TWI580411B - Absorbent manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Absorber manufacturing device

The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body.

In the manufacture of absorbent articles such as disposable diapers or menstrual sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, etc., the raw materials of the absorbent body (the fiber material such as defibrated pulp, and the highly absorbent polymerization) which are supplied with the air flow are processed as follows. The particles of the material are attracted to the suction deposition portion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the rotary cylinder and deposited, and the deposit deposited in the suction deposition portion is released, and then coated directly or with a water permeable sheet or the like. It is used as an absorber.

Further, from the viewpoint of improving the absorption force or the wearing feeling, a technique is also known in which a portion which causes a raw material to be piled up to a high basis weight and a portion where the raw material is piled up to a low basis weight lower than a high basis weight is known. In this manner, the absorbent body material is deposited on the suction stacking portion corresponding to each of the absorbent bodies.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a plurality of unit accumulation units that are attractable are provided independently of each other in each of the accumulation recesses (suction accumulation portions), and the stacked materials are stacked for each of the unit accumulation units. The types and quantities vary.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a plurality of suction regions having different opening area ratios (opening area ratios of the suction portions) are provided on the bottom surface portion of the collecting concave portion (suction collecting portion), and the basis weight is partially different. The absorber.

Prior technical literature Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-178866

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-65930

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, in order to change the shape of the absorbent body to be manufactured, it is necessary to perform a large-scale operation such as changing the arrangement of the partition walls of the suction chamber in the rotary cylinder, and it is not possible to flexibly cope with the specification change of the absorbent body. . Further, as in the case of the technique of Patent Document 2, when the suction accumulation portion is not divided into a plurality of concave portions and the opening portion ratio (opening area ratio of the suction portion) is different in the bottom portion, it is difficult to accurately Adjust the basis weight of each area.

The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of an absorbent body which can accurately adjust the basis weight of each part of the absorbent body.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing an absorbent body, comprising: a conduit for supplying an absorbent body material with a gas flow; and a suction deposition portion that sucks and accumulates the absorbent material supplied from the conduit, and the suction deposition portion faces the first After the direction in which the absorbent material is deposited on the suction deposition portion, the deposit is released from the suction deposition portion. The suction deposition portion is divided into a plurality of concave portions having a suction portion including a porous material at a bottom portion, and the suction deposition portion has a high basis weight accumulation region for depositing the absorbent body material into a high basis weight, and the absorption body The raw material is deposited into a low basis weight accumulation region having a basis weight lower than the above-mentioned high basis weight accumulation region. The ratio of the area of the suction portion to the area of the opening in the concave portion of the low basis weight accumulation region is smaller than the ratio of the area of the suction portion to the area of the opening portion in the concave portion of the high basis weight accumulation region.

Moreover, the present invention provides a method for producing an absorbent body which is produced by using the above-described apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body, and which is manufactured by manufacturing an absorbent body comprising: the concave portion from the high basis weight accumulation region a high basis weight deposit of the mold; and a low basis weight deposit that is demolded from the recess in the low basis weight accumulation region.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus of an absorbent body of the present invention.

The manufacturing apparatus 1 of the absorbent body shown in Fig. 1 includes a rotary cylinder 2 that is rotationally driven in the direction of an arrow R2, and a duct 4 that supplies a fiber material as a raw material of the absorbent body to the outer peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder 2, and a transfer roller 5 It is disposed obliquely below the rotating drum 2 and is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow R5. The vacuum conveyor 6 is disposed below the transfer roller 5, the pressing device 7, and the cutting device 8.

In the manufacturing apparatus 1, a vacuum box 11 is further disposed between the duct 4 and the transfer roller 5 in the circumferential direction of the rotary cylinder 2 to pass between the vacuum box 11 and the rotary cylinder 2, and between the transfer roller 5 and the rotary cylinder 2 A mesh belt 13 is disposed between the two, and a windshield 15 is disposed adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the transfer roller 5.

The rotary cylinder 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in Fig. 1, and is rotated about a horizontal axis by receiving power from a prime mover such as a motor. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating cylinder 2 has a plurality of suction stacking portions 22 on the outer peripheral surface 21 of which a plurality of fibrous materials which are the raw materials of the absorbent body are attracted and stacked. The suction stacking portion 22 of the rotary cylinder 2 is formed in plural in a predetermined direction in the circumferential direction (2X direction) of the rotary cylinder 2, and travels in one direction indicated by R2 in the drawing accompanying the rotation of the rotary cylinder 2. In Fig. 3, the 2X direction is the circumferential direction of the rotary cylinder 2, and the 2Y direction is the width direction of the rotary cylinder 2 (the direction parallel to the rotational axis of the rotary cylinder 2).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the rotary cylinder 2 includes a cylindrical frame 25 including a rigid body made of metal, and a porous plate 26 which is fixed to the outer surface side of the frame 25 and is fixed. A porous material; and a pattern forming plate 27 which is superposed on the outer surface side of the porous plate 26 and fixed. The porous plate 26 and the pattern forming plate 27 are detachably provided on the frame body 25 by a fixing mechanism such as a bolt.

The frame body 25 has a shape in which the trapezoidal shape is formed in a ring shape and connects the upper and lower ends, and has a communication hole 25a penetrating the inner and outer surfaces at each portion corresponding to the suction and accumulation portion 22.

The porous plate 26 includes a porous material having a plurality of pores and does not allow the fiber material as a raw material of the absorbent body to be supplied with the gas flow to transmit only air. The porous plate 26 can be formed without any particular limitation by using a user previously used in such a fiber-splitting device, for example, a metal or resin mesh plate, or a metal or resin plate which is etched or perforated. A number of fine holes, etc.

The pattern forming plate 27 includes an outer surface 27a that forms the outer peripheral surface 21 of the rotating cylinder 2, and an inner surface 27b that faces the rotating shaft side of the rotating cylinder 2.

Each of the suction stacking portions 22 of the spin basket 2 corresponds to an absorber 3 corresponding to an absorbent article such as a menstrual napkin or a disposable diaper.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the suction deposition portions 22 is divided into a plurality of concave portions 221, 222, 223, and 224 having a suction portion including a porous material at the bottom portion.

More specifically, in the suction deposition portion 22, the first concave portion 221, the second concave portion 222, the third concave portion 223, and the fourth portion are sequentially formed from the end side toward the rear end side in the traveling direction (R2). The recess 224 and the fifth recess 225. Further, a sixth recess 226 and a seventh recess 227 are formed on both sides of the third recess 223. The entire bottom portion of the first to seventh recesses serves as a suction portion including the porous plate 26. Further, the attraction stacking portion 22 shown in FIG. 3 has a shape that is line symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line LX extending in the traveling direction (R2), and has a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction (2Y direction). The extended transverse center line LY is also in the shape of a line symmetry. Further, in the porous sheet 26 used in the present embodiment, the pores are uniformly distributed over the entire region of the suction deposition portion, and the opening area ratios of the suction portions of the respective concave portions are the same.

The shape of the first recessed portion 221, the second recessed portion 222, and the fourth to seventh recessed portions 224 to 227 will be described by taking the second recessed portion 222 as an example. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the second recessed portion 222 has an inverted flat surface. The truncated pyramid shape has a front wall 222a, a rear wall 222b, and a pair of side walls 222c and 222c around the bottom of the suction portion 222e including the porous material. Among the recesses 221 to 227 constituting the suction stacking portion 22, the front wall is located on the wall surface before the traveling direction (R2) of the suction stacking portion 22, and the rear wall is located behind the traveling direction (R2) of the suction stacking portion 22. On the wall surface, the side wall is located on the wall surface at the end portion in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the suction stacking portion 22. Further, in each of the concave portions 221 to 227 constituting the suction deposition portion 22, the front wall, the rear wall, and the pair of side walls are each formed of a non-air permeable material.

