JPWO2018163339A1 - Method and apparatus for joining cylindrical continuous sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

  The method which concerns on this aspect is related with the method of joining the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 for packaging an absorbent article, and the cylindrical new continuous sheet 20 for packaging an absorbent article. The method includes a conveying step of conveying the old continuous sheet 10 in the conveying direction, a thermocompression bonding step of thermocompression bonding the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 at a desired joining position, and the old continuous sheet in the conveying direction. An air hole forming step for forming an air hole for extracting air in the old continuous sheet 10 on the downstream side of the joining position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for joining a cylindrical old continuous sheet for packaging absorbent articles and a cylindrical new continuous sheet for packaging absorbent articles.

  Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins and disposable diapers are generally housed in packaging bags. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose a method and apparatus for manufacturing such a packaging bag. The manufacturing method of a packaging bag performs a predetermined process on the drawn continuous cylindrical sheet while pulling out the cylindrical continuous sheet from an original roll on which the cylindrical continuous sheet for forming the packaging bag is wound. Including that.

JP-A-8-216302 JP-A-9-39916 JP 2014-12599 A

  In general, when the number of cylindrical continuous sheets wound on a raw fabric roll decreases, a cylindrical continuous sheet being conveyed in the manufacturing apparatus (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “old continuous sheet”) From now on, it is necessary to succeed a cylindrical continuous sheet (hereinafter, referred to as “new continuous sheet”) to be put into the manufacturing apparatus. For example, Patent Document 3 discloses a method for joining materials such as nonwoven fabrics and films.

  However, the inventor of the present application has discovered that the following problems occur when a cylindrical new continuous sheet is joined to a cylindrical old continuous sheet by the method described in Patent Document 3.

  During the conveyance of the cylindrical continuous sheet, air may enter the cylindrical continuous sheet. The air inside the cylindrical continuous sheet moves relatively upstream with respect to the continuous sheet during conveyance by pressure from a member such as a conveyance roller for conveying the continuous sheet. Here, when the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet are joined by heat sealing (thermocompression bonding), the air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet downstream from the joining position moves upstream from the joining position. It is difficult to collect at the joining position. Thus, if the air in a cylindrical continuous sheet accumulates in one place, it may adversely affect the conveyance of the cylindrical continuous sheet.

  Therefore, a method and an apparatus for joining cylindrical continuous sheets that can improve the above-described problems are desired.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a production line including a splicing device for joining cylindrical continuous sheets. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a continuous sheet conveyed in the production line. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the splicing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for joining cylindrical continuous sheets. FIG. 5 is a view showing the vicinity of the joining position of the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a process downstream of the splicing device.

(1) Outline of Embodiments At least the following matters will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  According to one aspect, a method of joining a cylindrical old continuous sheet for packaging absorbent articles and a cylindrical new continuous sheet for packaging absorbent articles, the old continuous sheet being conveyed A conveying step for conveying in the direction, a thermocompression bonding step for thermocompression bonding the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet at a desired joining position, and a downstream side of the joining position in the conveying direction of the old continuous sheet. And an air hole forming step for forming an air hole for extracting air in the old continuous sheet.

  According to this aspect, the air hole is formed on the downstream side of the joining position in the transport direction of the old continuous sheet. Therefore, even when air enters the old continuous sheet, the air is discharged from the air holes, so that it is difficult for the air to collect near the joining position in the old continuous sheet. Therefore, the trouble of conveyance of the continuous sheet resulting from air accumulating in a cylindrical old continuous sheet can be suppressed.

  According to a preferred aspect, the old continuous sheet has a pair of gusset portions that are quadrupled at both ends in the crossing direction intersecting the transport direction, and at least the pair of gussets in the air hole forming step. The air hole is formed in a region between the parts.

