WO2021182440A1 - Method for manufacturing package and device for manufacturing package - Google Patents

Abstract

This method for manufacturing a package in which a plurality of absorbable articles (2) are accommodated in a packaging body is provided with a tucking step and a sealing step. In the tucking step, a stack (6) in which the plurality of absorbable articles (2) are stacked in one direction (D) is tucked in from an opening part (3a) of a bag body (3') that becomes a packaging body to an inside via a biting prevention member (4). At this time, it is assumed that the stack (6) is compressed so that a dimension W1 in the one direction (D) becomes smaller than a dimension W2 in a width direction of the bag body (3'), and has a posture in which the one direction (D) is coincident with the width direction of the bag body (3'). In the sealing step, the biting prevention member (4) tucked into the inside in the tucking step seals the opening part (3a) of the bag body (3') arranged on a side closer to the opening part (3a) than the stack (6).

Description

Package manufacturing method and package manufacturing equipment

This case relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a package in which a plurality of absorbent articles are housed in a package.

Generally, in the manufacture of packages of absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and water-absorbing pads, a stack of multiple absorbent articles is pushed inward through the opening of the bag, and then the opening of the bag is sealed (sealed). ) Is done. Conventionally, there is known an apparatus in which such a stack pushing operation into a bag body and a sealing operation of an opening of the bag body are automatically performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-025465

In the sealing work as described above, there is a problem that the opening is sealed in a state where a part of the absorbent article pushed into the bag body is unintentionally bitten (biting of the absorbent article). Can occur. Such defects lead to a decrease in manufacturing efficiency.

This case was created in view of the above issues, and one of the purposes is to improve the manufacturing efficiency of the package manufacturing method and manufacturing equipment.

The package manufacturing method of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a package in which a plurality of absorbent articles are stored in a package, and a stack in which the plurality of absorbent articles are stacked in one direction is dimensioned in the one direction. In a state of being compressed so as to be smaller than the width direction of the bag body to be the packaging body, and in a posture in which one direction coincides with the width direction, the bag body is bitten into the inside through the opening of the bag body. A sealing step of pushing in through the preventive material and a seal in which the bite-preventing material pushed into the inside in the push-in step seals the opening of the bag body arranged on the opening side of the stack. It is characterized by having a stopping process.

The package manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a package manufacturing apparatus in which a plurality of absorbent articles are housed in a package, and a stack in which the plurality of absorbent articles are stacked in one direction is dimensioned in the one direction. In a state of being compressed so as to be smaller than the dimension in the width direction of the bag body to be the packaging body, and in a posture in which one direction coincides with the width direction, the bag body is bitten into the inside through the opening of the bag body. A seal that seals the opening of the bag body in which the pushing device pushed through the preventing material and the biting prevention material pushed into the inside by the pushing device are arranged on the opening side of the stack. It is characterized by being equipped with a stop device.

According to the package manufacturing method and manufacturing equipment of this case, the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

It is a perspective view of a package. It is an exploded perspective view of a package. (A) to (d) are perspective views illustrating an absorbent article in a folded state. (A) to (d) are diagrams showing specific examples of the mount and the sliding material. It is a perspective view which illustrates a part (counter) of the package manufacturing apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view which illustrates a part (packaging machine) of the package manufacturing apparatus. (A) to (d) are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the package manufacturing apparatus. It is the figure which looked at the bag body which arranged the biting prevention material inside from the upstream side in the pushing direction. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the manufacturing method of a package. It is a figure (the figure corresponding to FIG. 8) which looked at the bag body in which the biting prevention material which concerns on the 1st modification is arranged from the upstream side in the pushing direction. It is a figure (the figure corresponding to FIG. 8) which looked at the bag body in which the biting prevention material which concerns on the 2nd modification is arranged from the upstream side in the pushing direction. It is a figure (the figure corresponding to FIG. 8) which looked at the bag body in which the biting prevention material which concerns on the 3rd modification is arranged from the upstream side in the pushing direction. It is a figure (the figure corresponding to FIG. 8) which looked at the bag body in which the biting prevention material which concerns on 4th modification is arranged from the upstream side in the pushing direction. It is an exploded perspective view of the package to which the biting prevention material which concerns on the 5th modification is applied. It is an exploded perspective view of the package which concerns on one modification in which the biting prevention material and the slip material are connected. It is a perspective view of the package which concerns on one modification which provided a sliding material and a perforation. It is an exploded perspective view of the package which concerns on one modification provided with a support material. It is an exploded perspective view of the package which concerns on one modification provided with a support material. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the package which concerns on one modification which includes the compression injection process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the package which concerns on one modification which includes the bonding process. It is a schematic perspective view which illustrates a part of the packaging machine which concerns on one modification which provided with a push member. (A) to (d) are schematic views illustrating the operation of the packaging machine of FIG. 21. It is a schematic diagram explaining a problem, (a) and (b) show the deformation state of a stack by compression, and (c) show the deformation state of a stack by folding a gusset part.

[1. package]
As shown in FIG. 1, the package 1 according to the present embodiment is a package in which a plurality of absorbent articles 2 are housed in a package 3. Here, a package 1 in which a stack 6 in which a plurality of absorbent articles 2 are stacked in one direction D is housed in a package 3 in two upper and lower stages is illustrated.
The package 1 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The package 1 has a front surface 1a, a rear surface 1b, an upper surface 1c, a lower surface 1d, and two side surfaces 1e as six surfaces forming the surface thereof. These six surfaces 1a to 1e are formed of the package 3.

The front surface 1a and the rear surface 1b are substantially parallel to each other, and the upper surface 1c and the lower surface 1d are also substantially parallel to each other. Further, the two side surfaces 1e are also substantially parallel to each other.
In the six surfaces 1a to 1e, for example, a surface on which the product name is displayed in a large size or a surface to be presented to the customer when the package 1 is displayed at the store may be defined as the front surface 1a. Alternatively, the surface on which the usage method and precautions for use of the absorbent article 2 are described may be defined as the rear surface 1b, or the surface provided with the handle 11 may be defined as the upper surface 1c. Hereinafter, the direction connecting the left and right side surfaces 1e (left-right direction) is also referred to as the "width direction" of the package 1 and the package 3.

The absorbent article 2 is, for example, a sanitary product such as a diaper for humans and pets (so-called disposable diaper), a sanitary napkin, a panty liner, a water absorbing pad, an incontinence pad, and a hemostatic pad. In this embodiment, the absorbent article 2 which is a tape type diaper is illustrated. The absorbent article 2 has a crotch portion 2a facing the wearer's crotch and a body portion 2b forming a front body and a back body facing the wearer's abdomen and back, respectively, when worn on the wearer. Have.

The stack 6 of the present embodiment is configured by stacking the absorbent articles 2 in a folded state in one direction D. Here, a stack 6 in which the absorbent articles 2 folded in half at the crotch portion 2a are stacked in the thickness direction thereof is illustrated. Hereinafter, the one-way D in which the absorbent articles 2 are stacked in the stack 6 (corresponding to the thickness direction of the absorbent articles 2 in the present embodiment) is also referred to as a “stacking direction D”.

In the absorbent article 2 of the present embodiment, the crotch portion 2a forms a mountain fold portion 2c. The mountain fold portion 2c is thicker and harder than the other portions of the absorbent article 2.
In each stack 6, the absorbent articles 2 are laminated in a posture in which the mountain fold portions 2c are parallel to each other and face in the same direction. Therefore, the absorbent article 2 of each stack 6 is in contact with the adjacent absorbent article 2 on the outside of the body portion 2b.

The upper and lower stacks 6 are configured equally. In each of the stacks 6 of the present embodiment, the absorbent article 2 is in a posture in which the mountain fold portion 2c is directed toward the lower surface 1d, and the stacking direction D coincides with the width direction of the package 3. It is stored in. Further, each stack 6 is housed in the package 3 in a state of being compressed in the stacking direction D. That is, the dimension W1'in the stacking direction D in the stack 6 in the state of being stored in the package 3 is the dimension W1 in the stacking direction D in the stack 6 in the natural state not stored in the package 3 as shown in FIG. It is reduced as compared with (W1'<W1).