Further, in the second concave portion 222, the area (S2) of the suction portion 222e including the porous material is smaller than the area (S1) of the opening portion 222d that opens toward the side (catheter side) where the absorbent body material is supplied. .

More specifically, in the second recess 222, the front wall 222a and the rear wall 222b are inclined as shown in FIG. 4, respectively. Further, in the second recess 222, the pair of side walls 222c and 222c are also inclined as shown in Fig. 5, respectively.

In the present invention, the inclination of the front wall or the rear wall means that, as shown in FIG. 4, in the section along the traveling direction (R2) of the suction stacking portion 22, the front wall 222a or the rear wall 222b of the recess is opposed to the wall. The upper end and the line L1 perpendicular to the bottom are inclined such that the inclination angle θ1 is 5° or more, and the inclination of the side wall means a cross section orthogonal to the traveling direction (R2) of the suction accumulation portion 22 as shown in FIG. 5 . The side wall 222c of the recess is inclined such that the inclination angle θ2 is 5° or more with respect to the line L2 passing through the upper end of the wall and perpendicular to the bottom. When the rotating cylinder 2 is provided with a suction accumulation portion, the lines L1 and L2 perpendicular to the bottom portion are extended along the diameter direction of the rotary cylinder 2.

The area S2 of the suction portion in the second concave portion 222 is smaller than the area S1 of the opening portion 222d, so that the air volume flowing through the concave portion 222 is suppressed as compared with the case where the area S1 of the opening portion 222d and the area S2 of the suction portion 222e are the same. In addition, when the fibrous material such as pulp fibers or the superabsorbent polymer (SAP) is deposited as a raw material of the absorbent body in the fiber-forming step of the suction deposition portion 22, the basis weight of the fibrous material/SAP depends on the flow through the concave portion. The amount of wind in the attraction.

Therefore, the suction accumulation portion 22 is divided into a plurality of concave portions, and the concave portion such as the second concave portion 222 is disposed in the suction deposition portion 22 so that the basis weight of the deposited absorbent material is smaller than that of the other portions. An absorbent body that reduces the basis weight of a desired portion is manufactured with high precision and equipment. Further, for example, it is desired to form a fiber material such as pulp fibers constituting the absorber. /SAP concentrates on a portion that requires a higher absorption capacity, and makes the other portions as low as possible, thereby obtaining an absorbent body having excellent absorption performance and reduced wearing discomfort and unpleasant feeling.

Moreover, by appropriately adjusting the ratio of the area S1 of the opening 222d to the area S2 of the suction portion 222e, the average basis weight of the deposit obtained from the second recess 222 can be easily set to a desired value.

In particular, by changing the inclination of the front wall 222a and/or the rear wall 222b and the like, the ratio of the area S1 of the opening 222d to the area S2 of the suction portion 222e is adjusted, whereby the amount of air passing through the second recess 222 can be changed, and It is easier to make the average basis weight of the deposit obtained from the second concave portion 222 equal to a desired value.

Further, when the inclination angle θ1 of the front wall 222a and/or the rear wall 222b is increased or the amount of deposition is reduced, the bottom portion of the portion is also easily maintained in a good air permeability, so that the deposits can be prevented from being deposited from the respective recesses. The mold release property at the time of demolding is deteriorated.

The above effect is also effective when the pair of side walls 222c, 223c are not inclined. However, when one or both of the pair of side walls 222c, 223c are inclined, it is preferable that the side wall is inclined less than the front wall 222a and the rear wall 222b. The degree of inclination, that is, the above-described inclination angle θ2 of the side wall (see FIG. 5) is smaller than the above-described inclination angle θ1 of the front and rear walls (refer to FIG. 4). Furthermore, the inclination angles of the front and rear walls may not necessarily be the same.

When the front and rear sides and the left and right side walls of the concave portion are all inclined large, unevenness of the amount of accumulation occurs in each of the concave portions. In particular, the amount of deposition in the rear portion is likely to increase in the direction of rotation of the rotating cylinder in the recess (the direction in which the stacking portion is attracted), and the direction of rotation of the rotating cylinder in the recess (the direction in which the suction stacking portion travels) is positive. The amount of deposition at both ends of the intersecting direction tends to be insufficient. Since the inclination angle θ2 of the side wall is made smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the front and rear walls, it is possible to easily prevent a portion where the accumulation is insufficient in the concave portion. As a result, as an absorber having a layer including an aggregate of a plurality of deposits deposited in a plurality of recesses, an absorber having a desired shape in the shape of the deposit corresponding to each recess can be obtained.

Further, the opening 222d of the second recess 222 is a portion surrounded by the upper edge of the front wall 222a, the rear wall 222b, and the pair of side walls 222c of the second recess 222, and the area S1 is such that the opening 222d passes through the recess. The central portion of the bottom portion is projected to an area perpendicular to the bottom (the diameter direction of the rotating cylinder 2). On the other hand, the suction portion 222e of the second recess 222 is provided in a portion including the porous material at the bottom of the second recess 222, and is surrounded by the lower edges of the front wall 222a, the rear wall 222b, and the pair of side walls 222c. section. The area S2 is such that the portion passes through the central portion of the bottom portion of the recess and is projected to an area perpendicular to the bottom (diameter of the rotating cylinder 2). Further, the definition of the opening portion and the suction portion and the area thereof are the same for the other concave portions of the suction stacking portion 22. For example, in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the opening portion and the suction portion of the first concave portion 221 are indicated by reference numerals 221d and 221e, and the opening portion and the suction portion of the third concave portion 223 are indicated by reference numerals 223d and 223e, and 226d and The suction portion 226e indicates the opening portion and the suction portion of the sixth recess portion 226, and the opening portion and the suction portion of the seventh recess portion 227 are indicated by reference numerals 227d and 227e.

The inclination angle θ1 (refer to FIG. 4) of the front wall and/or the rear wall is preferably 5° to 85°, more preferably 10° to 45°, and still more preferably 15° to 30°.

On the other hand, when the side walls 222c and 222c are inclined, the inclination angle θ2 of the inclined side wall 222c (refer to FIG. 5) is preferably 10 to 90% of the inclination angle θ1 of the front wall 222a and/or the rear wall 222b. More preferably 50~80%. Further, the inclination angle θ2 of the inclined side wall 222c may be, for example, 1 to 60, more preferably 5 to 15 .

Further, the area S2 of the suction portion 222e at the bottom of the second concave portion 222 is preferably 20% to 80%, more preferably 30% to 60%, of the area S1 of the opening portion 222d of the second concave portion 222. Further, in the second concave portion 222 in which the front wall 222a and/or the rear wall 222b are inclined, the ratio of the dimension L3 of the opening portion 222d in the direction in which the suction stacking portion 22 travels to the dimension L4 of the bottom suction portion 222e (L3/L4) It is preferably 1.1 to 2.0, more preferably 1.3 to 1.7.

Further, the adjacent recesses are partitioned by the partition member 28A. The width of the partition member 28A (the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the partition member 28A extends) is minimized at the upper end portion thereof, and the minimum width thereof is preferably 10 mm or less, more preferably 0.5 to 5.0 mm.

In the second embodiment, the second concave portion 222 is formed in a plurality of identical shapes in the 2Y direction. Further, the fourth recess 224 has the same shape as the second recess 222. Further, the first recessed portion 221 and the fifth recessed portion 225 have the same shape as the second recessed portion 222 except that the front wall or the rear wall is formed in an arc shape in plan view. Further, the sixth recessed portion 226 has a smaller dimension in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction (R2) and is approximately one-half of the second recessed portion 222, and has the same shape as the second recessed portion 222. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the sixth recessed portion 226 is formed by connecting a plurality of end edges of the suction stacking portion 22 in the width direction (2Y direction). Further, the seventh recessed portion 227 is formed in a plurality of series in series between the third recessed portion 223 and the sixth recessed portion 226. In the seventh concave portion 227, the side wall on the third concave portion 223 side is formed in an arc shape in a plan view, and the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction (R2) is smaller than the second concave portion 222, and has a The second recess 222 has the same shape.