  According to this aspect, since the air hole is formed in the region between the pair of gusset portions, that is, the central region of the old continuous sheet in the crossing direction, the air in the old continuous sheet is easily discharged. In particular, the thickness of the pair of gusset portions is thicker than the central region in the crossing direction of the old continuous sheet. For this reason, air easily enters the central region of the cylindrical old continuous sheet. By forming an air hole in the central region of the old continuous sheet having such a gusset portion, air can be effectively discharged from the old continuous sheet having the gusset portion.

  According to a preferred aspect, the old continuous sheet has a printing region having a printing layer and a non-printing region not having a printing layer, and in the thermocompression bonding step, the joining position is in the non-printing region. Perform thermocompression bonding so that it is positioned.

  If heat is directly applied to the print area, printing in the print area may deteriorate. Moreover, when it is going to thermocompression in the printing area | region which has a printing layer, there exists a possibility that the joining force of an old continuous sheet and a new continuous sheet may fall. According to this aspect, since the old continuous sheet and the old and new continuous sheets are joined in the non-printing region, it is possible to suppress deterioration in printing in the printing region and a decrease in joining force between the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet. .

  According to a preferred aspect, the printing area and the non-printing area are alternately arranged in the transport direction, and the air hole is formed in the non-printing area where the joining position is provided in the air hole forming step. To do.

  According to this aspect, air holes are formed in the same non-printing area as the non-printing area where the joining position of the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet is provided. Therefore, the air hole is formed at a position relatively close to the joining position. Since the air in the old continuous sheet relatively moves upstream with the conveyance, it tends to accumulate at the joining position. According to this aspect, since the air hole is formed at a position relatively close to the joining position, air can be effectively discharged from the old continuous sheet.

  According to a preferred aspect, the method further includes the step of forming a handle hole into which the human hand can be inserted in the old continuous sheet.

  According to this aspect, since the air in a cylindrical old continuous sheet can be discharged | emitted from a handle hole, it can suppress more that air accumulates in an old continuous sheet. Furthermore, since the handle hole formed in the packaging bag formed of the old continuous sheet can be used for discharging air, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to newly provide a means for forming the handle hole.

  According to a preferred aspect, the method further comprises the step of forming a perforation for opening the cylindrical old continuous sheet.

  According to this aspect, since air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet can be discharged from the perforation, it is possible to further suppress the accumulation of air in the old continuous sheet. Further, since the perforation for opening the packaging bag formed by the old continuous sheet can be used for discharging air, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to newly provide a means for forming the perforation. .

  According to a preferred aspect, the thermocompression bonding step and the air hole forming step are performed during the same stop period in which the movement of the old continuous sheet at the joining position is stopped.

  Since the thermocompression bonding step and the air hole forming step are performed during the same stop period, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the air hole position with respect to the joining position where the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet are joined.

  In addition, since the air holes are formed before the conveyance of the old continuous sheet is started after the joining position, which is a place where air easily accumulates, it is difficult for the air to accumulate due to the conveyance of the old continuous sheet.

  According to a preferred aspect, in the air hole forming step, the air hole is formed in a region from a position 5 cm downstream from the bonding position to the bonding position.

  Since the air in the old continuous sheet relatively moves upstream with the conveyance, it tends to accumulate at the joining position. According to this aspect, since air holes are formed in the region near the joining position, that is, in the region from the position 5 cm downstream from the joining position to the joining position, air is effectively discharged from the old continuous sheet. be able to.

  According to a preferred aspect, in the air hole forming step, the air hole is formed so as to penetrate the cylindrical old continuous sheet in the thickness direction.

  The air holes penetrate the cylindrical old continuous sheet in the thickness direction, so that air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet is discharged from both the upper surface and the lower surface of the old continuous sheet. Thereby, it becomes easier to discharge the air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet.

  According to one aspect, the apparatus for joining the cylindrical old continuous sheet for packaging the absorbent article and the cylindrical new continuous sheet for packaging the absorbent article includes the old continuous sheet in the conveying direction. A conveying means for conveying; a thermocompression bonding means for thermocompression bonding the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet at a desired joining position; and the downstream side of the joining position in the conveying direction of the old continuous sheet, Air hole forming means for forming air holes for extracting air from the old continuous sheet.

