JP7304130B2 - absorbent article - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to absorbent articles such as printed light incontinence pads, particularly light incontinence pads for men.

Currently, absorbent articles such as disposable diapers for adults are widely used. These absorbent articles are constructed to include a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The liquid-permeable top sheet is mainly composed of a nonwoven fabric, and the liquid-impermeable back sheet is composed of a plastic film such as polyethylene.

In such absorbent articles, the mounting position is indicated by embossing or printing in order to make the mounting position easier to understand. However, when the mounting position is indicated by embossing, there is a problem that the mounting position cannot be well recognized depending on the lighting conditions such as a private toilet room and the observation angle.

On the other hand, if the mounting position is indicated by printing, printing accuracy may be limited depending on the printing method. For example, when the material to be printed is a plastic film or paper, flexographic printing or gravure printing can be used, and a certain degree of printing accuracy can be obtained. Here, flexographic printing and gravure printing are methods in which a printing plate roll and a member to be printed are in contact with each other for printing.

In this regard, various non-woven fabrics and the like, which are generally used for top sheets, three-dimensional gathered sheets, individual packaging sheets and the like, do not have smooth surfaces as compared to plastic films, paper and the like. Therefore, when printing is performed on these by the above-mentioned contact printing method, the printing accuracy is deteriorated due to the presence of large and small unevenness on the surface, and the cosmetic properties such as appearance and visibility are impaired. There is a problem. On the other hand, in recent years, consumers have increasingly demanded the visibility of printed parts. Therefore, when printing on various non-woven fabrics, it is necessary to take measures such as limiting the printing speed or increasing the size of patterns and characters.

On the other hand, when a pre-printed nonwoven fabric roll is used in the production of absorbent articles, it takes time and is difficult to align the printed parts in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article when setting the nonwoven fabric roll. In addition, the position of the nonwoven fabric may be shifted during manufacturing, and the position adjustment is required. Therefore, the cost cannot be reduced, and the productivity of the absorbent article may be lowered.

In Patent Document 1, in an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin, a reference mark is printed on a resin film having liquid permeable holes to facilitate confirmation of a liquid diffusion region in a liquid receiving portion, and a surface sheet is formed. It is disclosed to be used as

Patent Literature 2 discloses printing a U-shaped attachment mark that spreads forward on the surface sheet in order to facilitate alignment of the crotch portion when attaching the sanitary napkin to the shorts. .

Patent Literature 3 discloses printing side edge markings on the side edges of the topsheet in order to make it easier to see where the sanitary napkin is attached to shorts.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-126140 JP 2012-85828 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-278703

However, it does not disclose how the fiducial marks disclosed in Patent Document 1 are printed, nor does it disclose that the fiducial marks are used for alignment. Therefore, when printing a reference mark on a resin film having liquid permeable holes and having an uneven surface on a substrate by flexographic printing or gravure printing, it is necessary to manufacture an absorbent article with good visibility and good operability. cause problems with

Moreover, as in Patent Document 1, the method for printing the U-shaped mounting mark disclosed in Patent Document 2 is not disclosed. Therefore, when a U-shaped attachment mark is printed on a surface sheet, which has an uneven and hydrophilic surface, by flexographic printing or gravure printing, an absorbent article with good visibility is used with good operability. It creates problems with manufacturing.

Furthermore, as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the specific method by which the side edge indication disclosed in Patent Document 3 is printed is not disclosed. Therefore, when side edge markings are printed on a surface sheet having an uneven and hydrophilic surface of a printed material by flexographic printing or gravure printing, it is necessary to manufacture an absorbent article with good visibility and good runnability. cause problems with

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article which has excellent visibility, is printed without impairing the absorbent performance, is easy to understand where to wear it, has good productivity, and is low in cost.

The inventors of the present invention conducted extensive research in view of the above problems. As a result, the body-side surface or clothing-side surface of the top sheet or liquid-diffusing sheet has substantially concentric marks printed with dot-like hot-melt ink, and hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet. The inventors have found that the above-described problems can be solved by making the dots of the dots have a predetermined configuration, and have completed the present invention.

