the manufacturing process.

Further, since the elastic member shrinks the inner region of the pair of second folds in the vicinity of the second fold, the elastic member closes the absorbent article at the pair of second folds. Try to shrink. Therefore, the absorbent article can be easily folded in the second folding step.

According to a preferred aspect, in the second folding step, the absorbent article is folded such that the outer side of the pair of second folding portions intersects with the elastic member.

In this case, in the state of being folded at the pair of second folding portions, the elastic member draws a curve shorter than the curve drawn by the outer surface of the absorbent article at the second folding portion due to the contracting action (see FIG. 7). .. As a result, the elastic member is in a slightly contracted state as compared with the case where the elastic member extends along the outer surface of the absorbent article (when the absorbent article is not folded). In order to expand the absorbent article, it is necessary to extend the elastic member by the amount that the elastic member slightly contracts. In other words, the absorbent article is in a stable state when it is folded by the pair of second folding portions. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pair of second folding parts from opening naturally during the manufacturing process.

According to a preferred aspect, between the first folding step and the second folding step, a pair of flap folds are formed along the front-rear direction on the outer portions of the front waist region and the rear waist region in the width direction. A flap folding step that folds a portion at a base point, and in the second folding step, the crotch region is at least one of the outer portions of the front waist region and the rear waist region folded back by the flap folding process. The absorbent article is folded so as to cover the portion.

The crotch region covers at least a part of outer portions of the front waist region and the back waist region that are folded back by the flap folding process. As described above, due to the action of the elastic member, the crotch region is stably maintained in the state of being folded back at the second folding portion. Therefore, the crotch region can prevent the outer portions of the front waist region and the rear waist region from naturally opening.

According to a preferred aspect, between the first folding step and the second folding step, a pair of flap folds are formed along the front-rear direction on the outer portions of the front waist region and the rear waist region in the width direction. A flap folding step that folds a portion at a base point, and in the second folding step, the crotch region is thicker than the outer portions of the front waist region and the back waist region that are folded back by the flap folding process. The absorbent article is folded such that it is located on the opposite side in the direction, and the pair of second folding portions intersects with the flap folding portion.

The crotch region is folded on the opposite side in the thickness direction from the outer portions of the front waist region and the back waist region that are folded back by the flap folding process. Further, the pair of second folding portions intersects with the flap folding portion. That is, a part of the outer portion of the front waist region and the rear waist region is located on one surface in the thickness direction of the folded absorbent article, and the other outer portions of the front waist region and the rear waist region are not. Is located on the other surface in the thickness direction of the folded absorbent article. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the outer portions of the front waist region and the rear waist region from opening naturally.

According to a preferred aspect, after the second folding step, while carrying the absorbent article and the packaging material, there is a packaging step of wrapping the absorbent article with the packaging material from the downstream side, the packaging step , The pair of second folding portions are directed to the downstream side in the transport direction.

According to this aspect, the absorbent article that has been folded is gradually wrapped with the packaging material from the second folding portion side. Therefore, the absorbent article can be neatly wrapped by the packaging material because it is wrapped with the packaging material from the folded portion (the portion that is not open) of the absorbent article.

(2) Overall Configuration of Absorbent Article Hereinafter, an absorbent article according to one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are designated by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and ratios of respective dimensions and the like are different from actual ones. Therefore, specific dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following description. In addition, the drawings may include portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an absorbent article 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a development plan view showing a state where the absorbent article 1 shown in FIG. 1 is developed. The developed plan view shown in FIG. 2 is a diagram of an expanded state in which the absorbent article 1 is expanded to a state in which the wrinkles of the sheet constituting the absorbent article 1 are not formed. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article 1 taken along the line AA of FIG. The absorbent article is formed into a pants type such as a disposable diaper or a shorts type napkin.

The absorbent article 1 includes an anteroposterior direction L extending to the front side and a posterior side of the wearer, a width direction W orthogonal to the anteroposterior direction, a skin-facing surface side T1 facing the wearer, and a side opposite to the skin-facing surface side. And a thickness direction T extending toward the non-skin facing surface side T2 side.