The first concave portion 221, the fourth concave portion 224, the fifth concave portion 225, the sixth concave portion 226, and the seventh concave portion 227 are inclined at an angle of the front wall or the side wall, the area ratio of the opening portion to the bottom suction portion, and the second concave portion 222. For the same, the description about the second recess is used as appropriate.

Further, the inclination angle of the front wall 226a, 226b before the sixth recess 226 is preferably smaller than the inclination angle of the front wall which is present before the second and fourth recesses near the front end or the rear end of the suction stacking portion 22. Similarly, the inclination angle of the front wall of the seventh recessed portion 227 is preferably smaller than the inclination angle of the front wall which is present before the second and fourth recesses near the front end or the rear end of the suction stacking portion 22.

In the third recessed portion 223 of the present embodiment, the both side walls are formed in an arc shape in plan view, and are formed so as to narrow the width in the 2Y direction from the center toward the front end and the rear end of the suction stacking portion 22. The front wall and the rear wall are formed in a straight line in a plan view. None of the front wall and the side wall of the third recessed portion 223 is inclined, and the area of each of the first recessed portion, the second recessed portion, and the fourth to seventh recessed portions in which the front and rear walls and the side walls are inclined with respect to the respective opening portions The ratio of the area is smaller than the ratio of the area of the suction portion 223e in the third recess 223 to the area of the opening 223d. From the viewpoint of mold release property, the front wall and/or the side wall of the third recessed portion 223 may be slightly inclined such that the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are smaller than the front wall and/or the side wall of the other recessed portion.

The depths of the first recessed portion 221 to the seventh recessed portion 227 from the outer peripheral surface 21 of the rotating cylinder 2 to the suction portion of the bottom portion are equal to each other.

In the suction deposition portion 22 of the present embodiment, the region in which the third concave portion 223 is disposed is a high-basis accumulation region in which the absorbent material is deposited to a high basis weight, and the first concave portion 221 and the second concave portion 222 are disposed. The regions of the fourth to seventh recesses 224 to 227 are such that the absorber raw material is deposited into a low basis weight accumulation region having a basis weight lower than the high basis weight accumulation region.

The basis weight of the absorbent material deposited in each of the concave portions is calculated by dividing the mass of the absorbent material deposited in each concave portion by the area of the opening of each concave portion.

Further, in each of the suction deposition portions 22 of the present embodiment, a plurality of concave portions 221 to 227 are formed in a divided manner. As a result, the recessed portions are less likely to be affected by the other recessed portions. According to the apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body of the present embodiment, the basis weight of the absorbent body material can be accurately deposited in each of the recessed portions. Further, in each of the suction stacking portions 22 of the present embodiment, the recessed portions 221 to 227 are formed in plural in the traveling direction of the suction stacking portion 22 and in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, and therefore, it is also difficult to stack them. The basis weight of the absorbent body material is accurately deposited in the width direction and the longitudinal direction.

In the present embodiment, the partition member 28A in which the recesses are spaced apart constitutes one portion of the pattern forming plate 27. More specifically, the partition member 28A that separates the recesses is integrally formed so as to form the same plane as the inner surface 27b of the pattern forming plate 27 made of synthetic resin. Further, the partition member 28A separated from the pattern forming plate 27 may be directly fixed to the porous plate 26.

On the inner side (rotational axis side) of the rotary cylinder 2, as shown in Fig. 1, spaces B, C, and D which are spaced apart from each other are formed. In the space B, a well-known exhaust device (not shown) such as an intake fan is connected, and the inside of the space B can be maintained at a negative pressure by operating the exhaust device. In the space C, the outside air flows into the space from the vacuum chamber 11 side, and the outside air flows into the space D by suction from the transfer roller 5 side. In order to perform the transfer on the space C well, the space C is separated from the space D which becomes the area after the transfer. It is also possible to actively perform blasting from the space C toward the vacuum box 11. Further, in the rotary cylinder 2, one end of the rotation shaft in the axial direction is blocked by a plate that rotates integrally with the rotary cylinder 2, and the other end is hermetically sealed by an unrotated plate. Further, the spaces B to D are separated from each other by a plate provided from the rotating shaft side of the rotating cylinder 2 toward the inner surface of the rotating drum 2.

As shown in Fig. 1, the one end side of the duct 4 covers the outer peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder 2 located in the space B, and has a fiber material introduction device on the other end side (not shown). The fiber material introduction device has, for example, a pulverizer that pulverizes the sheet-like wood pulp to form a defibrated pulp, and feeds the defibrated pulp (fiber material) into the catheter. A water-absorptive polymer introduction portion into which particles of the water-absorptive polymer are introduced may be provided in the middle of the catheter 4.

Each of the suction and accumulation portions 22 of the rotary cylinder 2 is sucked by the suction portion including the porous material from the first to seventh concave portions 221 to 227 while being maintained in the space B of the negative pressure. The raw material of the absorber introduced from the fiber material introduction part or the water-absorptive polymer introduction part is conveyed to the rotating cylinder 2 in the duct 4 by suction of the pores of the suction part containing the porous material in each recessed part. The airflow on the outer peripheral surface is deposited in the recesses 221 to 227 of the suction stacking portion 22 by the material that is transported along with the airflow.

The transfer roller 5 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral portion having air permeability, and receives power from a prime mover such as a motor to rotate the outer peripheral portion around the horizontal axis. A non-rotating portion on the inner side (rotational axis side) of the transfer roller 5 is formed with a space E for decompressing the inside. A well-known exhaust device (not shown) such as an intake fan is connected to the space E, and the inside of the space E can be maintained at a negative pressure by the operation of the exhaust device.

On the outer peripheral surface 51 of the transfer roller 5, a plurality of suction holes that communicate the inside and the outside are formed. The suction holes suck the air into the inside from the outside while being maintained in the space E of the negative pressure, and the deposit 32 in the suction stacking portion 22 is smoothly transferred from the rotating drum 2 by the suction force. Onto the transfer roller 5.

The vacuum conveyor 6 includes an annular ventilating belt 63 that is stretched over the driving roller 61 and the driven rollers 62 and 62, and a vacuum box 64 that is placed at a position opposed to the transfer roller 5 by sandwiching the permeable conveyor belt 63. .

The vacuum box 11 has a box shape including upper and lower surfaces, right and left side surfaces, and a back surface, and includes an opening that opens toward the rotating cylinder 2 . The vacuum box 11 is connected to a well-known exhaust device (not shown) such as an intake fan via an exhaust pipe (not shown), and the inside of the vacuum box 11 can be maintained at a negative pressure by the operation of the exhaust device. . The mesh belt 13 is formed by connecting a belt-shaped air-permeable belt having a mesh shape in a ring shape, and is guided by a plurality of free rollers 14 and a transfer roller 5 to continuously move on a specific path. The mesh belt 13 is driven by the rotation of the transfer roller 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the mesh belt 13 is disposed in such a manner that after being introduced into the outer peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder 2 near the downstream end portion 41 of the duct 4, the vacuum box 11 and the rotary cylinder 2 are sequentially passed between Between the transfer roller 5 and the rotating cylinder 2. The mesh belt 13 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder 2 while passing through the opening of the vacuum chamber 11, and is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder 2 in the vicinity of the closest portion of the transfer roller 5 and the rotary cylinder 2, and is transferred to Transfer roller 5 is used.