As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the absorbent article 2 folded in three or four has a posture in which the mountain fold portion 2c not adjacent to the other folds is directed toward the lower surface 1d. It may be arranged by. As described above, as the folding method of the absorbent article 2, various folding methods in which the mountain fold portion 2c not adjacent to the other crease (or the end edge) is formed can be adopted, for example, FIGS. 3 (c) and 3 (d). ), A double-folded fold or a four-roll fold may be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the package 3 is an exterior body that covers the stack 6 for protection and fixing (binding) of the absorbent article 2 as a commercial product, and is, for example, a film (polyethylene film, polypropylene film, vinyl film). , Plastic film), paper, non-woven fabric, net, etc. The package 3 of the present embodiment is made of a thermoplastic material.

The package 3 is one in which the opening 3a of the bag body 3'shown in FIG. 2 is sealed. The opening 3a is an insertion port for inserting the stack 6 into the bag body 3', and has a rectangular shape.
Here, an example is a gusset bag-shaped bag body 3'provided with gusset portions 3c (folded portions) on the left and right side surfaces. The gusset portion 3c of the bag body 3'is the side surface 1e of the package body 3.
The dimensions of the gusset portion 3c are set according to the size of the stack 6. Further, the dimension W2 in the width direction of the bag body 3'(that is, the packaging body 3) (hereinafter, also referred to as "width dimension W2") is set smaller than the dimension W1 in the stacking direction D of the stack 6 in a natural state. (W2 <W1).

The bag body 3'becomes a package 3 when the stack 6 is inserted into the inside through the opening 3a and then the opening 3a is sealed. The package 3 shown in FIG. 1 has a seal portion 3b formed by sealing the opening 3a of the bag body 3'in this way. Here, a linear seal portion 3b extending in the width direction on the lower surface 1d will be illustrated.
The seal portion 3b of the present embodiment is a portion where the opening 3a of the bag body 3'is sealed by heat welding. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the seal portion 3b is formed by solidifying a part of the seal piece 3d surrounding the opening 3a in the bag body 3'after being melted by heat.

Inside the package 3 of the present embodiment, the bite prevention material 4 and the slip material 5 are enclosed together with the stack 6. The bite prevention material 4 is a member for preventing the absorbent article 2 from being bitten into the seal portion 3b (a defect that the opening 3a is sealed while a part of the absorbent article 2 is bitten). Is. The sliding member 5 is a member for facilitating the pushing of the stack 6 into the inside of the bag body 3', and has a sheet shape.

The bite-preventing material 4 is arranged inside the bag body 3'on the opening 3a side of the stack 6. Further, the bite prevention material 4 is sandwiched between the lower surface 1d and the stack 6 in the package 1.
In this embodiment, the sheet-shaped biting prevention material 4 is illustrated. The bite-preventing material 4 has a shape that covers the stack 6 when viewed from the bottom of the package 1. That is, the bite prevention material 4 is set to have substantially the same shape and size as the lower surface 1d.

When the opening 3a of the bag body 3'is sealed by heat welding as in the present embodiment, it is bitten in order to prevent unintended heat welding of the biting prevention material 4 when sealing the opening 3a. It is preferable that the preventive material 4 is made of a non-thermoplastic material. Examples of the non-thermoplastic material used for the bite-preventing material 4 include paper, synthetic paper, a heat-resistant resin sheet, and a heat-resistant resin net.

Inside the bag body 3', the sliding material 5 is sandwiched between the end surface 6a (hereinafter, also referred to as "laminated end surface 6a") of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D and the inner surface of the bag body 3'. Further, the sliding member 5 is sandwiched between the side surface 1e and the stack 6 in the package 1.
The sliding material 5 of the present embodiment has a shape that covers the upper and lower two-tiered stack 6 when viewed from the side of the package 1. That is, the sliding material 5 is set to have substantially the same shape and size as the side surface 1e.

The sliding material 5 is preferably made of a material having high slipperiness (small dynamic friction coefficient). Examples of the material used for the sliding material 5 include synthetic paper, coated paper, resin sheet (fluorine-processed sheet, silicone-processed sheet, vinyl sheet, etc.), resin-processed paper, resin-processed net, and the like.
Both the anti-bite material 4 and the slip material 5 of the present embodiment have breathability. The breathability referred to here means a property of allowing air to pass through the anti-bite material 4 and the slip material 5 to the extent that the stack 6 can be sucked.

4 (a) to 4 (d) show specific examples of the bite-preventing material 4 and the sliding material 5.
The bite-preventing material 4 and the sliding material 5 shown in FIG. 4A are cards or coloring paper on which drawings are printed. The drawing printed on such a card or coloring paper may be, for example, a symbol similar to the symbol displayed on the front surface 1a of the mascot character, the corporate character, or the package 1. Further, when the absorbent article 2 is a diaper for infants, a drawing that is easy to be familiar with may be appropriately adopted according to the age (target age) of the infant to be worn.

The bite prevention material 4 and the slip material 5 shown in FIG. 4B are stickers formed by laminating the main body paper 41 and the release paper 42 (release material). A drawing is printed on the front surface of the main body paper 41, and a release paper 42 is attached to the adhesive layer on the back surface thereof. The drawing printed on the surface of the main body paper 41 may be, for example, a mascot character, a corporate character, or a symbol similar to the symbol displayed on the front surface 1a of the package 1.

The bite-preventing material 4 and the sliding material 5 shown in FIG. 4C are obtained by folding a square piece of paper. Such square paper can be used as origami. By folding the square paper, even if the lower surface 1d and the side surface 1e of the package 1 are rectangular (even if they are not square), the bite prevention material 4 and the sliding material 5 are aligned with the shapes of the lower surface 1d and the side surface 1e. It is possible.
The bite-preventing material 4 and the sliding material 5 shown in FIG. 4D are obtained by folding a bag-shaped member capable of accommodating the absorbent article 2. This bag-shaped member can be used as, for example, a garbage bag for the absorbent article 2.

[2. manufacturing device]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a counter 12 which is a part of the manufacturing apparatus of the package 1 according to the present embodiment. The counting machine 12 counts the absorbent articles 2 manufactured by a processing machine (not shown), and stacks a predetermined number of the absorbent articles 2 to form a stack 6. Then, the counter 12 conveys the formed stack 6 to the packaging machine 20 shown in FIG.

The counter 12 is provided with a motor 13, a counting conveyor 14, blades 15, a guide 16, an extruder 17, and a compression device 18.
The motor 13 is a drive source for driving the counting conveyor 14. The counting conveyor 14 is an endless belt-shaped member arranged along a predetermined circuit path, and has, for example, a transport surface perpendicular to the ground. The transport surface of the counting conveyor 14 orbits at a speed corresponding to the rotation speed of the motor 13.

The blade 15 is a planar member extending from the transport surface of the counting conveyor 14, and is fixed to the transport surface at a predetermined angle (for example, at a right angle) with respect to the moving direction of the counting conveyor 14. A plurality of blades 15 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the orbital path of the counting conveyor 14. The absorbent articles 2 transported to the counter 12 are put into the blades 15 one by one in a folded state.

The guide 16 is a planar member for preventing the absorbent article 2 inserted between the blades 15 from falling off, and is arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the circulation path of the counting conveyor 14. The guide 16 is arranged outside, for example, a place where the moving direction of the counting conveyor 14 changes (curves). As a result, the absorbent article 2 is suppressed from falling off due to centrifugal force (inertial force).

The extrusion device 17 simultaneously pushes a predetermined number of absorbent articles 2 out of the orbit of the counting conveyor 14 from between the blades 15. The operation timing of the extruder 17 is controlled so as to be synchronized with the moving speed of the counting conveyor 14.
The compression device 18 compresses a predetermined number of absorbent articles 2 extruded by the extrusion device 17 in the thickness direction to form a stack 6. That is, the compression device 18 forms the stack 6 by stacking a predetermined number of absorbent articles 2 in the stacking direction D without gaps. The stack 6 formed here is placed on the intermediate conveyor 19 and conveyed to the packaging machine 20.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing the packaging machine 20 which is a part of the manufacturing apparatus of the package 1. The packaging machine 20 manufactures the package 1 by inserting a predetermined number (two in the present embodiment) of the stacks 6 into the bag body 3'and then sealing the opening 3a of the bag body 3'. .. The package 1 manufactured by the packaging machine 20 is transported to an inspection device (not shown).