The absorbent article 1 has a front waistline region R1, a back waistline region R2, and a crotch region R3. The front waist region R1 faces the front side of the wearer's body during use. The rear waist region R2 faces the rear side of the wearer's body during use. The crotch region R3 is located between the front waistline region R1 and the rear waistline region R2, and is disposed at the crotch of the wearer during use.

A first folded portion FW1 that bisects the absorbent article 1 into front and back passes through the crotch region R3. The first folded portion FW1 extends along the width direction W. From the state shown in FIG. 2, the absorbent article 1 is folded such that the front waistline region R1 and the back waistline region R2 overlap with each other with the first folding portion FW1 as a base point. Further, a side joint portion 29 is formed in which an outer portion of the front waist region R1 in the width direction W and an outer portion of the rear waist region R2 in the width direction W are joined to each other. The absorbent article 1 is formed with a waist opening 31 into which the waist of the wearer is inserted, and a pair of leg openings 32 into which the legs of the wearer are inserted. In the unfolded state of the absorbent article 1 in which the side joint portion 29 is cut open and unfolded (see FIG. 2 ), the portion having the shortest length in the width direction W is located in front of the center of the absorbent article 1 in the front-rear direction L. You can do it.

The absorbent article 1 further includes a pair of second folded portions FW2 extending along the width direction W. One of the pair of second folding portions FW2 is provided between the first folding portion FW1 and the rear side edge of the rear waist region R2. The other of the pair of second folded portions FW2 is provided between the first folded portion FW1 and the front side edge of the front waist region R1.

When the absorbent article 1 is folded back and forth with the first folding portion FW1 as a base point (see FIG. 1 ), the pair of second folding portions FW2 are provided at positions corresponding to each other. By further folding back the absorbent article 1 from the state shown in FIG. 1 with the pair of second folding portions FW2 as the base points, the absorbent article 1 can be packaged in a more compact state.

The front waist region R1 is defined by a region that overlaps the side joint portion 29 in the width direction W and that faces the front side of the wearer's body in the expanded state of the absorbent article 1. The rear waist region R2 is a region that overlaps the side joint portion 29 in the width direction W in the expanded state of the absorbent article 1 and is defined by a region facing the rear side of the wearer's body. The crotch region R3 is defined by a region between the front waist region R1 and the rear waist region R2.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the first folded portion FW1 coincides with the center of the absorbent article 1 in the front-rear direction L. Alternatively, the first folded portion FW1 may be slightly shifted in the front-rear direction L from the center of the absorbent article 1 in the front-rear direction L. The 1st folding part FW1 may be located in the back side rather than the part where the length in the width direction W of the absorbent article 1 is the shortest.

The absorbent article 1 has the absorber 13 arranged at least in the crotch region R3. The absorber 13 may extend from the crotch region R3 to the front waist region R1 and the back waist region R2. Further, the absorbent article 1 has the elastic member 40 arranged in a region overlapping at least the absorber 13 in the thickness direction T.

Hereinafter, an example of a specific configuration of the absorbent article 1 will be described. The absorbent article 1 may include an absorbent main body 10 and a chassis 20. The absorbent main body 10 is provided at least in the crotch region R3. The absorbent main body 10 includes a liquid-permeable main body topsheet 11, a liquid-impermeable main body film 12, an absorber 13 arranged between the main body topsheet 11 and the main body film 12, and a main body backsheet 14. And may be provided. The chassis 20 is disposed closer to the non-skin facing surface side T2 than the absorbent main body 10, and may have an exterior topsheet 21 and an exterior backsheet 22.

The main body topsheet 11 is located closer to the skin facing surface side T1 than the absorber 13. The main body topsheet 11 can be composed of a liquid-permeable sheet such as a non-woven fabric or a perforated plastic film.

The main body film 12 is arranged on the non-skin facing surface side T2 of the absorber 13 and on the skin facing surface side T1 of the chassis 20. The body film 12 can be composed of a liquid-impermeable sheet.