(1) A first aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article having a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. wherein the top sheet has, on the body-side surface or the clothing-side surface thereof, marks for alignment printed with dot-like hot-melt ink, the marks being substantially concentric targets; The average area of each dot of the hot melt ink printed on the top sheet is 1000 μm ² or more and 2000 μm ² or less, and the dot spacing of each dot of the hot melt ink printed on the top sheet is 50 μm or more. 300 μm or less, the area ratio of the dots of the hot melt ink in the area printed with the hot melt ink on the top sheet is 12% or less, and the hot melt ink is used for inkjet printing. and wherein the inkjet printing is in-line printing incorporated in the production line of the absorbent article.
(2) A second aspect of the present invention is an absorbent article having a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent article further has a liquid-diffusing sheet disposed between the top sheet and the absorbent body, and the liquid-diffusing sheet has dots on the body-side surface or the garment-side surface. It has a mark for alignment printed with hot melt ink, the mark is visible through the top sheet while being a substantially concentric target, and the hot melt printed on the liquid diffusion sheet The average area of each dot of the melt ink is 1000 μm ² or more and 2000 μm ² or less, the dot interval of each dot of the hot melt ink printed on the liquid diffusion sheet is 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less, and In the area printed with the hot melt ink on the liquid diffusion sheet, the area ratio occupied by the hot melt ink is 12% or less, and the hot melt ink is printed by inkjet printing, and the inkjet The absorbent article is characterized in that the printing is in-line printing incorporated in the manufacturing line of the absorbent article.
(3) In the absorbent article according to (2), the liquid-diffusing sheet is a nonwoven fabric,
The basis weight of the liquid-diffusing sheet may be 15 g/m ² or more and 40 g/m ² or less.
(4) In the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (3), the mark may be composed of a plurality of colors.
(5) In the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (4), the print line speed in the inkjet printing may be 100 m/min or more.
(6) In the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (5), the hot melt ink has a viscosity of 0.1 Pa.s at 120°C. It may have a melt viscosity of s or less.
(7) In the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (6), the top sheet is a nonwoven fabric, and the basis weight of the top sheet is 15 g/m ² or more and 40 g/m ² or less. may be
(8) In the absorbent article according to any one of (1) to (7), the absorbent article has a shape that fits men's private parts from one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction. The center of the substantially concentric circle mark may be arranged at a substantially central position in the width direction and at a position near one end in the longitudinal direction. .

The absorbent article of the present invention has marks for alignment printed with dot-like hot-melt ink on the body-side surface or clothing-side surface of the top sheet or the liquid-diffusing sheet, and the marks are substantially concentric circles. The average area of each dot of hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet is 1000 μm ² or more and 2000 μm ² or less, and the dot spacing of each dot of hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet is 50 μm. 300 μm or more, and the area ratio occupied by hot melt ink dots in the area printed with hot melt ink on the top sheet is 12% or less, and the hot melt ink is printed by inkjet printing, InkJet printing is an in-line printing integrated into the production line of absorbent articles. As a result, it is possible to provide an absorbent article with excellent visibility, printing that does not impair the absorbent performance, easy-to-understand mounting position, high productivity, and low cost.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the absorbent article of the present invention, viewed from the body-side surface of the absorbent article. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the absorbent article of Example 2 as viewed from the body-side surface of the absorbent article.

Hereinafter, the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail, but these are listed for the purpose of illustration and do not limit the present invention. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same element through the whole description of embodiment.

<Absorbent article>
The absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be, for example, an absorbent article 1 such as a light incontinence pad or a light incontinence liner, and is particularly preferably an absorbent article 1 for men. The absorbent article 1 includes a liquid-permeable top sheet 10 arranged on the body-side surface, a liquid-impermeable back sheet facing the top sheet 10 and arranged on the clothing-side surface, the top sheet 10 and the back. and an absorbent body 11 arranged between the sheets, whereby the absorbent body 11 is sandwiched between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet. The top sheet 10, the back sheet, and the absorbent body 11 may be bonded to each other with an adhesive, heat-sealing, or the like.