The packaging machine 20 is provided with a pusher 21 (pushing device), a presser 24, a gusset 27, a sealer 28 (sealing device), and a knife 29.
The pusher 21 is a flat plate-shaped member that pushes the stack 6 conveyed from the counter 12 into the inside through the opening 3a of the bag body 3'via the biting prevention material 4. Hereinafter, the direction P in which the pusher 21 pushes the stack 6 through the bite prevention material 4 is also referred to as a “pushing direction P”. Specifically, the pushing direction P is a direction toward the inside from the opening 3a of the bag body 3'. The pushing direction P corresponds to the direction from the bottom to the top in the package 1 shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the stack 6 in which the direction of the absorbent article 2 is adjusted by an alignment device (not shown) is arranged on the pusher 21. This aligning device aligns the mountain-folded portion 2c of the absorbent article 2 in the folded state in the stack 6 conveyed from the counter 12 toward the upstream side in the pushing direction P. That is, in this alignment device, the stack 6 is arranged so that the mountain fold portion 2c of the absorbent article 2 faces the pressing surface 22 that presses the stack 6 on the pusher 21 via the bite prevention material 4. The pusher 21 presses the mountain fold portion 2c directed to the upstream side in the pushing direction P by the aligning device with the pressing surface 22 via the biting prevention member 4.

A plurality of suction holes 23 for sucking the bite prevention material 4 are bored in the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21 of the present embodiment. A vacuum pump 30 that sucks air from the pressing surface 22 is connected to the suction hole 23. The bite prevention material 4 is sucked toward the pressing surface 22 when the vacuum pump 30 is turned on, and is in close contact with the pressing surface 22. Further, the bite prevention material 4 is released from the pressing surface 22 when the vacuum pump 30 is turned off.

In the present embodiment, since the anti-bite material 4 has air permeability, air is sucked from the pressing surface 22 through the suction hole 23, so that the stack 6 is also sucked together with the anti-bite material 4. As a result, the stack 6 is restrained by the pressing surface 22 via the bite prevention material 4 when the vacuum pump 30 is turned on.

As shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the pusher 21 of the present embodiment moves inward from the opening 3a of the bag body 3'with the vacuum pump 30 turned on. As a result, the pusher 21 pushes the stack 6 into the bag body 3'through the bite prevention material 4 while adsorbing the bite prevention material 4 on the pressing surface 22. At this time, the stack 6 is in a state of being compressed by the presser 24 described later so that the dimension W1 in the stacking direction D is smaller than the width dimension W2 of the bag body 3', and the stacking direction D is the bag body 3'. The posture is the same as the width direction of.

The pusher 21 of the present embodiment pushes the sliding material 5 into the bag body 3'with the biting prevention material 4 and the stack 6. The sliding member 5 is arranged outside the bag body 3'along the laminated end surface 6a of the stack 6. The pusher 21 pushes the sliding material 5 thus arranged along the laminated end surface 6a into the inside of the bag body 3'with the biting prevention material 4 and the stack 6, so that the laminated end surface 6a and the bag body of the stack 6 are pushed. The sliding material 5 is sandwiched between the inner surface of 3'and the inner surface of 3'.

The pusher 21 pushes the stack 6 into the bag body 3', and then the vacuum pump 30 is turned off to release the bite prevention material 4 from the pressing surface 22 inside the bag body 3'. As a result, the pusher 21 arranges the bite prevention material 4 on the opening 3a side of the stack 6 inside the bag body 3'. Then, as shown in FIG. 7D, the pusher 21 moves in the direction opposite to the pushing direction P and moves out of the bag body 3'while leaving the bite prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'. ..

Since the bite-preventing material 4 of the present embodiment has substantially the same shape and size as the lower surface 1d of the package 3 as described above, as shown by adding halftone dots in FIG. 8, it is viewed from the pushing direction P. It has a shape that covers the stack 6. The pusher 21 arranges the bite prevention member 4 inside the bag body 3'so that the stack 6 is covered when viewed from the pushing direction P.

As shown in FIG. 6, the presser 24 is a flat plate-shaped member that compresses the stack 6 according to the width dimension W2 of the bag body 3', and is arranged in pairs so as to sandwich the stack 6 from both sides in the stacking direction D. .. The presser 24 compresses the stack 6 in the stacking direction D so that the dimension W1 in the stacking direction D of the stack 6 is smaller than the width dimension W2 of the bag body 3'.
Similar to the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21, a suction hole 26 for sucking the sliding material 5 is formed in the compression surface 25 that compresses the stack 6 in the presser 24. A vacuum pump 31 that sucks air from the compression surface 25 is connected to the suction hole 26. The vacuum pump 31 may be the same (common) as the vacuum pump 30 connected to the suction hole 23 of the pressing surface 22.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the presser 24 of the present embodiment moves in a direction approaching each other with the vacuum pump 31 turned on. As a result, the presser 24 compresses the stack 6 through the sliding material 5 while adsorbing the sliding material 5 on the compression surface 25.
In the present embodiment, since the sliding material 5 has air permeability, air is sucked from the compression surface 25 through the suction hole 26, so that the stack 6 is also sucked together with the sliding material 5. As a result, the stack 6 is constrained to the compression surface 25 via the sliding member 5 when the vacuum pump 31 is turned on.
The vacuum pump 31 is turned off immediately before the pusher 21 pushes the stack 6 (or at the same time when the pusher 21 starts pushing). As a result, the suction of the sliding material 5 and the stack 6 to the compression surface 25 is released, so that the pusher 21 pushes the sliding material 5 and the stack 6 smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 6, the gusset 27 is a plate-shaped member for making a predetermined crease in the gusset portion 3c of the bag body 3'when sealing the opening 3a of the bag body 3'. A pair of gussets 27 are provided so as to sandwich the bag body 3'from both sides in the width direction. The tip shape of the gusset 27 is, for example, a right-angled triangular shape. The pair of gussets 27 form a predetermined crease in the bag body 3'by pushing the gusset portion 3c inward while bringing the tips of the gussets close to each other. As a result, the seal pieces 3d of the bag body 3'are overlapped.

The sealer 28 is a plate-shaped member in which the bite-preventing material 4 seals the opening 3a of the bag body 3'arranged on the opening 3a side of the stack 6. A pair of sealers 28 are provided so as to sandwich the bag body 3'from both sides in the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the gusset 27 sandwiches the bag body 3').
Here, a sealer 28 that seals the opening 3a of the bag body 3'by heat welding is illustrated. The pair of sealers 28 are heated to a high temperature state, and then the seal pieces 3d of the bag body 3'are sandwiched between the seal pieces 3d to heat-weld the seal pieces 3d. As a result, the sealer 34 seals the opening 3a of the bag body 3'and forms the sealing portion 3b of the packaging body 3.

The knife 29 cuts the extra length portion of the seal portion 3b from the package body 3. Here, a knife 29 attached to each sealer 28 is illustrated. The knife 29 is substantially at the same time that the pair of sealers 28 sandwich the seal piece 3d to form the seal portion 3b, and at the same time, the remainder of the package 3 outside the seal portion 3b (the opening 3a side of the bag body 3'). Cut the long part. As a result, the package 1 is completed.

[3. Production method]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of the package 1 according to the present embodiment. Package 1 is manufactured according to the procedure in this flowchart.
Steps A1 to A3 are counting steps in the counting machine 12, and steps A4 to A10 are packing steps in the packing machine 20.

In step A1, the folded absorbent articles 2 are put into the counter 12 one by one. In step A2, a predetermined number of absorbent articles 2 are pushed out of the orbit of the counting conveyor 14 by the extrusion device 17 and compressed by the compression device 18. As a result, the stack 6 is formed. In step A3, the stack 6 is placed on the intermediate conveyor 19 and conveyed to the packaging machine 20.

In step A4, as shown in FIG. 7A, a predetermined number (two in this embodiment) of stacks 6 are arranged on the pusher 21, and the mountain fold portion 2c of the absorbent article 2 in each stack 6 is arranged. The pusher 21 is aligned toward the upstream side of the pushing direction P (alignment step). At this time, the stack 6 is in a posture in which the stacking direction D coincides with the width direction of the bag body 3'.