The mesh belt 13 has pores smaller than the suction holes of the transfer roller 5, and the suction from the suction holes of the transfer roller 5 also attracts the fine holes from the mesh belt 13 overlapping the suction holes. The windshield 15 sandwiches a region in which the suction hole is formed in the width direction of the outer circumferential surface of the transfer roller, and a pair is provided on both sides thereof to prevent or reduce the inflow of the wind from the side, thereby preventing the self-attracting portion 22 from being prevented. The arrangement or shape deformation of the demolded deposit 32, and the like. In particular, by the windshields 15 and 15 provided close to the transfer roller 5, it is possible to prevent or reduce the inflow of air from the left and right outer sides of the width direction of the roller 5 toward the region of the roller having the suction holes, so that the proximity roller can be effectively prevented. The deposits at both ends in the width direction are reversed to the deposit near the center, or the arrangement of the deposits is disordered. The material of the windshield 15 is not particularly limited, but is preferably made of metal or synthetic resin and has a thickness of about 0.5 to 10 mm from the viewpoint of being resistant to wind rigidity.

The pressing device 7 includes a pair of smooth rolls 71 and 72, and pressurizes the pressed object introduced between the rolls 71 and 72 from the upper and lower surfaces to be compressible in the thickness direction. As the pressing device 7, instead of including the surface smoothing pair of rolls 71 and 72, one of the convex portions for embossing formed on one or both of the rolls is applied to the embossing roll, and the embossing roll can be absorbed. It is also preferable to form a low-density portion and a high-density portion which are realized by embossing to improve the absorption performance. Further, a conveyor type pressing device or the like may be used instead of a pair of rollers.

As the cutting device 8, in the manufacture of the menstrual sanitary napkin or the absorbent article, the cutter or the like previously used for the continuous body of the absorbent body can be used without particular limitation. The cutting device 8 shown in Fig. 1 includes a cutting roller 82 having a cutting blade 81 on its circumferential surface, and an anvil roller 83 which is smooth in the circumferential surface of the cutting blade.

Next, a method of continuously manufacturing the absorbent body 3 using the above-described absorbent body manufacturing apparatus 1, that is, an embodiment of the production method of the absorbent body of the present invention will be described.

The absorbent body 3 is manufactured for the manufacturing apparatus 1 using the absorbent body, and the space B connected to the inside of the rotating cylinder 2, the space E in the transfer roller 5, and the exhaust apparatus of the vacuum tank 11 are actuated, and these parts become a negative pressure. Since the inside of the space B is made to have a negative pressure, a flow of the raw material of the absorber to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating drum 2 is generated in the duct 4. Further, the rotary drum 2 and the transfer roller 5 are rotated to operate the vacuum conveyor 6.

Then, when the fiber material introduction device is operated to supply the fiber material into the duct 4, the fiber material is scattered in the airflow flowing through the duct 4 and supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the rotary cylinder 2.

While the portion covered by the duct 4 is being conveyed, the fiber material 31 is sucked and accumulated in the first to seventh recesses 221 to 227 of the suction stacking portion 22 of the rotary drum 2. FIG. 8 shows a cross section of each concave portion in the suction deposition portion at the time point passing through the downstream end portion 41 of the duct 4.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the area of the deposit 32 deposited in the second recess 222 is substantially the same as the area of the opening 222d of the second recess 222, but the front and rear walls 222a, 222b Since the amount of the fiber material as the raw material of the absorbent body is equal to that of the opening 222d, the amount of the fiber material is not the same as that of the case where the front wall and the side wall are not inclined. The reason for this is that the area of the suction portion 222e of the second concave portion 222 is reduced by the inclination of the front wall 222a, 222b or the like before the second concave portion 222, and as a result, the second concave portion is passed through compared with the case where the front wall and the side wall are not inclined. The amount of wind in 222 is reduced.

Further, after an excessive amount of the fibrous material exceeding the position of the outer peripheral surface 21 is deposited in each of the concave portions, the excessive amount of the fibrous material may be removed by a raising roller or the like.

In this manner, after the fibrous material is deposited in the respective concave portions 221 to 227 in the suction stacking portion 22, the rotary cylinder 2 is further rotated. Then, when the suction stacking portion 22 reaches the opposite position of the vacuum box 11, the deposit 32 accumulated in each of the recessed portions 221 to 227 of the suction stacking portion 22 is adsorbed on the mesh belt 13 by suction from the vacuum box 11. In this state, it is conveyed to the closest portion of the transfer roller 5 and the rotary cylinder 2 or its vicinity. Then, it is transferred to the transfer roller 5 together with the mesh belt 13 by suction from the side of the transfer roller 5, and is also released from the respective concave portions 221 to 227. As in the present embodiment, before the deposit 32 is released from the recesses 221 to 227 of the rotary cylinder 2, the deposit 32 is sucked and transported from the side opposite to the rotary cylinder 2 by the vacuum box 11. Then, when the deposit is released from the suction stacking portion 22, when the deposit is transferred to the transfer roller 5 or another transfer mechanism, the shape of the deposit can be effectively prevented from being deformed or the arrangement of the deposit can be disturbed.

The deposit 32 transferred to the transfer roller 5 is conveyed while being sucked from the transfer roller 5 side, and is delivered to the vacuum conveyor 6.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a core coated sheet 37 including a toilet paper or a liquid permeable nonwoven fabric is introduced onto the vacuum conveyor 6 before the deposit 32 is placed, and the core coated sheet is coated on the core. A deposit 32 is transferred onto the sheet 37.

Then, downstream of the core covering sheet 37, the both sides of the core covering sheet 37 are folded back, and the upper and lower surfaces of the absorbent body 3 including the aggregate of the plurality of deposits 32 are covered by the core covering sheet 37.

Then, the absorber 3 in a state in which the core-coated sheet 37 is covered is introduced between the pair of rollers 71 and 72 of the pressing device 7 and compressed in the thickness direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the absorber 3 obtained in the present embodiment includes a deposit 221' that is released from the first recess 221, a deposit 222' that is released from the second recess 222, and a third recess 223. The mold deposit 223', the deposit 224' demolded from the fourth recess 224, the deposit 225' demolded from the fifth recess 225, the deposit 226' demolded from the sixth recess 226, and the seventh recess An assembly of 227 demolded deposits 227' that are adjacent or in contact with adjacent deposits. Moreover, compared with the deposits 221', 222', 224', 225', 226', 227' which are released from the first recessed portion, the second recessed portion, and the fourth to seventh recessed portions of the low basis weight region, The deposit 223' which is released from the third recessed portion of the high basis weight accumulation region has a high basis weight.

Further, the deposits 221', 222', 224', 225', 226', 227' which are released from the recesses of the first recessed portion, the second recessed portion, and the fourth recessed portion to the seventh recessed portion are respectively associated with the suction and accumulation portion. The front and rear portions of the direction corresponding to the direction of travel of the 22 (the 3X direction in the figure) have a low basis weight portion including the absorbent material deposited in the vicinity of the front and rear walls, and have a central portion in the same direction, and have a suction attraction The high basis weight of the absorbent material on the part. Further, in the deposits 221', 222', 224', 225', 226', 227' from which the recesses of the first recessed portion, the second recessed portion, and the fourth recessed portion to the seventh recessed portion are released, the suction and deposition portions are formed. Both end portions of the direction in which the traveling directions of the 22 are orthogonal to each other also have a low basis weight portion having a basis weight lower than the high basis weight portion.

Further, the thicknesses of the deposits 221' to 227' which are released from the recesses of the first recessed portion to the seventh recessed portion are substantially the same.

As shown in Fig. 9, in the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the absorbent body of the present invention, the assembly of the plurality of deposits 221' to 227' from which the absorption system is released from the suction deposition portion 22 may be uncompressed by the pressing device 7. Alternatively, the assembly may be covered by the core wrap sheet 37 without being pressed by the pressing device 7 or the like.