In the description of this specification, the longitudinal direction is the direction across the front and back of the wearer when the absorbent article 1 is worn. Moreover, the width direction is a direction that is horizontal or orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. In this specification, the body-side surface refers to the surface that contacts the wearer's skin when the absorbent article 1 is worn or the surface that contacts the wearer's skin when the absorbent article 1 is worn. The side surface is the surface opposite to the body side surface, and is the surface that contacts the wearer's clothing when the absorbent article 1 is worn or the side that contacts the wearer's clothing when the absorbent article 1 is worn. point to the surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a shape that extends from one longitudinal end side (upper end side in FIG. 1) to the other longitudinal end side (in FIG. 1) in plan view. It is a kite-shaped shape in which the dimension in the width direction gradually decreases toward the lower end). Thus, the shape of the absorbent article 1 is made into a kite shape, which makes it easy to fit men's private parts.

[Top sheet]
The top sheet 10 used in the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention allows bodily fluids to pass quickly toward the absorbent body 11, and is arranged to face the back sheet with the absorbent body 11 interposed therebetween. be. Since the top sheet 10 is a sheet that comes into contact with the skin, it is preferably a hydrophilic non-woven fabric that has a soft feel and does not irritate the skin. Hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics include synthetic fibers such as polypropylene and polyethylene, recycled fibers such as rayon, thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics such as air-through nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics, spunbond nonwoven fabrics, and open polyethylene films using natural fibers such as cotton. An open film, a foamed film such as urethane foam, or the like can be used, and from the viewpoint of breathability and feel when worn, it is preferable to use a thermal bond nonwoven fabric such as a hydrophilic air-through nonwoven fabric or a spunbond nonwoven fabric.

The basis weight of the top sheet 10 is preferably 15 g/m ² or more and 40 g/m ^{2 or} less in terms of workability and strength. In addition, lotions, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory components, pH adjusters, antibacterial agents, moisturizing agents, etc. may be applied to the top sheet 10 in order to reduce irritation to the skin.

[Back sheet]
The backsheet used in the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a sheet material having liquid impermeability, and is arranged to face the topsheet 10 with the absorbent core 11 interposed therebetween. As the back sheet, a sheet material using a thin plastic sheet such as a polyethylene sheet or a polyethylene-laminated nonwoven fabric can be used. In addition, it may have moisture permeability to prevent stuffiness.

The basis weight of the backsheet is preferably 15 g/m ² or more and 60 g/m ² or less from the viewpoint of workability and strength.

[Absorber]
The absorbent body 11 used in the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention contains absorbent fibers as a base material and a super absorbent polymer (hereinafter also referred to as SAP). Absorbent fibers are not particularly limited as long as they are generally used in absorbent articles 1 such as sanitary napkins, diapers, and incontinence pads. Examples include fluff pulp, cotton, rayon, acetate fibers, tissues, and absorbent paper. , hydrophilic nonwoven fabric, and the like. Among these, fluff pulp is preferably used from the viewpoint of absorbability. Examples of fluff pulp include wood pulp (for example, bleached softwood kraft pulp (N-BKP) such as southern pine and Douglas fir), synthetic fiber, polymer fiber, non-wood pulp, etc., which are defibrated into cotton. can be done. The absorbent fibers of the absorbent body 11 preferably have a basis weight of 400 g/m ² or more and 800 g/m ^{2 or} less so as not to impair the absorption performance and the touch.