In step A5, as shown in FIG. 7B, the stack 6 is compressed by the presser 24 so that the dimension W1 in the stacking direction D of the stack 6 is smaller than the width dimension W2 of the bag body 3'(compression step). .. In step A5 of the present embodiment, the vacuum pump 31 sucks air from the compression surface 25 of the presser 24 to attract the sliding material 5 to the compression surface 25. Further, the stack 6 is adsorbed on the compression surface 25 together with the breathable sliding material 5. By this step A5, the sliding member 5 is arranged along the laminated end surface 6a of the stack 6.

In step A6, the vacuum pump 31 is turned off to release the suction of the sliding material 5 and the stack 6 to the compression surface 25, and as shown in FIGS. The stack 6 is pushed in from the opening 3a through the bite prevention material 4 (pushing step). At this time, the stack 6 is in a state of being compressed by the presser 24 as described above, and is in a posture in which the stacking direction D coincides with the width direction of the bag body 3'.

In step A6 of the present embodiment, the mountain fold portion 2c directed to the upstream side of the pushing direction P in step A4 is pressed by the pusher 21 via the biting prevention material 4. Further, in step A6, the sliding material 5 arranged along the laminated end surface 6a of the stack 6 in step A5 is pushed into the inside of the bag body 3'with the stack 6 by the pusher 21, and the sliding material 5 is pushed into the laminated end surface 6a and the bag. It is sandwiched between the inner surface of the body 3'. Then, the pusher 21 arranges the bite prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'so that the stack 6 is covered (becomes invisible) when viewed from the pushing direction P.

In step A6 of the present embodiment, step A61 (adsorption step) in which the bite prevention material 4 is sucked on the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21 and the bite prevention material 4 sucked in step A61 are inside the bag body 3'. A62 (release step) of releasing from the pressing surface 22 is included. In step A61, the vacuum pump 30 sucks air from the pressing surface 22 to attract the stack 6 to the pressing surface 22 together with the breathable anti-bite material 4. After that, when the stack 6 is pushed to the innermost part inside the bag body 3', the above step A62 is performed. That is, the suction of air by the vacuum pump 30 is stopped, and the suction of the bite prevention material 4 to the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21 is released.

In step A7, as shown in FIG. 7D, the pusher 21 is moved in the direction opposite to the pushing direction P, and the pusher 21 is retracted from the bag body 3'. At this time, inside the bag body 3', the bite prevention material 4 is arranged on the opening 3a side of the stack 6.
In step A8, the pair of gussets 27 are moved in the direction of approaching each other, and the gusset portion 3c of the bag body 3'is pushed inward by the tip of each gusset 27. As a result, in the bag body 3', a predetermined crease is formed in the gusset portion 3c, and the seal pieces 3d are overlapped with each other.

In step A9, the opening 3a of the bag body 3'in which the stack 6 and the anti-biting material 4 are arranged as described above is sealed with the sealer 28 (sealing step). In step A9 of the present embodiment, the pair of sealers 28 in a high temperature state are moved in a direction approaching each other, and the seal piece 3d of the bag body 3'is sandwiched between the sealers 28 to seal the opening 3a by heat welding. Stop. As a result, the seal portion 3b is formed, and the bag body 3'becomes the packaging body 3.
In step A10, the extra length portion outside the seal portion 3b is cut with the knife 29. Then, the package 1 is completed. In addition, step A9 and step A10 are carried out substantially at the same time.

[4. Action, effect]
FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing a package manufacturing apparatus (conventional apparatus) in which the bite prevention material 4 and the slip material 5 are not provided.
As shown in FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), the stack 6 is compressed in the stacking direction D by the presser 24 because the thickness of each absorbent article 2 is not always uniform in the pushing direction P. , Both ends of the stacking direction D may be deformed in a bow shape protruding (or retracting) with respect to the central portion. When such a stack 6 is pushed into the bag body 3'in a bow shape, a portion of the stack 6 that protrudes relatively toward the upstream side (opening 3a side) of the pushing direction P seals the opening 3a. It becomes easy to be bitten when stopped.

That is, as shown in FIG. 23A, in the stack 6 in which both ends of the stacking direction D protrude relatively toward the upstream side of the pushing direction P, biting is likely to occur at both ends of the stacking direction D. Further, as shown in FIG. 23B, in the stack 6 in which the central portion of the stacking direction D protrudes relatively toward the upstream side of the pushing direction P, the central portion of the stacking direction D is likely to be bitten.
Further, when the stack 6 compressed in the stacking direction D is pushed into the bag body 3', the stack 6 is located at both ends of the stacking direction D due to friction between the laminated end surface 6a and the inner surface of the bag body 3'. The absorbent article 2 may particularly protrude toward the upstream side in the pushing direction P as compared with other absorbent articles 2. In this case, biting is more likely to occur at both ends of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23 (c), in the stack 6 in which both ends of the stacking direction D protrude relatively toward the upstream side of the pushing direction P, the gusset portion 3c of the bag body 3'is gusset 27 in the width direction. Due to the force when pushed inward, some absorbent articles 2 (for example, two absorbent articles 2 located at both ends of the stacking direction D) may be pushed upstream of the pushing direction P. .. In this case as well, biting is more likely to occur at both ends of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D.

On the other hand, according to the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the above package 1, the following actions and effects can be obtained.
(1) By pushing the stack 6 into the bag body 3'through the bite prevention material 4, the bite prevention material 4 is arranged closer to the opening 3a of the bag body 3'than the stack 6. When the opening 3a of the bag body 3'is sealed, the opening 3a and the stack 6 are partitioned by the bite prevention material 4. As a result, even if the stack 6 is deformed in a bow shape as described above, or the absorbent articles 2 at both ends of the stacking direction D protrude particularly toward the upstream side of the pushing direction P, the absorbent article 2 Biting can be suppressed. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency (productivity) of the package 1 can be increased.
Further, since the anti-bite material 4 is installed in the package 1, the shape of the packaging bag 3 can be easily maintained, so that the appearance of the package 1 can be easily maintained even after the package 1 is opened. As described above, the bite-preventing material 4 for preventing the absorbent article 2 from being bitten in the manufacturing process of the package 1 is a shape-retaining material for the packaging bag 3 after the packaging 1 is manufactured (after being installed in the package 1). Functions as.

(2) In the pusher 21, the anti-bite material 4 is attracted to the pressing surface 22 that presses the stack 6 via the anti-engagement material 4, so that the pusher 21 is engaged when the stack 6 is pushed into the bag body 3'. The misalignment of the preventive material 4 can be suppressed. Further, by releasing the biting prevention material 4 adsorbed on the pressing surface 22 from the pressing surface 22 inside the bag body 3', the biting prevention material 4 can be more appropriately arranged inside the bag body 3'. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the biting prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'is improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be suppressed more reliably.

(3) Since the anti-bite material 4 having air permeability is applied and the stack 6 is attracted to the pressing surface 22 together with the anti-bite material 4 by sucking air from the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21, the bag body 3'. When the stack 6 is pushed into the inside of the stack 6, not only the bite prevention material 4 but also the position shift of the stack 6 can be suppressed. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the stack 6 inside the bag body 3'is also improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be further suppressed and the commercial value of the product can be enhanced.

(4) By applying the anti-bite material 4 formed of a non-thermoplastic material and sealing the opening 3a of the bag body 3'by heat welding, the opening 3a is unintentionally bitten when the opening 3a is sealed. Even if the preventive material 4 is bitten, heat welding of the bite preventive material 4 can be prevented. As a result, when the bite prevention material 4 is bitten, the opening 3a is maintained without being sealed, so that it is easy to detect a sealing defect of the opening 3a. Therefore, the workload related to the inspection of the package 1 can be reduced.

(5) An anti-bite material 4 having a shape that covers the stack 6 when viewed from the push-in direction P is applied, and the anti-bite material 4 is placed inside the bag body 3'so that the stack 6 is covered when viewed from the push-in direction P. By arranging the bag body 3', the opening portion 3a and the stack 6 can be substantially completely partitioned by the biting prevention material 4 when the opening portion 3a of the bag body 3'is sealed. Therefore, the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be further suppressed.