  According to this aspect, the air hole can be formed on the downstream side of the joining position in the transport direction of the old continuous sheet. Therefore, even when air enters the old continuous sheet, the air is discharged from the air holes, so that it is difficult for the air to collect near the joining position in the old continuous sheet. Therefore, the trouble of conveyance of the continuous sheet resulting from air accumulating in a cylindrical old continuous sheet can be suppressed.

  In the above aspect, “non-printing area” means an area having no printing layer. In other words, the non-printing area is an area composed of the color of the material itself constituting the continuous sheet. For example, if the color of the base of the continuous sheet is white, the color of the non-printing area is also white. Further, if the color of the base of the continuous sheet is transparent, the color of the non-printing area is also transparent.

(2) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a specific embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and ratios of dimensions may be different from actual ones.

  Accordingly, specific dimensions and the like should be determined in consideration of the following description. Of course, the drawings may include portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a production line including an apparatus for joining cylindrical continuous sheets. Specifically, this production line is a packaging device for packaging absorbent articles. The absorbent article is, for example, a disposable diaper or a sanitary napkin. The production line includes conveying means for conveying a packaging sheet for wrapping the absorbent article, and means for housing the absorbent article in the packaging sheet (not shown). The packaging sheet is conveyed as a continuous sheet continuously connected in the conveyance direction until immediately before the absorbent article is accommodated. This production line includes a device for joining a cylindrical continuous sheet described later.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the continuous sheets 10 and 20 conveyed in the production line. FIG. 2 shows a cross section in a plane orthogonal to the conveying direction of the continuous sheets 10 and 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the continuous sheets 10 and 20 is hollow. That is, the continuous sheets 10 and 20 are formed by a cylindrical sheet. The hollow part inside the continuous sheets 10 and 20 may extend continuously in the direction in which the continuous sheets 10 and 20 extend.

  The continuous sheets 10 and 20 may have a pair of gusset portions 12 that overlap in quadruples at both ends in the crossing direction that intersects the transport direction. That is, the gusset portion 12 of the continuous sheets 10 and 20 is a portion configured by four sheets that overlap each other. In addition, the center part of the continuous sheets 10 and 20 and the part which is not the gusset part 12 are comprised from the sheet | seat which overlapped twice.

  The continuous sheets 10 and 20 are arrange | positioned in the state of the roll sheets 10a and 20a wound, for example in roll shape. In FIG. 1, the state in which the continuous sheet 10 is conveyed in the production line is shown. When the remaining amount of the continuous sheet 10 wound in a roll shape (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “old continuous sheet”) is decreasing, the continuous sheet 20 (hereinafter, “new continuous sheet”) is added to the old continuous sheet 10. Are joined together at the tip. The old continuous sheet 10 is a sheet currently conveyed through the production line. The new continuous sheet 20 is a sheet that is not currently conveyed through the production line and is succeeded by the old continuous sheet 10. Thus, by continuing the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20, the operation can be continued without stopping the production line.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3-5, the method and apparatus (joint) which joins the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 for packaging an absorbent article, and the cylindrical new continuous sheet 20 for packaging an absorbent article The apparatus 100) will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the splicing device. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for joining cylindrical continuous sheets. FIG. 5 is a view showing the vicinity of the joining position of the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet.

  The material splicing device 100 is configured to join the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20. The splicing device 100 may be provided in the production line.

  The splicing device 100 includes a first pressing unit 101, a second pressing unit 102, a thermocompression bonding unit 103, a cutting unit 104, and an air hole forming unit 120. The continuous sheets 10 and 20 are conveyed from the upper side to the lower side shown in FIG.

  The first pressing means 101 and the second pressing means 102 are located upstream of the thermocompression bonding means 103 in the transport direction. The first pressing means 101 and the second pressing means 102 each have a slide portion 106. The slide unit 106 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction in FIG. The slide part 106 is connected to the driving means 109 via a spring 108. The driving means 109 may be an air cylinder, for example.