In the present embodiment, the deposit 221 in which the absorber 3 including the plurality of deposits 221' to 227' is pressurized by the pressing device 7 and released from the recesses of the first recess to the seventh recess is actively reduced. The thickness of '~227'.

Thereby, the absorber 3B with a small thickness difference as shown in FIG. 10 is obtained. The absorber 3B includes compressed bodies 221" to 227" which are obtained by compressing the deposits 221' to 227' which are released from the first to seventh recesses in the thickness direction. Moreover, compared with the deposits 221', 222', 224', 225', 226', 227' which are released from the first recessed portion, the second recessed portion, and the fourth to seventh recessed portions of the low basis weight region, The deposit 223' which is released from the third recessed portion of the high basis weight accumulation region has a high basis weight.

Further, the compressed bodies 221", 222", 224", 225", 226", and 227" of the deposits which are released from the recesses of the first recessed portion, the second recessed portion, and the fourth recessed portion to the seventh recessed portion all contain the compressed material. The compressed material has a low-density portion L including the absorbent material deposited in the vicinity of the front and rear walls in the rear portion in the direction corresponding to the traveling direction of the suction stacking portion 22 (the 3X direction in the drawing), and is located at the center in the same direction. The portion has a high-density portion H including an absorbent material which is deposited on the bottom of the porous material and which is provided on each of the concave portions. Further, in the absorbent body 3B, the compressed objects 221", 222", 224", 225", 226" of the deposits which are released from the concave portions of the first concave portion, the second concave portion, and the fourth concave portion to the seventh concave portion, Each of the 227" has a low density portion having a lower density than the high density portion H at both end portions in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the suction stacking portion 22, and has a low density portion around the high density portion H.

In the compression compression of the pressing device 7, one or both of the rollers 71, 72 may be heated or not heated. When the absorber material contains thermoplasticity, it is preferred to carry out heating. Further, when the absorber material contains thermoplasticity, the pressing step may also use an ultrasonic device. Compared with the compressed objects 221", 222", 224", 225", 226", 227" of the deposits which are released from the first concave portion, the second concave portion, and the fourth to seventh concave portions of the low basis weight region, The compressed material 223" compressed from the deposit 223' which is released from the third concave portion of the high basis weight accumulation region is made to have a high basis weight.

According to the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of the absorbent body of the present embodiment, the shape or arrangement of the concave portion formed in the suction deposition portion can be changed by replacement of the pattern forming plate or the like, thereby flexibly coping with the specifications of the shape of the absorbent body and the like. change. Further, according to the apparatus and the manufacturing method of the absorbent body of the present embodiment, in the suction deposition portion, a portion where the absorbent material is to be deposited with a high basis weight is set as a high basis weight accumulation region, and the absorbent material is intended to be used. The portion where the basis weight is lower than the low basis weight of the high basis weight accumulation region is set as the low basis weight accumulation region, and the ratio of the area of the suction portion disposed in the concave portion of the low basis weight accumulation region to the area of the opening portion is It is smaller than the ratio of the area of the attraction portion in the concave portion located in the high basis weight accumulation region with respect to the area of the opening portion. Thereby, the amount of wind passing through the concave portion disposed in the low basis weight accumulation region can be made smaller than the air volume passing through the concave portion located in the high base weight accumulation region. In the suction and deposition step of the absorbent material, the absorbent raw material is supplied to the suction deposition portion in the conduit in a state of being mixed with the air. Therefore, the basis weight of the absorbent raw material deposited in the suction deposition portion depends on the air volume passing through the suction deposition portion. That is, the concave portion located in the low-basis accumulation region in the suction accumulation portion is smaller than the concave portion located in the high base weight accumulation region, and the amount of wind passing through the concave portion is small, so that the low basis weight accumulation region is compared with the high basis weight accumulation region. The absorbent material is deposited to a low basis weight. Moreover, since the air volume passing through the concave portion is different between the high base weight accumulation area and the low base weight accumulation area, the wind pressure applied to the concave portion is smaller than the concave portion located in the high base weight accumulation area. Go low. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the absorbent material deposited in the concave portion 222 of the low basis weight accumulation region is deposited more than the absorbent material deposited in the concave portion 223 of the high basis weight accumulation region. Low density. Therefore, according to the apparatus and the manufacturing method of the absorbent body of the present embodiment, the basis weight of the desired portion of the absorbent body can be easily and accurately reduced. In particular, it is difficult to cause insufficient accumulation in the concave portion by making the front wall and/or the rear wall of the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region more inclined than the front wall and/or the rear wall of the concave portion located in the high base weight accumulation region. Therefore, the basis weight of the absorbent body material can be further adjusted with high precision. Further, by making the inclination angle θ2 of the side wall smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the front and rear walls, it is possible to further prevent a portion where the accumulation is insufficient in the concave portion, thereby further accurately adjusting the basis weight of the absorbent body material and stabilizing An absorbent body in which a deposit of a desired shape is disposed in a desired state is efficiently produced. Moreover, since the front wall, the rear wall, and the pair of side walls are inclined in this manner, the mold release property of the deposit can be improved in the low basis weight portion in which the mold release property of the deposit is easily lowered.

Further, the low basis weight portion and the high basis weight portion can be formed in the deposit which is released from the concave portion. Further, a low-density portion and a high-density portion can be formed in the compact of the deposit which is released from the concave portion.

Forming a low basis weight portion and a high basis weight portion having different basis weights in all or a part of the deposit, especially before or around the high basis weight portion, having a low basis weight, for example, can form a soft and wearable feeling Absorber and other advantages.

A low-density portion and a high-density portion having different densities are formed in the compressed material of all or a part of the deposit, and a low-density portion is formed in front of or around the high-density portion, for example, by rapidly passing body fluid through the low-density portion. Absorption of the body fluid in the high-density part can improve the absorption performance of the compressed material of the deposit itself.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the core coated sheet 37 is covered with the upper and lower surfaces of the absorbent body 3 including the plurality of deposits 32 released from the suction stacking portion 22, and then compressed by the pressing device 7 and The cutting device 8 performs cutting. The cutting device 8 cuts the strip 30 in which the deposit 32 is intermittently arranged in the flow direction at a portion where the deposit 32 is not present, and serves as the length of one absorbent article. Therefore, the upper surface of the upper surface of the absorber 3B cut by the cutting device 8 is covered with a core-covered sheet 37. However, the absorbent body produced in the present invention is not limited to being covered by the upper and lower surfaces of one core-coated sheet 37, and may be coated with two different core-coated sheets, or may be attached to the upper and lower surfaces. None of them were covered by a core-coated sheet.

Further, when the preferred absorbent body produced in the present invention is inserted into an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin or a disposable diaper, the direction corresponding to the traveling direction of the suction stacking portion 22 and the front and rear directions of the wearer can be made. Either the width direction is the same, but it is preferably the same as the front-rear direction.

Fig. 11 is a view showing a second embodiment of the apparatus and method of the present invention, wherein Fig. 11(a) is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, and Fig. 11(b) is a view corresponding to Fig. 5. The embodiment according to the second embodiment will be mainly described as different from the first embodiment, and the description of the same points will be omitted. In particular, the point which is not described is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The second concave portion 222 of the suction deposition portion 22B of the second embodiment includes front and rear walls 222a and 222b. The front and rear walls 222a and 222b include a lower wall portion 2U having a smaller inclination angle or a smaller inclination angle, and a larger inclination angle than the upper wall surface 2U. Lower inclined wall 2D.

Further, in the second recessed portion 222 of the first embodiment, when the absorbent material is not sufficiently filled to the opening 222d of the recessed portion, the shape of the deposit deposited in the recessed portion 222 may be different from that of the recessed portion 222. The shape of the opening of the recess 222 produces a large difference. Further, it also causes a change in the width of the gap between the deposits after the recess is released from the adjacent recess.