(6) In the absorbent article 2 in the folded state, the mountain-folded portion 2c is thicker and harder than the other portions. Therefore, the mountain fold portion 2c of the absorbent article 2 in the stack 6 is aligned toward the upstream side of the pushing direction P, and the mountain fold portion 2c is pressed through the bite prevention material 4 when the stack 6 is pushed. The shape retention of the stack 6 can be improved as compared with the case of pressing other than the mountain fold portion 2c.
Further, the absorbent article 2 of the stack 6 pushed into the bag body 3'is in a posture in which the mountain fold portion 2c is directed toward the opening 3a. Therefore, as compared with the case where the portion other than the mountain fold portion 2c (the portion thinner and softer than the mountain fold portion 2c) is directed toward the opening 3a, it is possible to suppress the biting of the absorbent article 2 when the opening 3a is sealed.

(7) When the stack 6 is pushed in, the sliding material 5 arranged along the laminated end surface 6a of the stack 6 is pushed into the inside of the bag body 3'together with the stack 6, and the sliding material 5 is pushed into the laminated end surface 6a and the bag body 3'. By sandwiching it between the inner surface and the inner surface, the pushing operation of the stack 6 into the inside of the bag body 3'can be facilitated. That is, the sliding material 5 makes the stack 6 slippery with respect to the inner surface of the bag body 3', so that the stack 6 can be pushed more smoothly into the bag body 3'. As a result, the protrusion of the stack 6 toward the upstream side in the pushing direction P is suppressed, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be further suppressed when the opening 3a is sealed.
Further, since the shape of the packaging bag 3 is more easily maintained by incorporating the sliding material 5 in the package 1 in addition to the biting prevention material 4, the appearance of the package 1 can be seen even after the package 1 is opened. It is easier to maintain better. In this way, the sliding material 5 that facilitates the pushing operation of the stack 6 in the manufacturing process of the package 1 is a packaging bag similar to the biting prevention material 4 after the manufacturing of the package 1 (after being installed in the package 1). It functions as a shape-retaining material of 3.

(8) Since the bite-preventing material 4 is in the form of a sheet, the biting-preventing material 4 having a simple shape can suppress the biting of the absorbent article 2, and the bulk of the biting-preventing material 4 inside the package 3. Tension can be suppressed.
(9) If the anti-bite material 4 which is a card or coloring paper on which a drawing is printed is applied, the anti-bite material 4 can be used as a card or coloring paper after opening the package 1. Therefore, the added value and commercial value of the product can be improved.

(10) If a folded square piece of paper is applied as the bite-preventing material 4, the biting-preventing material 4 can be used as the origami after opening the package 1. Therefore, the added value and commercial value of the product can be improved.
(11) If the anti-bite material 4, which is a sticker in which a drawing is printed on the front surface and a release material is attached to the adhesive layer on the back surface, is applied, the anti-bite material 4 can be used as a sticker after the package 1 is opened. Can be used. Therefore, the added value and commercial value of the product can be improved.
(12) Similarly, the sliding material 5 can be used as a card or coloring paper, a folded square paper, or a sticker to improve the added value and commercial value of the product.

[5. Modification example]
The above embodiment is merely an example, and there is no intention of excluding the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the present embodiment. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. In addition, it can be selected as needed, or can be combined as appropriate.

[5-1. Anti-bite material]
The bite-preventing material 4 may have a shape and size that overlaps with at least a part of the opening 3a when viewed from the pushing direction P, and is pushed in like the biting-preventing materials 4A to 4D illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12. The shape may cover only the partial region R which is a part of the stack 6 when viewed from the direction P. In this case, when the stack 6 is pushed by the pusher 21 (in the pushing step), the biting prevention material 4 may be arranged inside the bag body 3'so that only the partial region R is covered when viewed from the pushing direction P. ..
By applying the bite-preventing materials 4A to 4D having a shape that covers only the partial region R in this way, the biting-preventing material 4A to 4D suppresses the biting of the absorbent article 2 by the biting-preventing material 4. Material costs can be reduced.

The partial region R is, for example, a protruding region R1 set in a part of the stack 6 that is more likely to protrude upstream of the pushing direction P than the other parts, or a linear seal corresponding to the sealing portion 3b when viewed from the pushing direction P. The planned area R2 may be included.
The protruding region R1 is a part of the stack 6 that tends to protrude toward the opening 3a side (upstream side of the pushing direction P) of the bag body 3'than the other absorbent article 2 when pushed by the pusher 21. It is set as an area corresponding to the sex article 2. That is, the protruding region R1 is set at both ends of the stacking direction D in the stack 6 shown in FIG. 9A, and is set at the central portion of the stacking direction D in the stack 6 shown in FIG. 9B.
In this way, by including the protruding region R1 set according to the absorbent article 2 in which biting is particularly likely to occur in the stack 6 in the partial region R, the material cost of the biting prevention material is suppressed, and the absorbent property is absorbed. The biting of the article 2 can be effectively suppressed.

The bite-preventing material 4A illustrated in FIG. 10 has a shape that covers only the protruding regions R1 set at both ends of the stacking direction D of the stack 6, and is composed of two rectangular members. Here, an example is shown in which each of the two members has a shape and a size corresponding to two absorbent articles 2 at both ends of the stacking direction D of the stack 6 when viewed from the pushing direction P.
By setting the protruding regions R1 at both ends of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D in this way, it is possible to effectively suppress the biting of the absorbent article 2 in the stack 6 in which both ends of the stacking direction D protrude.

On the other hand, the bite-preventing material 4B illustrated in FIG. 11 has a shape that covers only the protruding region R1 set in the central portion of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D. Here, the anti-bite material 4 having a shape and a size corresponding to the two absorbent articles 2 in the central portion of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D is illustrated.
By setting the protruding region R1 at the central portion of the stack 6 in the stacking direction D in this way, it is possible to effectively suppress the biting of the absorbent article 2 in the stack 6 in which the central portion of the stacking direction D protrudes.

As shown in FIG. 12, the planned sealing region R2 is a region where the opening 3a is sealed (in the sealing step) when the opening 3a is sealed by the sealer 28 when viewed from the pushing direction P. The planned seal region R2 is set as, for example, a linear region extending in the stacking direction D (width direction of the bag body 3') of the stack 6 when viewed from the pushing direction P. The bite prevention material 4C shown in FIG. 12 has a shape that covers only the partial region R including the planned seal region R2. The bite prevention material 4C has a strip shape extending in the stacking direction D of the stack 6 when viewed from the pushing direction P.
In this way, by including the planned sealing region R2 in the stack 6 in which the opening 3a of the bag body 3'is sealed by the sealer 28 when viewed from the pushing direction P, the partial region R includes the biting prevention material 4C. While suppressing the material cost, it is possible to effectively suppress the biting of the absorbent article 2 at the time of sealing the opening 3a.

As shown in FIG. 13, the partial region R may include both the protruding region R1 and the planned seal region R2. The bite-preventing material 4D shown in FIG. 13 has a shape that covers only a partial region R including a protruding region R1 and a planned seal region R2 set at both ends of the stacking direction D of the stack 6 when viewed from the pushing direction P. be. The bite prevention material 4D has an H shape as if the bite prevention material 4A illustrated in FIG. 10 and the bite prevention material 4C illustrated in FIG. 12 are combined (connected).
By including both the protruding region R1 and the planned sealing region R2 in the partial region R in this way, the absorbent article 2 at the time of sealing the opening 3a while suppressing the material cost of the bite prevention material 4. It is possible to suppress the biting of the material even more effectively.

The shape of the bite-preventing material is not limited to the sheet shape, and may be a tray shape that supports the stack 6, such as the bite-preventing material 4E shown in FIG. More specifically, the bite-preventing material 4E is a tray-shaped member having a shape and size that covers the stack 6 when viewed from the pushing direction P.
According to such a tray-shaped anti-bite material 4E, when the stack 6 is pushed into the inside of the bag body 3', the entire stack 6 can be evenly pressed by the anti-bite material 4E. As a result, the bias and deformation of the absorbent article 2 in the stack 6 can be suppressed, so that the commercial value of the product can be enhanced. Further, according to the tray-shaped bite-preventing material 4E sandwiched between the lower surface 1d and the stack 6 in the package 1, the stack 6 can be stably supported from below. Therefore, the shape stability of the package 1 can be improved.