The absorber 13 is provided between the main body topsheet 11 and the main body film 12, and absorbs excrement from the wearer, for example, body fluid. The absorber 13 may contain crushed pulp or super absorbent polymer, a mixture thereof, or the like.

The main body backsheet 14 is arranged on both the non-skin facing surface side T2 of the main body film 12 and the skin facing surface side T1 of the main body topsheet 11. The central portion in the width direction W of the main body backsheet 14 is arranged on the non-skin facing surface side T2 of the main body film 12. The outside of the main body backsheet 14 in the width direction W is folded back inward in the width direction W from the outer edge of the main body film 12 as a reference point, and is arranged on the skin facing surface side T1 of the main body topsheet 11. The main body backsheet 14 can be formed of a sheet such as a non-woven fabric.

The chassis 20 has an exterior topsheet 21 and an exterior backsheet 22. The length of the exterior topsheet 21 forming the chassis 20 in the width direction W and the length of the exterior backsheet 22 in the width direction W are longer than the length of the absorbent main body 10 in the width direction W.

The exterior topsheet 21 may be made of a stretchable nonwoven fabric that stretches at least in the width direction W. The exterior backsheet 22 is arranged on the non-skin facing surface side T2 of the exterior topsheet 21. The exterior backsheet 22 may be made of a non-stretchable non-woven fabric.

The exterior topsheet 21 includes a front exterior topsheet 24 located on the front waistline region R1 side and a rear exterior topsheet 25 located on the rear waistline region R2 side. The front exterior topsheet 24 and the rear exterior topsheet 25 are separated in the front-rear direction L. The exterior backsheet 22 is provided over the front waistline region R1 and the rear waistline region R2. The area in which the front exterior topsheet 24 is arranged and the area in which the rear exterior topsheet 25 is arranged are stretchable areas having elasticity in at least the width direction W. The front exterior topsheet 24 may be arranged at least in a part of the front waist region R1. Further, the rear exterior topsheet 25 may be arranged at least in a part of the rear waist region R2.

The front exterior topsheet 24 and the exterior backsheet 22 are folded back at the front edge 20F of the chassis 20. A waist elastic member 26 is disposed at a portion where the front exterior topsheet 24 and the exterior backsheet 22 are folded back.

The rear exterior topsheet 25 and the exterior backsheet 22 are folded back at the rear edge 20R of the chassis 20. A waist elastic member 26 is arranged at a portion where the rear exterior topsheet 25 and the exterior backsheet 22 are folded back. The waist elastic member 26 is provided along the waist opening 31. The waist elastic member 26 may be composed of, for example, a plurality of rubber threads.

Between the rear exterior topsheet 25 and the exterior backsheet 22, leg elastic members 27 are arranged. At least a portion of the leg elastic member 27 extends along the leg opening 32. The leg-surrounding elastic member 27 may be composed of, for example, a plurality of rubber threads.

In the present embodiment, the elastic member 40 arranged at a position overlapping at least the absorber in the thickness direction T may include a central elastic member 41 and a side elastic member 42. The central elastic member 41 is arranged near the central portion of the absorber 13 in the width direction W. The central elastic member 41 extends in the front-rear direction L. The central elastic member 41 is joined to the absorbent main body 10 in a state of being stretched to a predetermined stretch ratio. As an example, the central elastic member 41 is provided between the main body film 12 and the main body backsheet 14.

In the present embodiment, the central elastic member 41 is composed of a plurality of rubber threads arranged in the width direction W. Alternatively, the central elastic member 41 may be composed of a single rubber thread. Further, the central elastic member 41 may be composed of a sheet-shaped elastic member.

The central elastic member 41 intersects with the second folding portion FW2. Preferably, the central elastic member 41 intersects only one of the pair of second folding parts FW2. In the present embodiment, the central elastic member 41 intersects with the second folding portion located on the rear side of the pair of second folding portions FW2, and the second folding portion located on the front side of the pair of second folding portions FW2. Does not cross. In the present embodiment, the central elastic member 41 extends to the front side of the first folding section FW1 and does not reach the second folding section located on the front side of the pair of second folding sections FW2.

