CN111526844A - Method for manufacturing absorbent article and apparatus for manufacturing absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an absorbent article (1) having an absorbent main body (10) and a first waist section (20), comprising: a conveying step of conveying the non-stretchable sheets (21, 22) constituting the first waist section (20) in a conveying direction; a bonding region forming step of forming a bonding region (41) by providing an adhesive in a predetermined region of the conveyed non-stretchable sheet (21, 22); and a stretchable sheet joining step of joining the stretchable sheet (24) in a state of being stretched in the conveying direction to the non-stretchable sheet (21, 22) with the adhesive region (41) interposed between the stretchable sheet and the non-stretchable sheet (21, 22), wherein in the stretchable sheet joining step, the stretchable sheet (24) is joined in the following manner: in the intersecting direction intersecting the conveying direction, the end (41a) of the bonding region (41) on the first side is positioned beyond the end (24a) of the stretchable sheet (24) on the first side toward the first end.

Description

Manufacturing method of absorbent article and manufacturing apparatus of absorbent article

technical field

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of an absorbent article and a manufacturing apparatus of the absorbent article.

Background technique

Disposable diapers are known as examples of absorbent articles. Patent Document 1 discloses a disposable diaper in which an absorptive main body is bridged between a front body outer body and a back body outer body, and the front body and the back body are provided on both side edges in the width direction of the front body and the back body. joined to each other to form a waist opening. In the front body outer body and the back body outer body, the waist elastic member is fixed in an extended state between the inner sheet and the outer sheet (non-stretchable sheet).

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-138795.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Invention to solve problem

For such a disposable diaper (absorbent article), a flat stretchable sheet (eg, an elastic nonwoven sheet) may be used as a waist elastic member. By using such an elastic sheet, the front body outer body and the back body outer body (waist part) can be brought into close contact with the wearer's body on the ground. Therefore, this can suppress the situation where the elastic member leaves a mark on the wearer's skin.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method and the like of an absorbent article that suppress curling of the waist opening side end portion of the elastic sheet provided in the waist portion.

solution to the problem

However, in the process of manufacturing such an absorbent article, after the stretchable sheet is fixed in the stretched state and then released from the stretched state, the stretchable sheet is shrunk and the tension of the end portion is reduced, and there is an end portion of the stretchable sheet A condition where the area is curled upwards. The stretchable sheet is laminated to itself in the thickness direction in the curled-up region, locally increasing the stretching force, and there is a risk of discomfort to the wearer, for example, by subjecting the wearer's skin to strong compression.

In addition, when the edge part of the waist opening side (waist opening side) of the elastic sheet is curled and folded, the elastic force increases accordingly in the folded part of the elastic sheet. As a result, the stretching force in the waist region becomes higher than the designed force, and the waist opening is more difficult to open when the absorbent article is put on.

The main aspect of the present invention for realizing the above-mentioned aspect is a method of manufacturing an absorbent article having an absorbent main body and a first waist portion, the method comprising: conveying a configuration as the first waist portion in a conveying direction A conveying step of a non-stretchable sheet of a member; an adhesive area forming step of forming an adhesive area by disposing an adhesive on a predetermined area of the non-stretchable sheet being conveyed; using the adhesive area to The stretchable sheet joining step in which the stretchable sheet in the state extended in the conveying direction is joined to the non-stretchable sheet, in the stretchable sheet joining step, the stretchable sheet is joined as follows: The first side end of the first side of the bonding area in the intersecting direction is positioned on the first side with respect to the first side end of the stretchable sheet, wherein the intersecting direction is the same as the conveying direction The direction in which the directions intersect.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

effect of invention

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the manufacturing method of the absorbent article which suppresses the curl of the waist opening side edge part of the elastic sheet provided in the waist part can be provided.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable diaper 1 (hereinafter, referred to as "diaper").

Figure 2 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and extended state.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part of the manufacturing steps of the abdominal waist portion 20 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the conveying line of the abdominal waist portion 20 , and shows the content of processing performed in each step shown in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the first adhesive region 41 has been formed on the exterior continuous sheet 25s.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along B-B in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the stretchable sheet 24 has been joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s in the first adhesive region 41 .

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a comparative example in which the first side end 41a of the first adhesive region 41 is positioned at the second side in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end 24a of the elastic sheet 24 The elastic sheet 24 is joined side by side.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along C-C in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the second adhesive region 43 has been formed on the stretchable sheet 24 .

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along D-D in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the outer layer sheet 22 covers the stretchable sheet 24 .

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modification of the covering step.