On the other hand, the inclined wall surface 2D having a large inclination is provided in a portion close to the bottom portion, whereby the area of the suction portion 222e at the bottom of the second concave portion 222 can be effectively made smaller than the area of the opening portion 222d of the second concave portion 222. Further, the amount of air passing through the second recessed portion 222 and the basis weight of the absorbent body material deposited in the recessed portion 222 can be effectively reduced, and the portion close to the opening portion 222d can be made non-tilted or inclined to the upper wall surface 2U. When a portion where the absorbent material is not deposited on the opening 222d of the concave portion is generated, the shape of the deposit deposited in the opening 222d may be closer to the opening 222d. Further, it is also possible to prevent a gap or the like which is excessively larger than a design value from being formed between adjacent deposits.

When the front wall 222a and/or the rear wall 222b are provided with the upper wall surface 2U and the inclined wall surface 2D which is larger than the inclined angle, the lower inclined wall surface 2D is perpendicular to the upper end of the inclined wall surface and perpendicular to the bottom of the concave portion. The inclination angle θ3 of the line L5 is preferably 10 to 85°, more preferably 50 to 80°. The inclination angle θ4 of the upper wall surface 2U with respect to the line L6 passing through the upper end of the upper wall surface and perpendicular to the bottom of the concave portion is preferably 0 to 40°, more preferably 0 to 10°. The inclination angle θ4 of the upper wall surface 2U is preferably 0 to 50%, more preferably 5 to 20%, of the inclination angle θ3 of the lower inclined wall surface 2D.

In place of the second recess 222 or the second recess 222, the front wall and/or the rear may be similarly applied to all or part of the first recess 221, the fourth recess 224, the fifth recess 225, and the sixth recess 226. The wall system includes an upper wall surface 2U and a lower inclined wall surface 2D which is larger than the upper wall surface 2U. Further, each of the concave portions may have a shape in which the side wall 222c includes the upper wall surface 2U and the lower inclined wall surface 2D which is larger than the upper wall surface 2U by the second concave portion 222 as shown in Fig. 11(b).

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 12 and 13 . As shown in FIG. 12, the suction deposition portion 22C of the third embodiment includes a plurality of concave portions 221 to 227 which are divided in the 2X direction and the 2Y direction, and a plurality of concave portions 221 to 227, and a plurality of concave portions 221 to 227. The upper layer 230. In the suction accumulation portion 22C of the third embodiment, the depth of each of the concave portions 221 to 227 (the height of the partition member 28A in which the concave portions are spaced apart) is formed to be lower than the outer peripheral surface 21 of the self-rotating cylinder 2 to the bottom of each concave portion The height until (attraction).

Further, when the upper portion 230 of the plurality of concave portions is formed in the suction deposition portion, the portion surrounded by the front wall, the rear wall, and the pair of side walls is defined as a concave portion in addition to the upper layer portion, and the concave portion is formed. The opening on the boundary surface between the upper layer 230 and the lower layer 229 is an opening portion of the concave portion.

FIG. 13 shows an absorbent body 3C which is an example of an absorbent body produced by using the suction deposition portion 22C shown in FIG. Fig. 13 (a) is a perspective view of the absorbent body 3C, and Fig. 13 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent body 3C taken along the line VII-VII of Fig. 13 (a). As shown in Fig. 13, the absorber 3C includes: a divided layer 229" including compressed bodies 221" to 227" which compresses the deposits of the concave portions 221 to 227; and a stack containing portions of the layer 230 to be deposited on the upper portion of the suction collecting portion 22C. The continuous layer 230" of the compressed material after compression, the respective compressed bodies 221"-227" in the split layer 229" are connected to the lower end portion thereof by the continuous layer 230".

In the third embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, since the compressed bodies 221" to 227" are connected by the continuous layer 230", the form of the absorber 3C is more stable.

Further, in FIG. 13(b), the low-density portion L is formed only in the split layer 229", but in the continuous layer 230", it may be connected to the lower portion of the low-density portion L in the split layer 229". The low density portion L is formed.

As such, the attraction stacking portion of the present invention may also include a layer that is divided into a plurality of recessed portions and that is located on the lower layer and that is not divided into a plurality of regions.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 14 . Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the suction deposition portion 22D in which the absorbent material is deposited in the fourth embodiment. In the same manner as the third embodiment, the height of the partition member 28A that is separated from each of the recessed portions 221 to 227 to the bottom portion (suction portion) is formed to be lower than the outer peripheral surface 21 to the bottom portion of the spin basket 2, as in the third embodiment. the height of.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the porous plate 26, the diameter of the third concave portion 223 is larger than the diameters of the sixth concave portion 226 and the seventh concave portion 227. Although not shown, the aperture of the third recess 223 is larger than the apertures of the first recess 221, the second recess 222, the fourth recess 224, and the fifth recess 225. In other words, the aperture of the porous plate 26 constituting the suction portion (bottom portion) of each of the concave portions 221 to 227 in the fourth embodiment is changed, and the opening area ratio of the suction portion of each concave portion is changed.

In this manner, in the suction deposition portion 22D of the fourth embodiment, the opening portion area ratio of the suction portion of the third concave portion 223 located in the high basis weight accumulation region is higher than the first concave portion 221 and the second concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region. 222. Opening area ratio of the suction portion of the fourth to seventh recesses 224 to 227. Thereby, an absorber having a large difference between the high basis weight portion and the low basis weight portion can be obtained with high precision.

Further, the opening area ratio of the suction portion in FIG. 14 is adjusted according to the size of the aperture. However, the aperture area ratio of the suction portion in the present specification may be adjusted according to either the aperture or the number of holes.

As the fibrous material of the raw material of the absorbent body, various materials which have been previously used for an absorbent body of an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin or a sanitary pad or a disposable diaper can be used without particular limitation. For example, pulp fibers such as defibrated pulp, short fibers of cellulose fibers such as rayon fibers and cotton fibers, and short fibers of synthetic fibers such as polyethylene can be used. These fibers may be used alone or in combination of two or more. In addition, as the raw material of the absorber 3, the fiber material and the water-absorbent polymer may be introduced into the duct 4, and a deodorant or an antibacterial agent may be supplied together with the fiber material or the like as needed. Further, as the fibrous raw material, a fibrous water-absorbent polymer may be used singly or in combination with a fibrous material.

In the above, some embodiments of the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method of the absorbent body of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed.

For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the deposit 32 in the recess is transferred to the mesh belt 13 supplied to the transfer roller 5, but the deposit 32 may be transferred to the unfed mesh belt instead. 13 on the outer peripheral surface of the transfer roller 5. In addition to the mesh belt 13, the vacuum box 11, the windshield 15, and the like may be omitted.

Further, the deposit 32 in the concave portion can be directly transferred to the core wrapping sheet 37 supplied to the vacuum conveyor 6 without passing through the transfer roller 5. After the deposit 32 is transported by the transfer roller 5, it can be transferred to a conveyor belt that does not include a suction mechanism, or can be transferred to another transport mechanism.

Further, instead of providing the suction accumulation portion on the outer circumferential surface of the rotary cylinder 2, a suction accumulation portion may be provided on a conveyor member or the like which is mounted on a plurality of rollers and moves on a specific surrounding rail.

Further, instead of the third recessed portion 223, a recessed portion having a shape similar to that of the second recessed portion 222 may be formed, and a plurality of recessed portions in which the front and rear and left and right side walls are not inclined may be disposed at the center of the suction stacking portion 22. Further, the width of the third recessed portion 223 may be enlarged, and the sixth recessed portion 226 and the seventh recessed portion 227 may be omitted. Further, in the plurality of second recesses 222 or fourth recesses arranged in the width direction (2Y direction) of the suction stacking portion 22, the central portion may be replaced by the front and rear walls and the pair of side walls, and the area of the opening portion may be omitted. It is substantially the same as the area of the attraction.