The side elastic member 42 may extend in the front-rear direction L. The side elastic member 42 is joined to the absorbent main body 10 in a state of being stretched to a predetermined stretch rate. The side elastic member 42 may be provided at a position overlapping at least the absorber 13.

In the present embodiment, the side elastic member 42 is provided on the skin contact surface side of the absorber 13 and forms a gather near the end of the absorbent main body 10 in the width direction W. In the present embodiment, the side elastic member 42 is provided in a portion of the main body backsheet 14 that is closer to the skin contact surface than the absorber 13, and is closer to the skin contact surface than the absorber 13 of the main body backsheet 14. The part is configured to be able to stand up by a contracting force. In this embodiment, the side elastic member 42 is made of rubber thread.

(3) Manufacturing method of absorbent article according to first embodiment Next, a manufacturing method of the absorbent article according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a part of the method for manufacturing the absorbent article according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5: is a figure for demonstrating another part of the manufacturing method of the absorbent article which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and specifically the process of following FIG.

The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to the first embodiment includes a step of forming an absorbent article, a first folding step, and a second folding step. The step of forming an absorbent article includes a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region between a front waist region and a rear waist region, an absorber disposed at least in the crotch region, and a thickness. It is a step of forming an absorbent article having an elastic member arranged in at least a region overlapping the absorber in the direction T.

The first folding step is a step of folding the absorbent article at the first folding section FW1. The second folding step is a step of further folding the absorbent article at the pair of second folding portions FW2. The second folding step is performed after the first folding step.

Hereinafter, a specific example of the step of forming the absorbent article will be described. The step of forming the absorbent article includes a chassis forming step S1, an absorbent main body arranging step S2, a leg opening forming step S3, a first folding step S4, a joining step S5, and a cutting step S6. You can do it. Thus, the above-mentioned first folding step may be one step in the step of forming the absorbent article.

In the chassis forming step S1, the waist elastic member 26 and the leg elastic member 27 are arranged between the continuous web 7A forming the exterior backsheet and the continuous web 7B forming the exterior topsheet 21 to form the chassis. A continuous web 7 forming 20 is formed.

In the absorbent main body arranging step S2, the absorbent main body 10 is arranged on the web 7. The absorbent main body 10 has an absorber 13 and an elastic member 40. The specific configuration of the absorbent main body 10 is the same as the configuration of the absorbent main body 10 provided in the absorbent article 1 described above. Here, at least the elastic member 40 that overlaps the absorber 13 in the thickness direction T overlaps at least one of the pair of second folding portions FW2 that serves as a folding base point in the second folding process described below. Preferably, the elastic member 40 that overlaps at least the absorber 13 in the thickness direction T intersects only one of the pair of second folding portions FW2 that is a folding base point in a second folding process described below.

In the leg opening formation step S3, the leg opening 32 is formed by cutting the web 7. Thereby, the basic configuration of the absorbent article 1 is formed. That is, the web 7 is in a state in which the plurality of absorbent articles 1 in the unfolded state are continuously arranged in the transport direction MD.

In this embodiment, the leg-opening forming step S3 is performed after the absorbent main body arranging step S2. Alternatively, the leg-opening forming step S3 may be performed before the absorbent main body arranging step S2.

In the first folding step S4, the absorbent article 1 is folded in two with the first folded portion FW1 passing through the crotch region R3 and extending in the width direction of the absorbent article 1 as a base point. As a result, the front waistline region R1 and the back waistline region R2 of the absorbent article 1 are overlapped with each other.

In the joining step S5, the joining portion 29 of the absorbent article 1 is joined by ultrasonic treatment or heat treatment after the first folding step S4. The joints 29 are located on both sides of the planned cutting position SL extending in the orthogonal direction CD orthogonal to the transport direction MD, in the transport direction MD. In the cutting step S6, the web 7 is cut for each absorbent article 1 after the joining step S5.

The absorbent article 1 cut in the cutting step S6 is conveyed in the article conveying step S10. Specifically, the absorbent article 1 is transported so that the transport direction MD extends along the width direction of the absorbent article.