Since the anti-bite material remains inside the packaging bag 3 even after the package 1 is manufactured, it is preferable that the anti-bite material has a function of acting on at least one of moisture, odor, and bacteria. Specific examples of this functionality include dehumidifying and drying properties that act on moisture, deodorizing properties, deodorizing properties and fragrance properties (fragrances) that act on odors, and antibacterial properties, bactericidal properties and sterilizing properties that act on bacteria. Examples include antifungal properties.
According to the anti-bite material having such functionality, measures can be taken against at least one of moisture, odor, and bacteria even when the package 1 is stored for a long period of time. Therefore, the commercial value of Package 1 can be increased.

When the bite prevention material is made of a material having a certain degree of rigidity, it is preferable that the corners of the bite prevention material are trimmed (chamfered). If the corners of the anti-bite material are trimmed, it is possible to prevent unintentional tearing of the packaging bag 3 (bag body 3') due to the corners of the anti-bite material, and from the package 1 to the absorbent article 2 Can protect the user's hand to take out.

[5-2. Sliding material]
As shown in FIG. 15, at least a part of the bite prevention material 4A may be connected to the sliding material 5. Here, an example is shown in which the two rectangular members forming the bite prevention member 4A illustrated in FIG. 10 and the two sliding members 5 are connected to each other. More specifically, one of the two rectangular members constituting the bite-preventing material 4A is arranged on one side of the stacking direction D, and the other is along the laminated end surface 6a on one side of the stacking direction D. One of the sliding members 5 to be arranged is connected to each other. Similarly, the other of the two rectangular members constituting the bite-preventing material 4A, which is arranged on the other side of the stacking direction D, and the other which is arranged along the laminated end surface 6a on the other side of the stacking direction D. The sliding material 5 of the above is connected to each other.

In the manufacture of the package 1 using the anti-bite material 4A and the anti-slip material 5 which are connected to each other in this way, the pusher 21 (see FIG. 6) passes through the anti-engagement material 4A which is at least partially bent from the anti-slip material 5. ) Pushes the stack 6 into the bag body 3'(pushing step). If creases (grooves, perforations, etc. that assist in bending) are provided along the boundary line between the anti-bite material 4A and the anti-slip material 5, the anti-bite material 4A can be bent with respect to the anti-slip material 5. It is also possible to carry out at 27 (see FIG. 6). Further, the bite-preventing material 4 and the sliding material 5 that are integrally pushed by the pusher 21 are not limited to those that are formed of a single member in advance, but are formed of separate members and then joined to each other. There may be.
As described above, if the anti-bite material 4A and the anti-slip material 5 connected to each other are used, the anti-engagement material 4A is supported by the anti-slip material 5 inside the bag body 3 ′. You can stabilize your posture. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the biting prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'is improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be suppressed more reliably.

As the bite-preventing material whose at least a part is connected to the sliding material 5, not only the biting-preventing material 4A composed of the two rectangular members as described above, but also various shapes can be applied. For example, one of the anti-bite materials 4, 4C, 4D, and 4E shown in FIGS. 8, 12, 13, and 14, respectively, may be connected to the sliding material 5. In this case, the two sliding members 5 on both sides are connected by a single biting prevention material (the biting prevention material and the two sliding members 5 are integrated), so that the bag body 3' Each posture of the anti-bite material and the sliding material 5 can be further stabilized inside. Therefore, the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be more reliably suppressed in the manufacturing process of the package 1, and the shape of the packaging bag 3 can be more reliably maintained after the manufacturing of the package 1.

It is preferable that the anti-bite material and the slip material 5 have mutually related symbols regardless of whether they are formed separately as in the above embodiment or are connected as illustrated in FIG. .. For example, the anti-bite material and the slip material 5 may have a pattern forming one continuous picture when they are connected and arranged (arranged without a gap on one plane). More specifically, the face of any animal is drawn on the anti-bite material, and the parts other than the face of this animal (body, tail, etc.) are drawn on the slip material 5, and slip with these anti-bite materials. When the material 5 is connected and arranged, a pattern may be set so that the entire animal is drawn.
According to the setting of such a pattern, the bite prevention material and the sliding material 5 can be used as a toy like a puzzle. Therefore, the commercial value of Package 1 can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the perforation 8 for opening is formed on the side surface 1e of the package 1, it is preferable that the sliding material 5 is arranged in a region that does not overlap with the perforation 8. Here, the sliding member 5 is arranged so as to be offset to the rear surface 1b side with respect to the perforation 8 extending in the vertical direction (the direction connecting the upper surface 1c and the lower surface 1d) at a position closer to the front surface 1a on one side surface 1e. Illustrate. That is, the sliding member 5 shown in FIG. 16 is formed so that the dimension in the front-rear direction (the direction connecting the front surface 1a and the rear surface 1b) is shorter than the side surface 1e of the package 1 by at least the perforation 8.

The perforations 8 are formed on the left and right side surfaces (see the gusset portion 3c in FIG. 2 and the like) facing the laminated end surface 6a of the stack 6 in the bag body 3'before the seal portion 3b is formed. In the manufacture of the package 1 using the bag body 3'in which the perforations 8 are formed, the sliding material 5 is arranged in a region that does not overlap with the perforations 8 when viewed from the width direction (stacking direction D) (pushing step). ..
According to the arrangement of the sliding material 5 with respect to the perforation 8 as described above, when the package 1 is opened along the perforation 8, the sliding material 5 does not overlap with the opening, so that the absorbent article 2 can be taken out easily in the package 1. Can be secured. Therefore, the easy-to-use package 1 can be manufactured.

Like the anti-bite material, the slip material 5 preferably has a function of acting on at least one of moisture, odor, and bacteria. According to the sliding material 5 having such functionality, the commercial value of the package 1 can be enhanced as described above. Further, when the slip material 5 is made of a material having a certain degree of rigidity, like the anti-bite material, it is preferable that the corner portion is trimmed (chamfered). According to the sliding material 5 having the corners trimmed, it is possible to suppress unintentional tearing of the packaging bag 3 (bag body 3') due to the corners of the sliding material 5, and the absorbent article 2 is taken out from the package 1. Can protect the user's hands.

[5-3. Support material]
As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the anti-bite material has at least a part of the support material 7 in the form of a sheet, instead of (or in addition to) the structure in which at least a part of the anti-bite material is connected to the sliding material 5 as described above. May be connected with.
Here, with respect to the stack 6, the direction orthogonal to the stacking direction D and corresponding to the vertical direction of the package 1 is also referred to as "height direction H", and is orthogonal to both the stacking direction D and the height direction H. The direction is also called "depth direction E". The depth direction E corresponds to the front-rear direction of the package 1.

The support member 7 is a sheet-like member that is pushed into the bag body 3'together with the bite prevention material in order to support the bite prevention material. The support member 7 is arranged along the main surface 6b extending in both the stacking direction D and the height direction H of the stack 6. Here, an example is shown in which the support member 7 set to have substantially the same shape and size as the main surface 6b of one stack 6 is arranged along the main surface 6b of the lower stack 6. However, the shape and size of the support member 7 are not limited to this example.
The support member 7 is sandwiched between the front surface 1a and the stack 6 or between the rear surface 1b and the stack 6 in the package 1 (see FIG. 1). The support material 7 is preferably made of a material having high slipperiness (small dynamic friction coefficient) like the sliding material 5.

FIG. 17 shows an example in which the bite prevention member 4 shown in FIG. 8 is connected to one support member 7. In this example, the bite-preventing member 4 having a shape covering the stack 6 when viewed from the pushing direction P is supported by one supporting member 7 arranged along the main surface 6b on one side (for example, the front) of the stack 6. ..
On the other hand, FIG. 18 shows an example in which the bite prevention member 4F divided into two in the depth direction E is connected to the two support members 7. In this example, the anti-bite material 4F is seen from the pushing direction P as a half of one main surface 6b side (for example, the front half) and a half of the other main surface 6b side (for example, the rear half) of the stack 6. It is divided into two rectangular members that cover each of them. The bite prevention member 4F arranged on the one main surface 6b side is supported by the support member 7 arranged along the one main surface 6b. Similarly, the bite prevention member 4F arranged on the other main surface 6b side is supported by the support member 7 arranged along the other main surface 6b.

