SE460700B - PROCEDURE FOR PREPARING A TAMPON THROUGH CROSS-WRAPING AND SUCH A TAMPON - Google Patents

Description

460 7ÛÛ 2 as a result. However, the orientation of the threads or fibers in the longitudinal direction of the tampon is disadvantageous, especially with a menstrual tampon, as it impairs the radial cohesion of the tampon, which is troublesome both during removal and insertion.

In fact, such a tampon can be inserted only by means of an insertion sleeve, which results in a considerable increase in cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and advantageous method for tampon production, whereby the above disadvantages are avoided to at least a substantial extent.

To that end, it is proposed according to the invention that in a process of the kind initially indicated the tampon blank is produced by winding the thread or threads of fibrous material into a cross ball around a mandrel, which is subjected to a rotational movement relative to a thread guide, which in turn is and return movement relative to the mandrel in the longitudinal direction of the latter), causing the mandrel to rotate 0.1 ~ 5 turns, while the thread guide moves once back and forth, and wherein the cross-ball forming the tampon blank is fired from the mandrel before its compression to the intended tampon. The winding prescribed according to the invention obtains between the ends of the tampon a relatively large angle between the wound threads and a radial plane through the tampon, which results in an excellent radial cohesion of the tampon used as well as an excellent axial cohesion and dimensional stability of the tampon both before and after use, and at the same time a large number of absorbency increasing crossing points are obtained between the threads in the superimposed winding layers.

In the process according to the invention endless single fibers can be used as wire or filaments of fibrous material, wß ~ f> fwe ~ x = few '- «I II. . _. . OI! an. one ': CIO IIIO nu v-': .con '0 _' '»II I I' u 000, L, V _ ... cout -j oi 'Û n' n ~ V ~ 'on0I _, _ 4 n _ - ~ _o - 1. * *: male (_ - _. v - wuw «~ -« “w WW, www ... m n-Wvwwwq, Å V 460 von or of man-made staple fibers or other staple fibers of any suitable material Advantageously, a yarn made of, for example, cotton made of several different pre-yarns was used, whereby a yarn with very small variations in weight per unit length is obtained and therefore tampons with substantially exactly the same weight can be made by winding yarns of equal yarns. Of course, combinations of endless and finite fibers formed yarns can also be used and different types of threads or yarns can be used in the production of one and the same tampon.

For example, to form a tampon without a tendency to fiber loosening, one of the finite fibers can first be used, e.g. staple fibers, formed thread and can be used for the outer layers of each tampon of endless fibers formed thread.

It will be appreciated that the technique for making the cross ball is well known per se in other contexts, why the equipment used in the present invention for winding the fibrous material threads or threads to the cross ball is not described in more detail here. In this context, reference may be made to SE - C - 84634, which shows one of the many known devices for winding the cross ball.

In order to increase the number of desired thread crossing points, according to the invention at least a part of the fibrous material threads or threads can be knitted or braided before winding to form at least one strand, which is preferably wound in a stretched state, into a ball of cross.

For example, at least a portion of the fibrous material yarn or yarns may be knitted or braided into at least one tubular strand which, in the stretched state, is wound into 1, a ball of cross. If desired, for example for wire saving purposes, the wire,; the threads resp; the strand or strands of fibrous material “I” ~ fi ifmrr ë 1- 46Ü 700 are wound around an annular core of absorbent material pre-threaded on the mandrel, for example some suitable foam with open pores.

To prevent fiber detachment, as already indicated above, suitably at least the outer layers of the tampon blank formed as the ball of cross can be formed by winding one or more threads, which at least essentially consist of continuous fibers. Alternatively or in addition, for similar purposes, at least the outer layers of the tampon blank formed as the ball of cross can be formed by winding one or more threads, which consist wholly or partly of heat sealable material and which are heated to heat seal temperature before compression of the tampon blank, preferably immediately before winding.

The invention also relates, as mentioned, to a new and advantageous tampon, in particular a menstrual tampon, which essentially consists of one or more thin, possibly curled threads of fibrous material and possibly a pull-out lanyard anchored in the fibrous material and which for avoiding the initially stated the disadvantages essentially consist of a tampon blank built up, possibly around a core of absorbent material, in the form of a tampon. In order to improve the absorbency, at least a part of the fibrous material thread or threads therein can advantageously have the form of one or more knitted or braided, suitably stretched strands.

For example, at least a portion of the fibrous material yarn or yarns therein may be in the form of one or more circularly knitted or tubular braided, stretched strands. In order to achieve increased stability, in an advantageous embodiment of the tampon, at least its outer Sån] ltdxif ¿layer is formed wholly or partly of one or more threads ï * fi '¿V ¿, aV heat-sealable material, which in the intersection b "¿É_f ly points are connected to each other by heat sealing A¿Üftill_ett network. The invention is further illustrated in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 schematically illustrates the production of a tampon blank by winding a thread to a ball of cross, Fig. 2 schematically illustrates compression of a tampon blank to a tampon, Fig. 3y shows a strand formed by knitting from a yarn of fibrous material, "Fig. 4 shows the strand according to Fig. 3 in the stretched state, Fig. 5 shows a tubular strand formed by braiding of fibrous material threads Fig. 6 shows the string according to Fig. 5 in a stretched condition Fig. 1 is denoted by 1 a tampon blank formed during the formation of the cross ball, the blank being arranged on a shaft 2, which rotates in the manner indicated by the arrow 3.