  A receiving portion 107 is provided at a position facing the first pressing means 101 and the second pressing means 102. Specifically, the receiving portion 107 may be disposed between the first pressing means 101 and the second pressing means 102.

  The old continuous sheet 10 passes between the first pressing means 101 and the receiving portion 107. The first pressing means 101 is driven by the driving means 109 at a predetermined timing and is pressed toward the slide portion 106. As a result, the old continuous sheet 10 is sandwiched between the first pressing means 101 and the receiving portion 107.

  The new continuous sheet 20 passes between the second pressing means 102 and the receiving portion 107. The second pressing means 102 is driven by the driving means 109 at a predetermined timing and is pressed toward the receiving portion 107. Thereby, the new continuous sheet 20 is sandwiched between the second pressing means 102 and the slide portion 106.

  The slide unit 106 is connected by a driving unit 109 via a spring 108. The tip of the slide unit 106 abuts on the receiving unit 107 in a state where the driving unit 109 is movable by a certain stroke. The spring 108 contracts while is moving. While the spring 108 is contracted, the state in which the tip of the slide portion 106 is in contact with the receiving portion 107 may be maintained.

  The cutting means 104 cuts the old continuous sheet 10 upstream of the joining position 50 between the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20. Therefore, it is preferable that the cutting means 104 is located upstream of the thermocompression bonding means 103. The cutting unit 104 may be configured to be reciprocally movable by the driving unit 109.

  The receiving part 107 may have a through hole 107B. The tip of the cutting means 104 can be inserted into the through hole 107B. When the cutting means 104 breaks through the old continuous sheet 20 by the driving means 109, unnecessary portions of the old continuous sheet 20 are cut.

  The thermocompression bonding means 103 performs thermocompression bonding (heat sealing) between the new continuous sheet 10 and the old continuous sheet 20 in a state where the new continuous sheet 10 and the old continuous sheet 20 are pressed against each other. Specifically, the thermocompression bonding means 103 has a pair of pressing pads 105 that sandwich the new continuous sheet 10 and the old continuous sheet 20. The pressing pad 105 is disposed on both sides of the new continuous sheet 10 and the old continuous sheet 20, and is configured to be reciprocally movable by the driving means 110. The driving means 110 may be an air cylinder, for example. A portion where the new continuous sheet 10 and the old continuous sheet 20 are joined to each other by the thermocompression bonding means 103 is a joining position 50 shown in FIG.

  The splicing device 100 has air hole forming means 120. The air hole forming means 120 is preferably provided downstream of the thermocompression bonding means 103. More preferably, the distance between the air hole forming means 120 and the thermocompression bonding means 103 is 5 cm or less. The air hole forming means 120 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the cross direction CD by the driving means 122. The air hole forming means 120 is configured to be able to form holes in at least the old continuous sheet 10. More preferably, the air hole forming means 120 is configured to be able to form a through hole penetrating the old continuous sheet 10.

  The method of joining the cylindrical continuous sheets includes a conveying step for conveying the old continuous sheet 10 in the conveying direction, a thermocompression bonding step S10, and an air hole forming step S20. The conveying step is performed until just before the continuous sheet joining is started.

  When the remaining amount of the old continuous sheet 10 decreases, the splicing device 100 starts splicing the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20. The start of splicing may be performed, for example, at a timing when the radius or diameter of the roll sheet 10a around which the old continuous sheet 10 is wound becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. In this case, the splicing device 100 may include a sensor that detects the radius or diameter of the roll sheet 10a. The splicing device 100 may automatically start splicing of continuous sheets based on a signal from the sensor.

  When the splicing method is started, the dancer roll 140 provided downstream of the splicing device 100 moves leftward in FIG. , 500 is shortened. Accordingly, the old continuous sheet 10 can be conveyed at a normal speed downstream of the splicing device 100 while stopping or slowing the movement of the old continuous sheet 10 at the position of the splicing device 100.