Moreover, it is preferable that the rear wall is inclined before at least one of the concave portions constituting the concave portion of the suction stacking portion 22, but for example, the first concave portion, the second concave portion, and the fourth to seventh portions of the suction deposition portion 22 of the above-described embodiment may be used. The concave portion of any one or more of the concave portions (for example, the sixth concave portion and the seventh concave portion) is formed as a concave portion in which the front and rear walls are not inclined. On the other hand, all the concave portions may be formed as recesses in which the front and rear walls are inclined. Further, in each of the concave portions, only one of the front wall and the rear wall may be inclined. Further, in each of the concave portions, only one of the pair of side walls may be inclined, or both of the pair of side walls may be inclined. In the case where the side walls of the pair are inclined, the front wall and the rear wall may have a large inclination angle only in the relationship with one of the side walls, and may have a larger inclination angle than either of the inclined side walls.

Moreover, the number of the recesses constituting the suction stacking portion 22 can be appropriately determined depending on the size of the absorber to be manufactured, and the like, and may be, for example, two. However, it is preferably 10 to 150, more preferably 20 to 60.

Further, the cross-sectional shape of the rear wall before the inclination may be a circular arc or a step shape instead of the linear shape as shown in FIG. 4 . In Fig. 15(a), a concave portion including a front wall having a plurality of step portions is illustrated. Further, another configuration in which the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region is formed as the concave portion having the area of the suction portion smaller than the area of the opening portion may be as follows: as shown in Fig. 15 (b), at the bottom of the concave portion The fixing member 29 is provided with a through hole at a central portion thereof, and a portion other than the through hole is non-ventilating, and a suction portion having the same shape as the through hole is formed at the bottom of the concave portion. The through hole of the member 29 and the shape of the suction portion may be, for example, a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, or the like. Further, the depth of each concave portion may be changed as needed.

Further, the thicknesses of the deposits 221' to 227' constituting the absorber 3 shown in Fig. 9 are substantially the same, but they can be manufactured by increasing the basis weight difference of each deposit to self-distribute to a low basis weight. The thickness of the deposit of the recessed portion of the region is thinner than that of the absorber 3 which is deposited from the deposit of the recessed portion of the high basis weight accumulation region.

The absorbent body produced in the present invention is preferably used as an absorbent body for an absorbent article. Absorbent articles are mainly used to absorb body fluids that are excreted by the body such as urine or menstrual blood. The absorbent article includes, for example, disposable diapers, menstrual sanitary napkins, incontinence pads, sanitary pads, and the like, but is not limited thereto, and widely includes articles for absorbing liquid discharged from a human body.

Typically, the absorbent article comprises a surface sheet, a back sheet, and a liquid retaining absorbent body interposed between the sheets. The upper surface of the upper surface of the absorbent body may be covered by a sheet or a plurality of core coated sheets. The back sheet may have water vapor permeability or may not have water vapor permeability. The absorbent article may further comprise various components corresponding to the particular use of the absorbent article, such components being well known to those skilled in the art. For example, when the absorbent article is applied to a disposable diaper or a menstrual sanitary napkin, one or two or more pairs of three-dimensional shields may be disposed on the outer side of both sides of the rising body of the absorbent body.

The description of the above-described one embodiment and the necessity of only one embodiment can be appropriately applied to other embodiments, and the necessary conditions in the respective embodiments can be appropriately replaced with each other between the embodiments. For example, the concave portion in the first embodiment may be mixed with the concave portion in the second embodiment in one suction deposition portion.

In the above embodiment, the present invention further discloses a manufacturing apparatus of the following absorbent body or a method of producing the absorbent body.

<1> A manufacturing apparatus for an absorbent body, comprising: a conduit for supplying an absorbent body raw material with a gas flow; and a suction deposition portion that sucks and accumulates the absorbent material supplied from the conduit, and the suction deposition portion faces the first After the direction in which the absorbent material is deposited in the suction deposition portion, the deposit is released from the suction deposition portion, and the suction deposition portion is divided into a plurality of concave portions having a suction portion including a porous material at the bottom portion, and The suction accumulation portion has a high basis weight accumulation region in which the absorbent body raw material is deposited to a high basis weight, and a low basis weight accumulation region in which the absorbent body material is deposited to have a basis weight lower than the high basis weight accumulation region, and is located at the low base. The ratio of the area of the suction portion in the concave portion of the heavy accumulation region to the area of the opening portion is smaller than the ratio of the area of the suction portion to the area of the opening portion in the concave portion of the high basis weight accumulation region.

<2> The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to the above <1>, wherein the concave portion is formed in each of the suction deposition portions in a direction in which the suction deposition portion travels and a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction.

<3> The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to the above <1> or <2>, wherein the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region is located in front of the front wall of the suction accumulation portion and/or behind the rear wall tilt.

<4> The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to the above <3>, wherein the recessed portion in which the front wall and/or the rear wall are inclined is located at one of the end portions of the end portion in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the suction stacking portion At least one of the slopes is inclined, and the inclination angle θ2 of the side wall is smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined front wall and/or the rear wall.

<5> The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to the above <3> or <4>, wherein the recessed portion located in the high basis weight accumulation region is located before the front wall and the rear rear wall in the traveling direction of the suction accumulation portion tilt.

The manufacturing apparatus of the absorber of any one of the above-mentioned <1> to <5> wherein the opening area ratio of the suction part of the recessed part of the said high basis weight accumulation area is higher than the low base weight accumulation area. The opening area ratio of the suction portion of the recess.

The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to any one of the above aspects, comprising the rotary cylinder, wherein the outer peripheral surface includes a plurality of the suction accumulation portions.

The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to any one of the above-mentioned items, wherein the concave portion is provided as a concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region, that is, before the traveling direction of the suction accumulation portion The wall and/or the rear rear wall includes a lower wall surface that is not inclined or has a smaller inclination angle, and an inclined wall surface that is inclined at a lower angle than the lower portion of the upper wall surface.

The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to any one of the above aspects, wherein the suction accumulation portion has a lower layer and an upper layer, and the lower layer includes a traveling direction along the suction deposition portion and a positive direction along the traveling direction A plurality of concave portions are formed by dividing the intersecting direction, and the upper layer is formed by spanning a plurality of concave portions.

<10> The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to the above <9>, wherein the suction accumulation portion is formed such that a depth of each concave portion is lower than a height from a peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder to a bottom portion of each concave portion.

The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to any one of the above aspects, wherein the high-basis accumulation region is present in a central portion in a direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of the suction deposition portion. The low basis weight accumulation region is provided on both sides of the high basis weight accumulation region holding the orthogonal direction.

<12> A method of producing an absorbent body according to any one of the above-mentioned items <1> to <11>, wherein the absorbent body is manufactured, and the absorbent body is provided The high basis weight deposit of the concave portion demolded in the high basis weight accumulation region and the low basis weight deposit from the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region.

<13> The method for producing an absorbent body according to the above <12>, wherein the absorbent body of the absorbent body of any one of the above <3> to <5> is used, and the absorbent body is obtained at a low level The portion corresponding to the concave portion of the basis weight accumulation region has a low basis weight portion including an absorbent material deposited in the vicinity of the front wall and/or the rear wall, and a high base including the absorbent material deposited on the suction portion. Heavy.

<14> The method for producing an absorbent body according to the above <12> or <13>, comprising the steps of: depositing a high basis weight which is released from the concave portion located in the high basis weight accumulation region, and The deposit of the low basis weight of the recessed portion of the recessed portion of the low basis weight accumulation region is disposed on the core coated sheet, and after the core coated sheet is coated with the absorber including the aggregate of the deposits, the pressing device is used Compress in the thickness direction.