In the manufacture of the package 1 using the anti-bite materials 4 and 4F articulated with the support material 7, the pusher 21 (see FIG. 6) passes through the anti-bite materials 4 and 4F at least partially bent from the support material 7. ) Pushes the stack 6 into the pushing direction P along the height direction H, and sandwiches the support member 7 between the main surface 6b of the stack 6 and the inner surface of the bag body 3'(pushing step). The bite-preventing members 4 and 4F and the support member 7 that are integrally pushed by the pusher 21 are not limited to those that are formed of a single member in advance, but are joined to each other after being formed of separate members. It may be a thing.

According to such a configuration, since the biting prevention members 4 and 4F are supported by the support member 7 inside the bag body 3', the posture of the biting prevention members 4 and 4F can be stabilized. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the biting prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'is improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be suppressed more reliably.
Further, since the support material 7 is installed in the package 1 in addition to the bite prevention material 4, the shape of the packaging bag 3 can be more easily maintained, so that the appearance of the package 1 can be seen even after the package 1 is opened. It is easier to maintain better. In this way, the support material 7 that stabilizes the posture of the bite-preventing material 4 in the manufacturing process of the package 1 is the same as the biting-preventing material 4 after the packaging 1 is manufactured (after being installed in the package 1). It functions as a shape-retaining material for the packaging bag 3.

The bite-preventing material whose at least a part is connected to the support member 7 is not limited to the bite-preventing materials 4 and 4F as described above, and various shapes can be applied. For example, one of the anti-bite materials 4A, 4B, 4D, and 4E shown in FIGS. 10, 11, 13, and 14 may be connected to the support material 7. Further, the anti-bite material may be connected to each of the two support members 7 arranged along the main surfaces 6b on both sides of the stack 6. In this case, the two support members 7 on both sides are connected by a single bite prevention material (the bite prevention material and the two support members 7 are integrated), so that the bag body 3' Each posture of the bite prevention material and the support material 7 can be further stabilized inside. Therefore, the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be more reliably suppressed in the manufacturing process of the package 1, and the shape of the packaging bag 3 can be more reliably maintained after the manufacturing of the package 1.

In the package 1 in which both the sliding material 5 and the supporting material 7 are provided, the sliding material 5 and the supporting material 7 may be connected to each other. When a perforation for opening is formed on the front surface 1a or the rear surface 1b of the package 1, it is preferable that the support member 7 is arranged in a region that does not overlap with the perforation.
Further, since the support material 7 remains inside the packaging bag 3 even after the package 1 is manufactured, like the anti-bite material and the slip material 5, it has a function of acting on at least one of moisture, odor, and bacteria. It is preferable to have sex. The support material 7 having such functionality can also enhance the commercial value of the package 1 as described above.

Further, when the support material 7 is made of a material having a certain degree of rigidity like the anti-bite material and the slip material 5, it is preferable that the corners are trimmed (chamfered). If the corners of the support material 7 are trimmed, it is possible to prevent the packaging bag 3 (bag body 3') from being unintentionally torn by the corners of the support material 7, and the absorbent article 2 is taken out from the package 1. Can protect the user's hands.

[5-4. Compression injection process]
As shown in FIG. 19, in the manufacture of the package 1, when the stack 6 is pushed into the bag body 3'(step A6, pushing step), the stack 6 enters the opening 3a of the bag body 3'at the timing. Air may be injected from the compression surface 25 (see FIG. 6) of the presser 24 (step A63, compression injection step).

Such injection of air from the compression surface 25 can be realized, for example, by rotating the vacuum pump 31 (air pump) in the direction opposite to the case where air is sucked from the compression surface 25. That is, in the compression injection step, even if the vacuum pump 31 turned on in the compression step (step A5) is turned off (or instead of being turned off), the vacuum pump 31 is rotated in the reverse direction to inject air from the compression surface 25. good. Alternatively, in the compression injection step, air may be injected from the compression surface 25 using a blower pump (not shown) provided separately from the vacuum pump 31. Although the adsorption step (step A61) and the release step (step A62) described in the above embodiment are omitted in FIG. 19, the compression injection step may be performed together with the adsorption step and the release step.

According to the above compression injection step, air is injected from the compression surface 25 that compresses the stack 6 in the stacking direction D at the timing when the stack 6 enters the opening 3a of the bag body 3', so that the slip material 5 and the stack 6 is easily separated from the compression surface 25. As a result, the sliding member 5 and the stack 6 can easily move relative to the compression surface 25, so that the pusher 21 can smoothly push the stack 6.

[5-5. Release process]
In the release step (step A62), the biting prevention material 4 may be released from the pressing surface 22 by injecting air from the pressing surface 22 inside the bag body 3'.
Such injection of air from the pressing surface 22 can be realized, for example, by rotating the vacuum pump 30 (air pump) in the direction opposite to the case where air is sucked from the pressing surface 22. That is, in the release step, after turning off (or instead turning off) the vacuum pump 30 turned on in the suction step (step A61), air may be injected from the pressing surface 22 by rotating the vacuum pump 30 in the reverse direction. .. Alternatively, in the release step, air may be injected from the pressing surface 22 by using a blower pump (not shown) provided separately from the vacuum pump 30.

According to the release step of injecting air from the pressing surface 22 in this way, the injection biting prevention material 4 is separated from the pressing surface 22 by the air injected from the pressing surface 22, so that the air is caught inside the bag body 3'. The preventive material 4 can be released more reliably from the pressing surface 22. Therefore, the bite prevention material 4 can be more appropriately arranged inside the bag body 3'. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the biting prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'is improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be suppressed more reliably.

Further, if air is injected from the pressing surface 22 while pushing the stack 6 inside the bag body 3', the bag body 3'swells so that the stack 6 can easily enter the innermost part of the bag body 3'. Therefore, the pushing operation of the stack 6 by the pusher 21 can be facilitated.
Further, if air is injected from the pressing surface 22 while the stack 6 is pushed into the bag body 3', the bag body 3'swells and a gap is created between the inner surface of the bag body 3'and the stack 6. It will be easier. Therefore, the stack 6 can be arranged in a more appropriate posture inside the bag body 3'. As a result, the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be further suppressed, and the commercial value of the product can be enhanced.
Since the bag body 3'may be damaged if it is inflated excessively, it is preferable that the air is injected from the pressing surface 22 and the compression surface 25 for a moment (for example, 1 second).

[5-6. Adhesion process]
As shown in FIG. 20, in the manufacture of the package 1, the bite-preventing material 4 may be detachably adhered to the stack 6 before the release step (step A62) is performed (step A11, bonding step). In the bonding step, the bite-preventing material 4 is integrated with the stack 6 at least until the sealing step (step A9), and then (for example, when the absorbent article 2 is used) is put into the stack 6 so that it can be separated from the stack 6. Be glued. For example, an adhesive can be applied to the adhesion of the anti-bite material 4.

FIG. 20 shows an example in which the bonding step is performed before the pushing step (step A6) and the suction step (step A61 in FIG. 9 and the like) is omitted in the pushing step. That is, in the pushing step (step A6) in this case, the biting prevention material 4 is not adsorbed on the pressing surface 22 but is peelably adhered to the stack 6 in the bonding step via the biting prevention material 4. The pusher 21 pushes the stack 6 into the bag body 3'.

However, the bonding step may be carried out in the pushing step (step A6). For example, when the stack 6 is pressed in the pushing direction P via the biting prevention material 4 sucked on the pressing surface 22 in the suction step (step A61), the biting prevention material 4 is detachably adhered to the stack 6. You may. As described above, the bonding step may be carried out together with the adsorption step.
According to the bonding step as described above, the bite-preventing material 4 can be more reliably arranged with respect to the stack 6. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the biting prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'is improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be suppressed more reliably.

[5-7. Pushing member]
As shown in FIG. 21, the packaging machine 20 may be provided with a pushing member 32 for pulling the biting prevention material 4 away from the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21. The pushing member 32 is formed of a member different from the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21, and is provided so as to be reciprocally movable independently of the pressing surface 22. Here, an example is shown in which four round bar-shaped pushing members 32 extending along the pushing direction P are provided, and these pushing members 32 are abutted against the four corners of the biting prevention member 4.

As shown in FIG. 22A, the push member 32 opens the bag body 3'together with the pusher 21 when the pusher 21 pushes the stack 6 into the bag body 3'through the bite prevention material 4. It moves from the part 3a to the inside. Then, as shown in FIG. 22B, the push member 32 is abutted against the four corners of the bite prevention member 4 in a state where the stack 6 is pushed to the innermost part inside the bag body 3'.