  Then, the slide unit 106 and the cutting unit 104 are moved toward the receiving unit 107. By moving until the slide part 106 contacts the receiving part 107, the old continuous sheet 10 is clamped by the slide part 106 and the receiving part 107 (FIG. 4A). Then, the pair of pressing pads 105 are operated, and both the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 are sandwiched between the pair of pressing pads 105 (FIG. 4B). The old continuous sheet 10 is held in a stopped state at the splicing device 100 by the pair of pressing pads 105, the slide portion 106, and the receiving portion 107.

  With the pair of pressing pads 105 sandwiching both the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20, the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 are thermocompression bonded at a desired joining position 50 (thermocompression step).

  If necessary, the cutting process is performed in a state where the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 are sandwiched between the pair of pressing pads 105 and the old continuous sheet 10 is pressed by the first pressing means 101. In the cutting step, the driving means 109 is further driven to further move the cutting means 104 toward the receiving portion 107. When the leading end of the cutting means 104 moves beyond the old continuous sheet 10 to the through hole 107B formed in the receiving portion 107, the old continuous sheet 10 is cut. Thus, it is preferable to delete the unnecessary old continuous sheet 10 portion upstream from the joining position 50.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.4 (c), by operating the air hole formation means 120, the air in the old continuous sheet 10 is extracted downstream from the joining position 50 in the conveyance direction of the old continuous sheet 10. Air holes 40 are formed (air hole forming step).

  As described above, air may enter the inside of the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10. When air enters the inside of the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10, the air may move to the upstream side of the old continuous sheet 10 along with the conveyance of the old continuous sheet 10 and accumulate in the vicinity of the joining position 50. According to this aspect, the air holes 40 are formed on the downstream side of the old continuous sheet 10 with respect to the joining position 50 in the conveyance direction MD. Therefore, even when air enters the old continuous sheet 10, the air is discharged from the air holes, so that it is difficult for the air to accumulate near the joining position 50 in the old continuous sheet 10. Therefore, the trouble of conveyance of the continuous sheet resulting from air accumulating in the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 can be suppressed.

  In the air hole forming step, it is preferable to form the air hole 40 in a region from a position 5 cm downstream from the bonding position 50 to the bonding position 50. That is, the distance between the air hole 40 formed in the old continuous sheet 10 and the joining position 50 is preferably 5 cm or less. Since the air in the old continuous sheet 10 moves relative to the upstream with conveyance, it tends to accumulate at the joining position 50. According to this aspect, since the air hole 40 is formed in the area | region of the joining position 50 vicinity, air can be discharged | emitted from the old continuous sheet 10 effectively.

  The air hole 40 may be any hole as long as air can be discharged from the old continuous sheet 10. For example, the air hole 40 may be a hole formed in only one sheet portion on the upper surface side or the lower surface side of the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10.

  Instead, in the air hole forming step, it is preferable to form the air hole 40 so as to penetrate the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 in the thickness direction. In other words, the air holes 40 are preferably formed on both the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the old continuous sheet 10. The air hole 40 penetrates the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 in the thickness direction, so that the air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 is discharged from both the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the old continuous sheet 10. Thereby, it becomes easier to discharge the air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10.

  The thermocompression bonding step S10 and the air hole forming step S20 are preferably performed during the same stop period in which the movement of the old continuous sheet 10 at the joining position 50 is stopped. When the thermocompression bonding step S <b> 10 and the air hole forming step S <b> 20 are performed during the same stop period, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the air hole 40 with respect to the joining position 50 where the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 are joined. . Moreover, since the air hole 40 is formed before the conveyance of the old continuous sheet 10 is started after the joining position 50 is formed, which is a place where air easily accumulates, the air accumulation associated with the conveyance of the old continuous sheet 10 occurs. hard.

  Instead of the above-described embodiment, the air hole forming step S20 is performed at a timing different from the thermocompression bonding step S10, for example, during the movement of the old continuous sheet 10, if the air holes 40 can be formed at predetermined positions of the old continuous sheet 10. It may be broken.