The SAP used for the absorbent body 11 is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb body fluids and prevent backflow, and may be sodium polyacrylate, polyaspartate, or (starch-acrylic acid) graft copolymer. Those formed from materials such as coalescence, (acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol) copolymers, (isobutylene-maleic anhydride) copolymers and saponified products thereof can be used. Among these, sodium polyacrylate copolymers are preferable from the viewpoint of absorption amount per mass. The amount of SAP in the absorbent body 11 is preferably a basis weight of 50 g/m ² or more and 700 g/m ² or less so as not to impair the absorption performance and the touch, and the content should be 15 mass % or more and 60 mass % or less. is preferred.

In the absorbent body 11, the absorbent fibers and SAP are preferably in the form of a laminated mat formed by mixing SAP particles in the absorbent fibers. For the purpose of preventing leakage of SAP particles and stabilizing the shape of the absorbent body 11, it is preferable to wrap the absorbent body 11 with a carrier sheet. The base material of the carrier sheet may be any material as long as it is hydrophilic, and examples thereof include hydrophilic nonwoven fabrics such as tissues, absorbent paper, and air-laid nonwoven fabrics. When a plurality of carrier sheets are provided, the base material of the carrier sheets may be the same or different, and the method of wrapping the absorber 11 with the carrier sheets is not particularly limited.

The basis weight of the absorbent body 11 is preferably 400 g/m ² or more and 1500 g/m ² or less. By setting the basis weight of the absorbent body 11 within such a range, it is possible to achieve excellent absorbency and effectively prevent leakage of bodily fluids. Moreover, the absorbent body 11 may be formed by laminating an upper layer absorbent body and a lower layer absorbent body. In this case, the lengthwise and widthwise dimensions of the upper absorbent body and the lower absorbent body may be such that the upper absorbent body is larger than the lower absorbent body, and the upper absorbent body is the same as the lower absorbent body. and the dimension of the upper absorbent body may be smaller than the dimension of the lower absorbent body.

The absorbent body 11 may be single-layered or multi-layered, and may be provided with a slit portion where there are no absorbent fibers and no superabsorbent polymer.

[Liquid diffusion sheet]
In the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a liquid diffusion sheet may be provided between the top sheet 10 and the absorbent body 11 in order to promote diffusion of body fluids to the upper surface of the absorbent body 11 . Examples of liquid-diffusing sheets include nonwoven fabrics such as air-through nonwoven fabrics, point-bonded nonwoven fabrics, spunbonded nonwoven fabrics, meltblown nonwoven fabrics, and composite nonwoven fabrics obtained by laminating spunbond/meltblown and spunbond/meltblown/spunbond layers.

The basis weight of the liquid-diffusing sheet is preferably 15 g/m ² or more and 40 g/m ² or less. Although the shape of the liquid-diffusing sheet is not particularly limited, it preferably has a shape that can completely cover the surface of the absorbent body 11 so that body fluids such as urine can diffuse all over the absorbent body 11 .

[Three-dimensional gather]
On the body side surface of the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, an elastic member for three-dimensional gathers and a three-dimensional elastic member are provided along the longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 1 in order to prevent lateral leakage of body fluid excreted by the wearer. A pair of three-dimensional gathers 12 having gather sheets may be provided. The three-dimensional gathers 12 are fixed to the back sheet at the widthwise end (fixed end) of the absorbent article 1, and the free end side is preferably folded in half at the end. It is preferable that the three-dimensional gathers elastic member is sandwiched between the two-folded three-dimensional gathers sheets on the free end side. As a result, the three-dimensional gathers 12 can stand upright and can be deformed according to the body shape of the wearer.

As the three-dimensional gather elastic member, for example, a polyurethane thread, a belt-like polyurethane film, a synthetic rubber, a thread-like or belt-like natural rubber, or the like can be used. . As the three-dimensional gathered sheet, a water-repellent or liquid-impermeable nonwoven fabric made of hydrophobic fibers, such as a spunbond nonwoven fabric, a meltblown nonwoven fabric, or a spunbond/meltblown/spunbond laminated composite nonwoven fabric is used. be done. The thickness of the three-dimensional gather elastic member is preferably 1240 dtex or less.