Industrial availability

According to the apparatus and method for producing an absorbent body of the present invention, the basis weight of each portion of the absorbent body can be accurately adjusted.

1. . . Absorber manufacturing device

2. . . Rotating cylinder

2D. . . Lower sloping wall

2U. . . Upper wall

2X, 2Y, R2, R5, 3X. . . direction

3, 3B, 3C. . . Absorber

4. . . catheter

5. . . Transfer roller

6. . . Vacuum conveyor

7. . . Pressing device

8. . . Cutting device

9, 15. . . windshield

11, 64. . . Vacuum box

13. . . Mesh belt

14. . . Free roll

twenty one. . . Rotating cylinder outside the circumference

22, 22B, 22C, 22D. . . Attracting accumulation

25. . . framework

25a. . . Connecting hole

26. . . Porous plate

27. . . Pattern forming board

27a. . . The outer surface

27b. . . The inner surface

28A. . . Separating member

29. . . member

30. . . Band

31. . . Fiber material

32. . . Deposit

37. . . Core coated sheet

41. . . Downstream side end

51. . . Transfer roller outer circumference

61. . . Drive roller

62. . . Driven roller

63. . . Vented conveyor belt

71, 72. . . Roll

81. . . Cutting edge

82. . . Cutting roller

83. . . Anvil roll

221~227. . . Concave

221'~227'. . . Deposit

221"~227". . . Compressed material

221d, 222d, 223d, 226d, 227d. . . Opening

221e, 222e, 223e, 226e, 227e. . . Attraction

222a, 226a. . . Front wall

222b, 226b. . . Back wall

222c, 223c. . . Side wall

229. . . Lower layer

229"...splitting layer

230. . . upper layer

230"...continuous layer

B~E. . . space

H. . . High density department

L. . . Low density part

L1, L2, L5, L6. . . line

L3, L4. . . size

LX. . . Vertical center line

LY. . . Horizontal center line

Θ1, θ2, θ3, θ4. . . slope

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cylinder of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a part of the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cylinder of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 developed in a planar shape.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Fig. 8 is a view showing a cross section of the suction deposition portion after the absorbent material is deposited, and Fig. 8(a) is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, and Fig. 8(b) is a view corresponding to Fig. 5.

Fig. 9(a) is a perspective view showing the deposit after demolding from the suction stacking portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 9(b) is a VV sectional view of the deposit, and Fig. 9(c) is the deposit. A cross-sectional view of the VI-VI line.

Fig. 10 (a) is a perspective view showing an example of an absorbent body obtained by pressurizing and compressing the deposit shown in Fig. 9, and Fig. 10 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of the absorbent body, Fig. 10 (c) Is a cross-sectional view of the absorber taken along line VIII-VIII.

Fig. 11 is a view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 11(a) is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, and Fig. 11(b) is a view corresponding to Fig. 5.

Fig. 12 is a view showing a third embodiment of the present invention, which is a view corresponding to Fig. 7.

Fig. 13 is a view showing an absorbent body produced by using the suction deposition portion shown in Fig. 12, wherein Fig. 13(a) is a view corresponding to Fig. 10(a), and Fig. 13(b) is equivalent to Fig. 10(b). Picture.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the suction deposition portion in which the absorbent material is deposited in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, which is cut at the same position as the line IV-IV in Fig. 3 .

15(a) and 15(b) are views showing still another embodiment of the present invention, which is a view showing a cross section of a concave portion located in a low basis weight accumulation region along a traveling direction of the suction deposition portion.

twenty one. . . Rotating cylinder outside the circumference

twenty two. . . Attracting accumulation

26. . . Porous plate

28A. . . Separating member

221~223. . . Concave

221e, 222e, 223e. . . Attraction

222a. . . Front wall

222b. . . Back wall

221d, 222d, 223d. . . Opening

L1. . . line

L3, L4. . . size

R2. . . direction

Θ1. . . slope

Claims (14)

An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body, comprising: a conduit for supplying an absorbent body material along with a gas flow; and a suction deposition portion that sucks and accumulates the absorbent material supplied from the conduit, and moves the suction deposition portion in one direction After the absorbent material is deposited on the suction deposition portion and the deposit is released from the suction deposition portion, the suction deposition portion is divided into a plurality of concave portions having a suction portion including a porous material at the bottom portion, and the suction portion is attracted. The deposition portion has a high basis weight accumulation region in which the absorbent body material is deposited to a high basis weight, and a low basis weight accumulation region in which the absorbent body material is deposited to have a basis weight lower than the high basis weight accumulation region, and is located at the low basis weight. The ratio of the area of the suction portion in the concave portion of the deposition region to the area of the opening portion is smaller than the ratio of the area of the suction portion to the area of the opening portion in the concave portion of the high basis weight accumulation region. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion is formed in each of the suction and accumulation portions in a direction in which the suction deposition portion travels and a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction. The manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent body according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region is inclined before the front wall and/or the rear side in the traveling direction of the suction accumulation portion. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to claim 3, wherein one of the end portions of the recessed portion in which the front wall and/or the rear wall are inclined is located at least one of the end portions in the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the suction and accumulation portion, and is inclined to at least one of the side walls. The inclination angle θ2 of the side wall is smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the inclined front wall and/or the rear wall. The manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent body according to claim 3, wherein the front wall and the rear rear wall are not inclined in the concave portion of the high base weight accumulation region before the traveling direction of the suction accumulation portion. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to claim 1, wherein an opening area ratio of the suction portion of the concave portion located in the high basis weight accumulation region is higher than an opening portion area ratio of the suction portion of the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region. A manufacturing apparatus of an absorbent body according to claim 1, comprising a rotary cylinder having a plurality of the above-mentioned suction accumulation portions on an outer peripheral surface. The manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent body according to claim 1, which has a concave portion as a concave portion located in the low-basis weight accumulation region, that is, a front wall before the traveling direction of the suction accumulation portion and/or a wall behind the rear portion includes a non-tilt or The upper wall surface having a smaller inclination angle and the inclined angle are larger than the inclined wall surface at the lower portion of the upper wall surface. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to claim 1, wherein the suction accumulation portion has a lower layer and an upper layer, and the lower layer includes a plurality of concave portions divided along a traveling direction of the suction deposition portion and a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction. The upper layer is formed across a plurality of recesses. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to claim 9, wherein the suction accumulation portion is formed such that a depth of each concave portion is lower than a height from a peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder to a bottom portion of each concave portion. The apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent body according to claim 1, wherein the high basis weight accumulation region is present at a central portion in a direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of the suction accumulation portion, and the high basis weight is accumulated in a direction in which the orthogonal direction is sandwiched. Both sides of the region have the above-described low basis weight accumulation regions. A method of producing an absorbent body, which is produced by using the manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent body according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which manufactures an absorbent body comprising the self-supporting high-basis accumulation region The deposit of the high basis weight of the recessed portion of the recessed portion and the deposit of the low basis weight which is released from the recessed portion of the low basis weight accumulation region. The manufacturing method of the absorbent body of claim 12, which uses the manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent body according to any one of claims 3 to 5 to obtain an absorbent body which is on a portion corresponding to the concave portion located in the low basis weight accumulation region And a low basis weight portion including an absorbent material deposited in the vicinity of the front wall and/or the rear wall, and a high basis weight portion including an absorbent material deposited on the suction portion. A method of producing an absorbent body according to claim 12 or 13, comprising the steps of: depositing a high basis weight which is released from said concave portion located in said high basis weight accumulation region, and from said low basis weight accumulation region The deposit of the low basis weight of the recessed part is disposed on the core-coated sheet, and the core-covered sheet is coated with the absorber including the aggregate of the deposits, and then compressed in the thickness direction by a pressing device.