  In the air hole forming step S <b> 20, the air holes 40 are preferably formed in a region between at least a pair of gusset portions 12 of the old continuous sheet 10. Since the air hole 40 is formed in the region between the pair of gusset portions 12, that is, the central region of the old continuous sheet 10 in the cross direction CD, the air in the old continuous sheet 10 is easily discharged. In particular, the thickness of the pair of gusset portions 12 is thicker than the central region in the cross direction CD of the old continuous sheet 10. For this reason, air is more likely to enter the central region of the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10. By forming an air hole in the central region of the old continuous sheet 10 having such a gusset portion 12, air can be effectively discharged from the old continuous sheet having the gusset portion 12.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the old continuous sheet 10 may have a printing region PR having a printing layer and a non-printing region NPR having no printing layer. In this case, in the thermocompression bonding step S10, it is preferable that the thermocompression bonding is performed so that the joining position 50 is located in the non-printing region NPR. If heat is directly applied to the printing region PR, printing in the printing region PR may deteriorate. Moreover, when it is going to thermocompression in the printing area | region PR which has a printing layer, there exists a possibility that the joining force of the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 may fall. According to this aspect, since the old continuous sheet 10 and the old and new continuous sheets 20 are joined in the non-printing region NPR, the printing in the printing region PR is deteriorated and the joining force between the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  It is preferable that the printing region PR and the non-printing region NPR are alternately arranged in the transport direction MD, and the air hole 40 is formed in the non-printing region NPR where the joining position 50 is provided in the air hole forming step. According to this aspect, the air hole 40 is formed in the same non-printing region NPR as the non-printing region NPR where the joining position 50 between the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 is provided. Therefore, the air hole 40 is formed at a position relatively close to the joining position 50. Since the air in the old continuous sheet 10 moves relative to the upstream with conveyance, it tends to accumulate at the joining position 50. According to this aspect, since the air hole 40 is formed at a position relatively close to the joining position 50, air can be effectively discharged from the old continuous sheet 10.

  After the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 are joined and the air holes 40 are formed, the pair of pressing pads 105, the first pressing means 101, and the air hole forming means 120 are retracted. Thereby, the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 can be moved, and the new continuous sheet 20 can be supplied to the production line next to the old continuous sheet 10.

  Next, steps performed downstream of the splicing device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. On the downstream side of the splicing device 100, a handle hole forming step S30, a perforation forming step S40, an individual cutting step S50, and the like may be performed.

  In the handle hole forming step S <b> 30, the handle forming means 300 forms a hole to be the handle hole 60 into which a human hand can be inserted into the old continuous sheet 10. Thereby, since the air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 can be further discharged | emitted from the handle hole 60, it can suppress more that air accumulates in the old continuous sheet 10. FIG. Furthermore, since the handle hole 60 formed in the packaging bag formed by the old continuous sheet 10 can be used for air discharge, there is no need to newly provide a means for forming the handle hole 60. There is.

  In the perforation forming step S <b> 40, the perforation 70 for opening the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 is formed by the perforation forming means 400. The perforation 70 corresponds to a perforation for opening a packaging bag in which an absorbent article is packaged. According to this aspect, since air in the cylindrical old continuous sheet 10 can be discharged from the perforation 70, it is possible to further suppress the accumulation of air in the old continuous sheet 10. Furthermore, since the perforation 70 for opening the packaging bag formed by the old continuous sheet 10 can be used for discharging air, it is not necessary to newly provide a means for forming the perforation 70. There are advantages.

  In individual cutting step S50, the cutting means 500 cuts the old continuous sheet 10 into a size corresponding to one storage bag for storing the absorbent article. Thereby, each accommodation bag for accommodating an absorptive article is formed. Thereafter, a predetermined number of absorbent articles are put in the storage bag, and the storage bag is sealed (not shown).

  It is preferable that after the individual cutting step S50, before the absorbent article is put into the storage bag, a disposal step S60 for discarding the defective storage bag is performed. The defective storage bag is sent from the regular transport route of the storage bag to another transport route for disposal. For example, it is preferable that the portion including the joining position 50 where the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20 are joined is sent to the transport route for disposal.