Next, in the carrying direction changing step S20, the carrying direction MD of the absorbent article 1 is changed by 90 degrees. As a specific example, the thrust mechanism 100 pushes the absorbent article 1 downward from the conveyance path of the absorbent article 1. After that, the absorbent article 1 is transported by the belt conveyor in a state where the transport direction of the absorbent article 1 is changed by 90 degrees.

Next, a flap folding step S30 is carried out, if necessary. In the flap folding step S30, a pair of flap folding portions along the front-rear direction L is an outer side portion (hereinafter, also referred to as “flap”) 70 of the front waistline region R1 and the rear waistline region R2 in the width direction W. Fold it down from FL. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 6A changes to the state shown in FIG. 6B. The flap folding step S30 is performed between the first folding step S4 and a second folding step S40 described later.

As a specific example, while the absorbent article 1 is being conveyed by the belt conveyor, the side guide mechanism 110 causes the flap 70 to hang down from the state in which the flap 70 is directed to the lower side of the absorbent article. Fold. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 6B is changed to the state shown in FIG. 6C.

In the second folding step S40, the absorbent article 1 is further folded with the pair of second folding portions FW2 extending in the width direction W as base points. Note that the pair of second folded portions FW2 overlap each other in the absorbent article 1 folded in two. The positional relationship among the first folded portion FW1, the second folded portion FW2, and the elastic member 40 is as described with reference to FIGS.

As a specific example, in the second folding step S40, the push-up mechanism 120 pushes up the second folded portion FW2 of the absorbent article 1 from the conveyance path of the absorbent article 1 upward. As a result, the absorbent article 1 is further folded in two.

Here, at least one of the pair of second folding parts FW2 intersects with the elastic member 40. More specifically, in the first embodiment, in the second folding step S40, the absorbent article 1 is folded such that one of the pair of second folding portions FW2, which is arranged on the outer side, intersects with the elastic member 40. In this case, the absorbent article 1 and the elastic member 40 folded at the second folding portion FW2 are in a state as shown in the schematic view of FIG. 7A or 7B. 7A and 7B are different from each other in that the elastic member 40 is located on the skin surface side or the non-skin surface side of the expanded absorbent article.

In the state of being folded at the pair of second folded portions FW2, the elastic member 40 draws a curve shorter than the curve drawn by the outer surface of the absorbent article at the second folded portion FW2 due to the contracting action. That is, as indicated by the symbol S in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the elastic member 40 is shorter than the curve drawn by the outer surface of the absorbent article. As a result, the elastic member 40 is in a slightly contracted state as compared with the case where the elastic member 40 extends along the outer surface of the absorbent article 1 (when the absorbent article is not folded). In order to expand the absorbent article 1, it is necessary to extend the elastic member 40 by the amount of the elastic member 40 slightly contracting. In other words, the absorbent article 1 is in a stable state when it is folded by the pair of second folding portions FW2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pair of second folded portions FW2 from opening naturally during the manufacturing process.

Further, in the second folding step S40, it is preferable to fold the absorbent article 1 so that the crotch region R3 covers at least a part of the flap 70 folded back in the flap folding step S30 (see also FIG. 6C). ). As described above, due to the action of the elastic member 40, the crotch region R3 is stably maintained in the state of being folded back at the second folding portion FW2. Therefore, the crotch region R3 can prevent the flap 70 from opening naturally.

After the second folding step S40, the absorbent article 1 may be transported by the transportation step S50 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The carrying step S50 is preferably carried out with the absorbent article 1 sandwiched between the pair of carrying belts 200 in the thickness direction. This can prevent the absorbent article from opening after the two-folding step S40.

If necessary, the packaging step 60 is performed after the carrying step S50 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). In the packaging step S60, the folded absorbent article 1 is wrapped with the packaging material 180.

In the packaging step S60, the absorbent article 1 and the packaging material 180 are conveyed and the absorbent article 1 is wrapped with the packaging material 180 from the downstream side. The conveying directions of the absorbent article 1 and the packaging material 180 are the same.