The basis weight of the three-dimensional gather sheet is preferably 10 g/m ² or more and 40 g/m ² or less.

[Packaging sheet]
The absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may have a packaging sheet for packaging the absorbent article 1 . As the packaging sheet, for example, paper, resin films such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl alcohol, etc., spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, spunbond/meltblown/spunbond laminated composite nonwoven fabric, or composite materials thereof are used. be able to. In addition, the inner side of the packaging sheet that is in contact with the absorbent article 1 can be subjected to peeling treatment with silicon or the like.

Although the basis weight of the packaging sheet is not particularly limited, it is preferably 15 g/m ² or more and 30 g/m 2 or less, and 20 g/m ² or more and 25 g/m ^{2 or} less from the viewpoint of strength and workability. is preferred.

[Hot melt ink printing]
As shown in FIG. 1, the top sheet 10 used in the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a body-side surface or a garment-side surface for positioning printed with dot-like hot-melt ink. It is preferable that the top sheet 10 has the mark M on the body-side surface thereof. The mark M is a substantially concentric target, and is printed so as to facilitate positioning of the male's private parts. As a result, it is possible to easily perform not only the alignment in the width direction of the male's private part but also the alignment in the longitudinal direction. That is, the position where the absorbent article 1 is attached is easy to understand. It is preferable that the central portion of the substantially concentric target be arranged at a substantially central position in the width direction and at a position closer to one end in the longitudinal direction (a slightly upper end position in FIG. 1).

Also, in order to make it easier to align the male's private parts, the substantially concentric targets are preferably composed of a plurality of colors. is more preferable. For example, the central portion of the target may be red and the peripheral portion of the target may be blue.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the substantially concentric targets are printed only with solid lines, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be printed in combination. When at least a portion of the substantially concentric target is printed with dashed lines, the print area can be reduced to some extent without impairing the degree of recognition of the shape of the target, compared to the case where the entire target is printed with solid lines. can.

The average area of each dot of hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet 10 is 1000 μm ² or more and 2000 μm ² or less, preferably 1100 μm ² or more and 1700 μm ^{2 or} less. The dot spacing between dots of hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet 10 is 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less, preferably 80 μm or more and 270 μm or less. The dot spacing between dots of hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet 10 is preferably the dot spacing in the feed direction. In addition, the area ratio of hot-melt ink dots in the area printed with hot-melt ink on the top sheet 10 is 12% or less, preferably 9% or less. Also, the average dot spacing of each dot of the hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet 10 is preferably 90 μm or more and 280 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or more and 270 μm or less.

By printing dots of hot-melt ink as described above, the absorbent article 1 having fine printing with high variability in multiple colors can be obtained by fine dots on the surface of the top sheet 10, and the visibility is improved. An excellent absorbent article 1 can be obtained. In addition, since the fine dots of the hot-melt ink adhere along the three-dimensional structure of the top sheet 10, the hot-melt ink does not block the surface of the top sheet 10, and the influence on the absorption performance of the absorbent article 1 is reduced. Thus, the absorbent article 1 can be provided with a print that does not impair the absorbent performance of the absorbent article 1 .

The hot-melt ink used for the absorbent article 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is printed by inkjet printing. As a result, the printing design can be easily changed by changing the electronic data, so that it is possible to eliminate the need for plate switching work. In addition, unlike contact printing methods such as flexographic printing, the non-contact printing method is not affected by the surface properties such as the basis weight of the object to be printed, and the mark M can be printed without positional deviation. becomes possible.

The print line speed in inkjet printing is 100 m/min or more, preferably 200 m/min or more, and may be 280 m/min or less.