Then, as shown in FIG. 22 (c), even when the pusher 21 moves in the direction opposite to the pushing direction P and moves out of the bag body 3', the pushing member 32 remains abutted against the biting prevention member 4. Is maintained at. As a result, the bite prevention material 4 is smoothly separated from the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21, and is held in a state of being arranged on the opening 3a side of the stack 6 inside the bag body 3'. After that, as shown in FIG. 22D, the pushing member 32 moves in the direction opposite to the pushing direction P and moves out of the bag body 3's like the pusher 21.

In this way, in the release step of the packaging machine 20 provided with the push member 32 (step A62 in FIG. 9 and the like), the push member 32 presses the bite prevention material 4 while pressing the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21 into the bag body 3. By moving away from the inside of ′, the biting prevention material 4 is released from the pressing surface 22.
According to such a configuration, the bite prevention material 4 can be more reliably released from the pressing surface 22. Therefore, the bite prevention material 4 can be more appropriately arranged inside the bag body 3'. As a result, the positioning accuracy of the biting prevention material 4 inside the bag body 3'is improved, so that the biting of the absorbent article 2 can be suppressed more reliably.

[5-8. others]
In the production of the package 1, it is not necessary to adsorb the biting prevention material or the sliding material 5 on the pressing surface 22 of the pusher 21 or the compression surface 25 of the presser 24. Further, the sliding material 5 may be omitted.
The method of sealing the opening 3a of the bag body 3'is not limited to the above heat welding, and may be, for example, a method using an adhesive or a stapler. The inside of the package 1 does not have to be airtight.

1 Package 1a Front 1b Rear 1c Top 1d Bottom 1e Side 2 Absorbent article 2a Inseam 2b Body 2c Mountain fold 3 Packaging 3'Bag 3a Opening 3b Seal 3c Machi 3d Seal pieces 4, 4A, 4B , 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F Anti-bite material 5 Sliding material 6 Stack 6a Laminated end face (end face in stacking direction D)
6b Main surface 7 Support material 11 Handle 12 Counting machine 13 Motor 14 Counting conveyor 15 Blade 16 Guide 17 Extruding device 18 Compressor 19 Intermediate conveyor 20 Packaging machine 21 Pusher (pushing device)
22 Pressing surface 23 Suction hole 24 Presser 25 Compression surface 26 Suction hole 27 Gusset 28 Sealer (sealing device)
29 Knife 30 Vacuum pump 31 Vacuum pump 32 Pushing member 41 Body paper 42 Release paper (release material)
D Stacking direction (one direction)
E Depth direction H Height direction P Pushing direction R Partial area R1 Scheduled seal area R2 Protruding area W1 Dimensions of stacking direction D in the stack 6 in the natural state W1'Dimensions of the stacking direction D in the stacked stack 6 in the compressed state W2 Bag Width dimension of body 3'

Claims (28)

1. A method of manufacturing a package in which a plurality of absorbent articles are stored in a package.
   The stack in which the plurality of absorbent articles are stacked in one direction is compressed so that the dimension in the one direction is smaller than the dimension in the width direction of the bag body to be the packaging body, and the dimension is the one direction. In a posture that coincides with the width direction, the pushing step of pushing the bag body from the opening to the inside through the biting prevention material, and
   It is characterized by comprising a sealing step in which the biting prevention material pushed into the inside in the pushing step seals the opening of the bag body arranged on the opening side of the stack. The method of manufacturing the package.
2. The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 1, wherein the pushing step includes a suction step of adsorbing the biting prevention material on a pressing surface that presses the stack via the biting prevention material.
3. The anti-bite material has breathability and is
   The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 2, wherein the suction step sucks air from the pressing surface to attract the stack together with the biting prevention material to the pressing surface.
4. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pushing step includes a releasing step of releasing the biting-preventing material from a pressing surface that presses the stack via the biting-preventing material. The method for manufacturing a package according to item 1.
5. The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 4, wherein the release step releases the anti-bite material from the pressing surface by injecting air from the pressing surface inside the inside.
6. The release step is characterized in that the biting prevention material is released from the pressing surface by moving the pressing surface out of the inside while pressing the biting prevention material with a pushing member different from the pressing surface. The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 4 or 5.
7. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising an adhesive step of detachably adhering the anti-bite material to the stack before carrying out the release step. ..
8. Any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pushing step includes a compression injection step of injecting air from a compression surface that compresses the stack in one direction at a timing when the stack enters the opening. The method for manufacturing a package according to item 1.
9. The anti-bite material is made of a non-thermoplastic material and is made of a non-thermoplastic material.
   The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sealing step seals the opening by heat welding.
10. The bite-preventing material has a shape that covers the stack when viewed from the pushing direction in which the stack is pushed through the bite-preventing material in the pushing step.
    The package according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pushing step arranges the biting prevention material inside the stack so as to cover the stack when viewed from the pushing direction. Production method.
11. The bite-preventing material has a shape that covers only a partial region that is a part of the stack when viewed from the pushing direction in which the stack is pushed through the bite-preventing material in the pushing step.
    The push-in step according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the push-in prevention material is arranged inside the push-in prevention material so that only the partial region is covered when viewed from the push-in direction. How to make the package.
12. The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 11, wherein the partial region includes a linear sealing planned region in which the opening is sealed in the sealing step when viewed from the pushing direction.
13. The partial region is characterized by including a protruding region of the stack corresponding to a part of the stack that tends to project toward the opening side of the other absorbent article in the pushing step. The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 11 or 12.
14. 13. The method of manufacturing a package according to claim 13, wherein the protruding regions are set at both ends of the stack in one direction.
15. 13. The method of manufacturing a package according to claim 13, wherein the protruding region is set at the center of the stack in one direction.
16. The stack is provided with an alignment step of aligning the mountain-folded portion of the absorbent article in the folded state toward the upstream side in the pushing direction in which the stack is pushed through the biting prevention material in the pushing step.
    Any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the pushing step presses the mountain fold portion directed to the upstream side in the pushing direction in the alignment step via the biting prevention material. The method of manufacturing the package described in the section.
17. In the pushing step, a sheet-shaped sliding material arranged along the one-way end surface of the stack is pushed into the inside together with the stack, and the sliding material is sandwiched between the end surface and the inner surface of the bag body. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the package is dressed.
18. At least a part of the anti-bite material is articulated with the slip material.
    The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 17, wherein the pushing step pushes the stack into the inside through the biting prevention material which is at least partially bent from the slip material.
19. The bag has opening perforations formed on the side surface of the stack facing the end face.
    The method for manufacturing a package according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the pushing step is arranging the sliding material in a region that does not overlap with the perforation when viewed from the width direction.
20. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the bite-preventing material and the slipping material have symbols that are related to each other.
21. At least a portion of the anti-bite material is articulated with a sheet-like support material arranged along a main surface extending in both the one direction of the stack and the height direction orthogonal to the one direction.
    In the pushing step, the stack is pushed in the pushing direction along the height direction through the biting prevention material which is at least partially bent from the support material, and the support material is pushed into the main surface and the bag body. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the package is sandwiched between the inner surface and the inner surface.
22. The method for producing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the anti-bite material has a function of acting on at least one of moisture, odor, and bacteria.
23. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the anti-bite material is in the form of a sheet.
24. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the anti-bite material has a tray shape that supports the stack.
25. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the anti-bite material is a card or coloring paper on which a drawing is printed.
26. The method for manufacturing a package according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the anti-bite material is made by folding a square piece of paper.
27. The anti-bite material according to any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the anti-bite material is a sticker in which a drawing is printed on the front surface and a release material is attached to the adhesive layer on the back surface. How to make the package.
28. A package manufacturing device in which a plurality of absorbent articles are stored in a package.
    The stack in which the plurality of absorbent articles are stacked in one direction is compressed so that the dimension in the one direction is smaller than the dimension in the width direction of the bag body to be the packaging body, and the dimension is the one direction. In a posture that coincides with the width direction, a pushing device that pushes the bag body from the opening to the inside through the biting prevention material, and
    It is characterized by comprising a sealing device in which the biting prevention material pushed into the inside by the pushing device seals the opening of the bag body arranged on the opening side of the stack. Package manufacturing equipment.
    

Images