Specifically, the absorbent article 1 is placed on the packaging material 180 from the conveyor belt 200. The packaging material 180 wraps the absorbent article 1 by folding back both ends of the absorbent article 1 in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

The packaging step S60 is preferably performed with the pair of second folded portions FW2 facing the downstream side in the transport direction. That is, the folded absorbent article 1 is gradually wrapped with the packaging material 180 from the second folded portion FW2 side. Therefore, the absorbent article 1 is wrapped from the folded portion (non-opened portion) of the absorbent article 1 by the packaging material 180, so that the absorbent article can be wrapped neatly by the packaging material 180.

After the absorbent article 1 is wrapped in the packaging step S60, the packaging material 180 is sealed by forming the welded portion 182 so as to separate the absorbent articles from each other (sealing step S70). Next, the packaging material 180 is cut at the welded portion 182 to cut the packaging material into individual absorbent articles 1 (cutting step S80). As a result, the absorbent article 1 packaged with the packaging material 180 is manufactured.

Further, in the carrying step S50, it is preferable that the second folding step S40 and the packaging step S60 are directly connected. More specifically, the absorbent article 1 folded in the second folding step S40 is preferably conveyed directly to the packaging step S60 while being sandwiched between the pair of conveyor belts 200. As a result, the folded absorbent article 1 can be further suppressed from opening during the manufacturing process.

(4) Manufacturing method of absorbent article according to second embodiment Next, a manufacturing method of the absorbent article according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the second embodiment, the same or similar configurations as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted. In addition, in the second embodiment, the step of forming the absorbent article can be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10: is a figure for demonstrating a part of manufacturing method of the absorbent article which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. In the second embodiment, the flap folding step S30 and the second folding step S40 are different from the first embodiment.

In the flap folding step S30, the flap 70 is folded with a pair of flap folding portions FL along the front-rear direction L as base points. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 11A is changed to the state shown in FIG. 11B. Note that, in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the elastic member 40 is located below the absorbent article 1 in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and is therefore indicated by a dotted line.

As a specific example, while the absorbent article 1 is being conveyed by the belt conveyor, the side guide mechanism 110 folds the flap 70 upward of the absorbent article 1. As a result, the state shown in FIG. 11B is changed to the state shown in FIG. 11C.

In the second folding step S40, the absorbent article 1 is further folded with the pair of second folding portions FW2 extending in the width direction W as base points. Note that the pair of second folded portions FW2 overlap each other in the absorbent article 1 folded in two.

As a specific example, in the second folding step S40, the push-up mechanism 120 pushes up the second folded portion FW2 of the absorbent article 1 from the conveyance path of the absorbent article 1 upward. As a result, the absorbent article 1 is further folded in two.

Here, at least one of the pair of second folding parts FW2 intersects with the elastic member 40. More specifically, in the second embodiment, in the second folding step S40, the absorbent article 1 is folded such that the inner side of the pair of second folding parts FW2 intersects the elastic member 40 ( See FIG. 11C). In this case, the absorbent article 1 and the elastic member 40 folded at the second folding portion FW2 are in a state as shown in the schematic view of FIG. 12A or 12B. 12A and 12B are different from each other in that the elastic member 40 is located on the skin surface side or the non-skin surface side of the expanded absorbent article.

In the state of being folded at the pair of second folded portions FW2, the elastic member 40 draws a curve shorter than the curve drawn by the outer surface of the absorbent article at the second folded portion FW2 due to the contracting action. That is, as indicated by the symbol S in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the elastic member 40 is shorter than the curve drawn by the outer surface of the absorbent article. As a result, the elastic member 40 is in a slightly contracted state as compared with the case where the elastic member 40 extends along the outer surface of the absorbent article 1 (when the absorbent article is not folded). In order to expand the absorbent article 1, it is necessary to extend the elastic member 40 by the amount of the elastic member 40 slightly contracting. In other words, the absorbent article 1 is in a stable state when it is folded by the pair of second folding portions FW2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pair of second folded portions FW2 from opening naturally during the manufacturing process.