Ink jet printing is in-line printing incorporated in the production line of the absorbent article 1 . This enables high-speed production of the absorbent article 1 . For example, the non-woven fabric sheet to be the top sheet 10 is conveyed to an inkjet printer, and the non-woven fabric sheet to be the top sheet 10 is moved in the feed direction (machine direction or (machine direction or CD direction) perpendicular to the machine direction (MD direction), hot-melt ink is heated to a predetermined temperature, and the non-woven fabric sheet that becomes the top sheet 10 is measured on the wearer's skin. A mark M is printed with a hot-melt ink on the side surface or the clothing-side surface that is the wearer's clothing-contacting surface. The inkjet printing apparatus is provided on a line for manufacturing the absorbent article 1 having the top sheet 10, the back sheet, and the absorbent body 11 disposed between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet. good too. Hot-melt ink can be cooled even at room temperature, but a cooling step may be provided to cool the absorbent article 1 after inkjet printing with a cooling roll, a blower, or the like. Furthermore, after cutting the absorbent article 1, a print timing adjustment mechanism is provided for detecting the positional deviation of the mark M by a defect detection device or the like and adjusting the printing timing of the mark M based on the detected positional deviation of the mark M. may

The hot-melt ink ejection method is not particularly limited, and a thermal method, a piezo method, or the like can be used.

Hot-melt ink has a viscosity of 0.1 Pa.s at 120°C. It preferably has a melt viscosity of 0.06 Pa.s or less. More preferably, it has a melt viscosity of s or less. As a result, the absorbent article 1 having excellent visibility, printing that does not impair the absorbent performance, high productivity, and low cost can be obtained.

The hot-melt ink is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the melt viscosity described above. Thermoplastic resins include polyolefins such as polyethylene, mixtures thereof, polyamides, polyesters, polyesteramides, polyvinyl alcohols, cellulose esters, polyvinyl Pyridine, polyether, polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, copolyester, olefinic block copolymer rubber, polystyrene-acrylic copolymer, terpene resin, rosin fluid, phenolic resin, coumarone-indene resin, and the like can be used. Examples of these hot-melt inks include trade name: MDL5800 (manufacturer: EDM Co., Ltd.). The mass ratio of the binder in the hot-melt ink is preferably 20% or more and 50% or less, more preferably 30% or more and 40% or less.

In addition, these hot-melt inks may contain additives such as waxes and oils in order to improve fluidity and the like. For example, polyalkylene waxes (polyethylene wax, polypropylene wax, etc.), Fischer-Tropsch wax, linear primary alcohols, microcrystalline waxes, fatty acids, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, stearamide, paraffin wax and montan wax, ethoxylation Long chain alcohols and the like can be used. These waxes may be used alone or in combination. The mass ratio of the additive in the hot-melt ink is preferably 40% or more and 70% or less, more preferably 50% or more and 60% or less.

Moreover, these hot-melt inks may contain inorganic pigments, organic pigments or dyes, and there is no particular limitation as long as they are commonly used in hot-melt inks. For example, inorganic pigments that can be used include titanium dioxide (white), carbon black (black), iron oxide (red, yellow, brown), chromium oxide (green), ferric ammonium ferrocyanide (blue), and the like. can. Further, for example, diarylide yellow (pigment yellow), phthalocyanine blue (pigment blue), red lake (pigment red) and the like can be used as organic pigments. The mass ratio of the pigment or dye in the hot-melt ink is preferably 0.1% or more and 20% or less, more preferably 0.5% or more and 10% or less.

In addition to binders, additives and pigments or dyes, these hot melt inks contain plasticizers, extenders, thickeners, defoamers, wetting agents or surfactants, antioxidants, and the like. may

When these hot-melt inks are used for inkjet printing, it is preferable to include a step of setting the temperature of the hot-melt ink to 60° C. or higher and 150° C. or lower, more preferably 70° C. or higher and 120° C. or lower. preferable.

Further, the liquid-diffusing sheet may have a positioning mark printed with dot-like hot-melt ink on the body-side surface or the clothing-side surface. It is preferable to have The marks printed on the surface of the liquid-diffusing sheet are preferably visible through the top sheet 10 . The dot-shaped hot-melt ink printed on the liquid-diffusing sheet is preferably the same as the dot-shaped hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet 10 described above, and the printing method and the like are also as described above. Those used in the topsheet 10 are preferably used.