  It is preferable that a metal piece 30 is provided at the front end of the new continuous sheet 20. Furthermore, the production line may have a metal detector in front of the transport route for disposal. Thereby, the production line can detect the front end portion of the new continuous sheet 20, that is, the vicinity of the joining position 50 between the old continuous sheet 10 and the new continuous sheet 20, and can automatically discard the defective accommodation bag.

  Each step of the method described above can be performed automatically by the apparatus. For example, the control device can automatically implement the control device by controlling the splicing device 100 and each means 300, 400, 500 using a program for causing the device to execute each step.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail using the above-described embodiments, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification. The present invention can be implemented as modified and changed modes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the description of the scope of claims. Therefore, the description of the present specification is for illustrative purposes and does not have any limiting meaning to the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the continuous sheet shown on the right side of FIGS. 1 and 3 has been described as an “old continuous sheet”, and the continuous sheet shown on the left side of FIGS. 1 and 3 has been described as a “new continuous sheet”. However, the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet may be positioned opposite to those in FIGS.

  Specifically, when the new continuous sheet 20 is joined to the old continuous sheet 10, another new continuous sheet is installed where the roll sheet 10a around which the old continuous sheet 10 is wound exists. . As a result, the new continuous sheet introduced into the production line is referred to as an “old continuous sheet”, and another newly installed continuous sheet is referred to as a “new continuous sheet”. Then, when the remaining amount of the old continuous sheet decreases again, the new continuous sheet is succeeded to the old continuous sheet. In this case, the splicing method can be performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment except that the positions of the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet are switched.

10 old continuous sheet 12 gusset part 20 new continuous sheet 40 air hole 50 joint position 60 handle hole 70 perforation 100 joint device 103 thermocompression bonding means 120 air hole forming means NPR non-printing area PR printing area S10 thermocompression bonding step S20 air hole formation Step S30 Handle hole forming step S40 Perforation forming step

Claims (10)

A method of joining a cylindrical old continuous sheet for packaging an absorbent article and a cylindrical new continuous sheet for packaging an absorbent article,
A conveying step of conveying the old continuous sheet in a conveying direction;
A thermocompression bonding step of thermocompression bonding the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet at a desired joining position;
An air hole forming step of forming an air hole for extracting air in the old continuous sheet on the downstream side of the joining position in the transport direction of the old continuous sheet. The old continuous sheet has a pair of gusset portions that overlap in quadruples at both ends in the crossing direction that intersects the transport direction,
The method according to claim 1, wherein in the air hole forming step, the air hole is formed at least in a region between the pair of gusset portions. The old continuous sheet has a printing area having a printing layer and a non-printing area not having a printing layer,
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in the thermocompression bonding step, thermocompression bonding is performed so that the joining position is located in the non-printing region. The printing area and the non-printing area are alternately arranged in the transport direction,
The method according to claim 3, wherein, in the air hole forming step, the air hole is formed in the non-printing region where the joining position is provided.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a step of forming a handle hole into which the human hand can be inserted in the old continuous sheet.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising forming a perforation for unsealing the cylindrical old continuous sheet.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thermocompression bonding step and the air hole forming step are performed during the same stop period in which the movement of the old continuous sheet at the joining position is stopped.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, in the air hole forming step, the air holes are formed in a region from a position 5 cm downstream from the bonding position to the bonding position.   The method according to claim 1, wherein in the air hole forming step, the air hole is formed so as to penetrate the cylindrical old continuous sheet in a thickness direction. A device for joining a cylindrical old continuous sheet for packaging absorbent articles and a cylindrical new continuous sheet for packaging absorbent articles,
Conveying means for conveying the old continuous sheet in the conveying direction;
Thermocompression bonding means for thermocompression bonding the old continuous sheet and the new continuous sheet at a desired joining position;
An air hole forming means for forming an air hole for extracting air in the old continuous sheet on the downstream side of the joining position in the transport direction of the old continuous sheet.

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