Further, since the elastic member 40 causes the region near the inner second folded portion of the pair of second folded portions FW2 to contract in the front-rear direction, the elastic member 40 has the absorbent article at the pair of second folded portions FW2. Attempt to contract to close 1. Therefore, the absorbent article 1 can be easily folded in the second folding step S40.

Further, in the second embodiment, in the second folding step S40, the absorbent article 1 is folded such that the crotch region R3 is located on the side opposite to the flap 70 folded back in the flap folding step S30 in the thickness direction ( (See FIGS. 10 and 11). Further, the pair of second folding portions FW2 intersects with the flap folding portion FL. That is, a part of the flap 70 is located on one surface in the thickness direction of the folded absorbent article 1, and another part of the flap 70 is located on the other surface in the thickness direction of the folded absorbent article 1. It is located (see FIG. 11(b) and FIG. 11(c)). As a result, the flap 70 does not naturally open when the absorbent article 1 is folded at the second folding section FW2.

After the second folding step S40, the carrying step S50 and the packaging step S60 may be performed. The carrying step S50 and the packaging step S60 are the same as in the first embodiment.

As described above, the contents of the present invention have been disclosed through the embodiments of the present invention, but it should not be understood that the description and drawings forming a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples, and operation techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the matters specifying the invention according to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

For example, the specific configuration of the absorbent article is not particularly limited. The steps in the method for manufacturing an absorbent article can be performed in a different order as much as possible. The features described in each embodiment can be exchanged or combined as much as possible.

According to the method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to the above aspect, it is possible to make it difficult for the absorbent article to open naturally after the second folding step.

1 Absorbent article 13 Absorbent body 40 Elastic member FL Flap fold portion FW1 First fold portion FW2 Second fold portion R1 Front waist region R2 Rear waist region R3 Crotch region S4 First folding step S30 Flap folding step S40 Second folding Process S60 Packaging process

Claims (6)

Front waist region, rear waist region, crotch region between the front waist region and the rear waist region, at least an absorber disposed in the crotch region, at least the absorber in the thickness direction A step of forming an absorbent article having an elastic member arranged in a region overlapping with,
A first folding step of folding the absorbent article in two with a first folding portion passing through the crotch region and extending in the width direction of the absorbent article as a base point;
A second folding step of further folding the absorbent article based on a pair of second folded portions that overlap each other in the absorbent article folded in two and extend along the width direction,
Only one of the pair of second folds intersects the elastic member ,
Wherein the second folding step, Ru folding the absorbent article as better disposed inside intersecting with the elastic member of the second folding portions of the pair, a manufacturing method of an absorbent article. The absorbent member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a central elastic member that is disposed near a central portion of the absorbent body in the width direction and that is located on a skin surface side of the expanded absorbent article. Article manufacturing method. The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein the central elastic member extends in the front-rear direction and is configured by a sheet-shaped elastic member. Between the first folding step and the second folding step, a flap fold that folds an outer portion of the front waistline area and the rear waistline area in the width direction with a pair of flap folds along the front-rear direction as a base point. Have a process,
In the second folding step, the absorbent article is folded such that the crotch region covers at least a part of the outer portion of the front waistline region and the back waistline region folded back by the flap folding process. A method for manufacturing the absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Between the first folding step and the second folding step, a flap fold that folds an outer portion of the front waistline area and the rear waistline area in the width direction with a pair of flap folds along the front-rear direction as a base point. Have a process,
In the second folding step, the absorption is performed so that the crotch region is located on the opposite side in the thickness direction from the outer portions of the front waistline region and the rear waistline region folded back by the flap folding process. Fold the sex goods,
The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein the pair of second folded portions intersects with the flap folded portion. After the second folding step, there is a packaging step of wrapping the absorbent article with the packaging material from a downstream side while conveying the absorbent article and the packaging material,
The method for manufacturing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the packaging step is performed in a state where the pair of second folded portions are directed to the downstream side in the transport direction.

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