In addition, it is preferable that the three-dimensional gathers 12 have marks for alignment printed with dot-like hot-melt ink on one side or the other side. In addition, in the case of the three-dimensional gathers 12 having an inner surface that forms an inner surface by folding the free end side of the three-dimensional gathers sheet in two at the end portion and is folded back to form an inner surface, and an outer surface that forms an outer surface by folding back, The three-dimensional gathers 12 may have alignment marks printed on the inner surface or the outer surface with dot-like hot-melt ink. The dot-shaped hot-melt ink printed on the three-dimensional gathers 12 is preferably the same as the dot-shaped hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet 10 described above. It is preferred to use those used in sheet 10 .

[Method for manufacturing absorbent article]
A manufacturing method of the absorbent article 1 is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known method can be adopted. For example, a hot-melt ink is printed on the body-side surface or clothing-side surface of the top sheet 10, the liquid-diffusing sheet and the three-dimensional gathers 12 are placed on the top sheet 10, and then the absorber 11 is attached to the top sheet 10. and the back sheet, and the top sheet 10 and the back sheet are partially or entirely fixed using a hot-melt adhesive, heat embossing, ultrasonic embossing, high-frequency embossing, etc. be able to. Further, for example, after the liquid diffusible sheet and the three-dimensional gathers 12 are arranged on the top sheet 10 in advance, the absorbent body 11 is sandwiched between the top sheet 10 and the back sheet, and the top sheet 10 and the back sheet are partially separated. Alternatively, the top sheet 10 can be manufactured by fixing the entire circumference using a hot-melt adhesive, heat embossing, ultrasonic embossing, high-frequency embossing, or the like, and applying hot-melt ink to the top sheet 10 .

Although the present invention has been described using the embodiments, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the invention described in the above embodiments. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that improvements are possible. In addition, it is clear from the description of the scope of the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Examples and comparative examples are described below.

[Example 1]
In Example 1, a hot-melt ink was printed by inkjet printing on an air-through nonwoven fabric that can be used for a top sheet of an absorbent article, a liquid-diffusing sheet, and the like. Here, the printed substantially concentric targets are composed only of solid blue lines.

<Print Visibility>
For the nonwoven fabric of Example 1, the visibility of the printed marks was sensory evaluated by a monitor test by 30 people. In addition, the result is as showing below.
3 people said "I could clearly recognize the center of the target" 27 people said "I could recognize the shape of the target clearly" 0 people said "I could recognize the shape of the target""It was difficult to recognize the shape of the target" 0 people

[Example 2]
In Example 2, a hot-melt ink was printed by inkjet printing on an air-through nonwoven fabric that can be used as a top sheet of an absorbent article, a liquid-diffusing sheet, or the like. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the printed substantially concentric circles have a central portion formed by a red solid line M1 and an outer peripheral portion formed by a blue dashed line M2.

<Print Visibility>
Then, the nonwoven fabric of Example 2 was sensory evaluated by a monitor test of 30 people for the visibility of the printed marks. In addition, the result is as showing below.
30 people said they could "clearly recognize the center of the target" 0 people said they could recognize the shape of the target clearly 0 people said they could recognize the shape of the target "It was difficult to recognize the shape of the target" 0 people

[Comparative Example 1]
In Comparative Example 1, the absorbent article was embossed in the same shape as the mark of Example 1. That is, the absorbent article of Comparative Example 1 was embossed with substantially concentric targets.

<Print Visibility>
Then, regarding the absorbent article of Comparative Example 1, the visibility of the embossed mark was sensory evaluated by a monitor test by 30 people. In addition, the result is as showing below.
0 people answered "I could clearly recognize the center of the target" 3 people answered "I could recognize the shape of the target clearly" 6 people said "I could recognize the shape of the target""It was difficult to recognize the shape of the target" 21 people

As described above, according to the absorbent articles of Examples 1 and 2, good results were obtained in that all the participants could clearly recognize the shape of the target. Therefore, according to the nonwoven fabrics of Embodiments 1 and 2, it is possible to provide an absorbent article that has excellent visibility, is printed without impairing the absorption performance, makes it easy to understand the wearing position, has good productivity, and is low in cost. can do. In addition, it was found that the difference in color and design of the target is more effective for clearly recognizing the center of the target.