Denoted by 4 is a wire guide, which is arranged to move back and forth along the axis 2 in the manner indicated by the dashed arrows 5 for the desired laying _ of a wire supply denoted by 6, shown from 6. upcoming fiber material thread. In the example shown, the shaft 2 rotates two turns, while the wire guide 4 moves once § \ y, forward oáh again. The compression device shown in Fig. 2 comprises four jaws 7, each of which is arranged to be pressed against a tampon blank at two angular angles with each other. The jaws 7 are movable back and forth Lfv 'Ü »between the projected position, in which the working surfaces 8 are shown é¿: ° y:' with solid_line \, and the retracted position, in which?". The compression device further comprises four further jaws 9, 460 vec 9 "" MV @ Y "" f "f fi" ~ W * WnmWwarwmrwmmi each of which is arranged to have a working surface, 10 in the form of a circular arc in a cross section. peeled gutter is also pressed against the tampon blank.The jaws 9 are movable back and forth between the retracted position shown by the solid line and a projected position, wherein the working surface 10 is indicated by a dashed line.When the jaws 7 are in their projected position serve their work surfaces 8 as guide surfaces for the slopes 9. When all the slopes 7, 9 are back drawn, a tampon blank indicated by dashed line 11 can be axially inserted between the jaws. Thereafter, the jaws 7 are advanced under compression of the tampon blank to the cross-sectional shape shown by the dashed surface in Fig. 2. Finally, the jaws 9 are advanced during such compression of the tampon blank that it obtains a substantially circular cross-sectional shape and is completely enclosed by the four projecting jaws. 9 work surfaces 10. After retraction of all jaws 7, 9, the finished tampon can be removed from the compression device.

Fig. 3 shows a yarn suitable for producing the tampon according to the invention, knitted into a strand 12, which the pre-winding in the form of a ball of cross according to, for example, Fig. 1 should be stretched to that at 13 in Figs. 4, the form shown in FIG. 5 shows a string 14 braided for the production of the tampon according to the invention, shaped like a tube, which before winding into the shape of a cross ball according to, for example, Fig. 1, should be stretched to the shape shown at 15 in Fig. E.

The invention is of course not limited to the embodiments shown above with reference to Figs. 1-6, but Aikan is realized in any way within the scope of the inventive concept defined in the patent claims. Thus, it should be understood that a cross ball can be provided by means of the same roughness as well as back and forth along a stationary axis or mandatory movable wire guide, and that in Fig. 1 the reciprocating movement of the wire guide can be replaced by an axially reciprocating movement of the rotating shaft or mandrel. In the tampon according to the invention any suitable material in wire form can be used, and the compression of the tampon blank can take place in a manner other than the manner shown, for example so that a rounded tampon end is obtained. The pull-out cord has not been shown in the figures, but it should be understood that such a pull-out cord must be anchored in the tampon blank in a suitable, known manner before it is compressed into a final tampon shape. As mentioned, threads of different types and with different properties can be used for the construction of the tampon blank, this possibility being mainly used for forming a tampon with an outer surface without tendency to fiber loosening and an inner one with optimal liquid absorption and liquid retention properties.

Claims (9)

460 700 i 8 Patentkrav_ A method of making a tampon, in particular a menstrual tampon, by winding fibrous material around a mandrel (2) to form a porous tampon blank (1), which together with any pulling cord anchored thereto is detached from the mandrel and compressed. to a final tampon shape, characterized in that the tampon blank (1) is produced by winding one or more thin, possibly crimped threads (6) of the fibrous material into a cross ball around the mandrel (2), which is given a rotational movement relative to a thread guide (4). ), which in turn is imparted a reciprocating motion relative to the mandrel in the longitudinal direction of the latter, causing the mandrel to rotate 0.1 - 5 revolutions, while the wire guide moves once back and forth. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a part of the fibrous material threads or threads (6) is knitted or braided before the winding to form at least one strand (12-15), which is preferably in the stretched state wound into a ball of cross. A claim according to claim 2, kfä n n e t e c k n a t av. that at least a part of the fibrous material threads or threads ((6) is circularly knitted or braided into at least one tubular strand '. 4. V4. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the wire, the wires (6) or the strands 9 @ H 5. In the folding strands (12-15) of fibrous material, an annular core of absorbent thread is wound around a pre-threaded (2) threaded material (material §Q 9 in 460 7Üil as the ball-shaped tampon groove (1) formed by winding one or more threads (6), which at least substantially consist of continuous fibers. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least the outer layers of the tampon blank (1) formed as the ball of cross are formed by winding one or more threads (6), which consist wholly or partly of heat-sealable material and which are heated to heat-sealing temperature before the compression of the tampon blank, preferably immediately before winding. 7. Tampons, in particular menstrual tampons, consisting at least essentially of wound and subsequently compressed fibrous material and possibly a pull-out cord anchored in the fibrous material, characterized in that it consists essentially of one or more thin, possibly curled threads (6) of the fibrous material, possibly around a core of absorbent material, compressed into said tampon form, as a cross ball built up tampon blank (1). A tampon according to claim 7, characterized in that at least a part of the fibrous material threads or threads (6) therein is in the form of one or more knitted or braided, suitably stretched strands (12-15). Tampon according to claim 7, characterized in that at least a part of the fibrous material threads - or the threads (6) therein have the shape of one or more circular knitted or next to tubular braided, stretched strands (15). A tampon according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that at least its outer layer is wholly or partly formed by one or more threads (6) of heat-sealable material, which in the intersection points are "Uf_thomevealtheatrically sealed together to form a network.