On the other hand, in the absorbent article of Comparative Example 1, since only substantially concentric targets were embossed, it was very often difficult to recognize the shapes of the targets. In addition, since the absorbent article of Comparative Example 1 was embossed, the absorbent performance was impaired accordingly. Therefore, depending on the embossing of Comparative Example 1, it is not possible to provide an absorbent article that is excellent in visibility, does not impair the absorption performance, has good productivity, and is low in cost.

1 absorbent article 10 top sheet 10
11 absorber 12 three-dimensional gather M mark M1 solid line M2 dashed line

Claims (7)

A men's absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet,
The top sheet has, on the body-side surface or the garment-side surface, a dot-like alignment mark printed with hot-melt ink,
The mark is a substantially concentric target,
The average area of each dot of the hot melt ink printed on the top sheet is 1000 μm ² or more and 2000 μm ² or less,
a dot interval between dots of the hot-melt ink printed on the top sheet is 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less;
In the area printed with the hot melt ink on the top sheet, the area ratio occupied by the dots of the hot melt ink is 12% or less,
The hot melt ink is printed by inkjet printing,
The inkjet printing is in-line printing incorporated in the production line of the absorbent article,
The center portion of the substantially concentric circular target is arranged at a substantially central position in the width direction and at a position near one end in the longitudinal direction,
The substantially concentric target has a central portion and a peripheral portion of the target of different colors, and furthermore, the central portion of the target is constituted by a red solid line, and the peripheral portion of the target is constituted by a blue dashed line. An absorbent article for men characterized by: A men's absorbent article comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent body disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet,
The absorbent article further has a liquid-diffusing sheet disposed between the top sheet and the absorbent body,
The liquid-diffusing sheet has marks for alignment printed with dot-like hot-melt ink on the body-side surface or the clothing-side surface,
the marks are visible through the topsheet while being substantially concentric targets;
The average area of each dot of the hot melt ink printed on the liquid diffusing sheet is 1000 μm ² or more and 2000 μm ² or less,
a dot interval between dots of the hot melt ink printed on the liquid diffusing sheet is 50 μm or more and 300 μm or less;
In the area printed with the hot melt ink on the liquid diffusive sheet, the area ratio occupied by the hot melt ink is 12% or less,
The hot melt ink is printed by inkjet printing,
The inkjet printing is in-line printing incorporated in the production line of the absorbent article,
The center portion of the substantially concentric circular target is arranged at a substantially central position in the width direction and at a position near one end in the longitudinal direction,
The substantially concentric target has a central portion and a peripheral portion of the target of different colors, and furthermore, the central portion of the target is constituted by a red solid line, and the peripheral portion of the target is constituted by a blue dashed line. An absorbent article for men characterized by: The liquid-diffusing sheet is a nonwoven fabric,
The absorbent article for men according to claim 2, wherein the basis weight of the liquid-diffusing sheet is 15 g/ ^m2 or more and 40 g/ ^m2 or less. 4. The absorbent article for men according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said marks are composed of a plurality of colors. The hot-melt ink has a viscosity of 0.1 Pa.s at 120°C. 5. The male absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it has a melt viscosity of s or less. The top sheet is a nonwoven fabric,
The absorbent article for men according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the top sheet has a basis weight of 15 g/m2 or ^more and 40 g/m2 or ^less . The absorbent article has a kite-like shape that fits the private parts of a man and whose width dimension decreases from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end,
7. The center of the substantially concentric circle mark is arranged at a substantially central position in the width direction and at a position near one end in the longitudinal direction. The absorbent article for men according to .

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