Detailed ways

At least the following matters will become clear from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

A manufacturing method of an absorbent article having an absorbent main body and a first waist portion, the method comprising: a conveying step of conveying a non-stretchable sheet as a constituent member of the first waist portion in a conveying direction; An adhesive area forming step of providing an adhesive on a predetermined area of the non-stretchable sheet being conveyed to form an adhesive area; using the adhesive area to expand and contract in a state of being elongated in the conveying direction A stretchable sheet joining step in which a stretchable sheet is joined to the non-stretchable sheet, in the stretchable sheet joining step, the stretchable sheet is joined in such a way that the bonding area of the adhesive area in the intersecting direction is joined. The first side end of the first side is located on the first side with respect to the first side end of the elastic sheet, wherein the intersecting direction is a direction intersecting with the conveying direction.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the stretchable sheet is joined to the first side end in the intersecting direction, thereby suppressing the occurrence of curling of the stretchable sheet in the region of the first side end. Therefore, the waist opening of the diaper can be easily opened, and the wearer's waist can be prevented from being excessively contracted.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that after the stretchable sheet joining step, a predetermined sheet member is joined to the adhesive region extending beyond the first side in the intersecting direction A portion of the first side end of the stretchable sheet.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the entire area of the adhesive area in the intersecting direction is covered by the predetermined sheet member, and the adhesive is not exposed to the outside, thus suppressing the adhesive from adhering to the wearer's skin or other members Case.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that the predetermined sheet member is a portion of the non-stretchable sheet that has been folded toward the second side in the intersecting direction at a predetermined position, the predetermined The position is on the first side in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end of the stretchable sheet.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the non-stretchable sheet is folded at the predetermined position, thus restricting the movement of the adhesive forming the adhesive region to the first side in the intersecting direction with respect to the predetermined position. In other words, this configuration suppresses that the adhesive extends beyond the upper end of the abdominal waist portion when the diaper is placed in the pant-type state. Therefore, the wearer is less likely to experience discomfort.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that the method further includes a second adhesive region forming step after the elastic sheet joining step, the second adhesive region forming step being performed by The step of disposing the adhesive on a predetermined area of the surface of the stretchable sheet to form a second adhesive area, the surface of the stretchable sheet being located on the surface to which the adhesive area has been attached On the opposite side surface, the already folded portion of the non-stretchable sheet is joined to the stretchable sheet using the second adhesive area.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the already folded portion of the non-stretchable sheet is securely fixed in the state of being laminated with the stretchable sheet by the second adhesive region, thus suppressing the non-stretchable sheet from returning to its original state from the folded state state of the situation.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is preferable that the average basis weight of the part provided with the said adhesive agent of the said 2nd adhesive region is larger than the said adhesive agent provided in the said adhesive region The average basis weight of the part.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the basis weight of the adhesive provided in the second adhesive region is set larger, so that the bonding strength between the non-stretchable sheet and the stretchable sheet is locally improved, and The peeling of the non-stretchable sheet can be suppressed even when affected by an external force such as frictional force.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that the first side end of the first side in the intersecting direction of the second adhesive region is relative to the first side end of the elastic sheet on the second side.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the second adhesive region does not extend beyond the first side end of the stretchable sheet on the first side, so that the second adhesive region and the adhesive region are suppressed from overlapping each other. Therefore, this suppresses a situation in which there is an excessive amount of the adhesive, the adhesive smears out from the abdominal waist portion, and the adhesive causes hardening of the nonwoven fabric sheet.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that, on the second side in the intersecting direction, the second side end of the portion of the non-stretchable sheet that has been folded is relative to the second adhesive The second side end of the contact area is located on the second side.

According to this manufacturing method of an absorbent article, since a 2nd adhesion area is covered with a non-stretch sheet, it can suppress that an adhesive agent scatters from the 2nd side edge of a non-stretch sheet. Also, the adhesive does not adhere to the second side end of the non-stretchable sheet, so the area near this end is a so-called dry edge and remains soft. Therefore, the texture when putting on the diaper is good.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that in the step of joining the stretchable sheet, the stretchable sheet is joined so that the first position of the stretchable sheet in the intersecting direction is formed. The second side ends of the two sides are located on the second side with respect to the second side ends of the bonding area.

According to this method of manufacturing an absorbent article, since the stretchable sheet is arranged so that the adhesive region does not extend beyond the second side end of the stretchable sheet, it is possible to suppress the adhesive from adhering to the wearer in the second side end region of the stretchable sheet body condition.

In the manufacturing method of such an absorbent article, it is desirable that in the step of joining the stretchable sheet, the stretchable sheet is joined so that the first position of the stretchable sheet in the intersecting direction is formed. The second side ends of the two sides are located on the first side with respect to the second side end of the bonding area.

According to this manufacturing method of the absorbent article, the second side end portion of the stretchable sheet is less likely to be curled, so that the shrinkage force in this region is suppressed from being higher than the design value.

Furthermore, a manufacturing apparatus of an absorbent article having an absorbent main body and a first waist portion, the apparatus comprising: a conveying unit configured to convey a non-woven fabric, which is a constituent member of the first waist portion, in a conveying direction. A stretchable sheet; an adhesive area forming unit configured to form an adhesive area by disposing an adhesive on a predetermined area of a conveyed non-stretchable sheet; a stretchable sheet joining unit configured to utilize the The adhesive region joins the stretchable sheet in a state of being elongated in the conveying direction to the non-stretchable sheet, and the stretchable sheet joining unit performs joining of the stretchable sheet in such a manner that the The first side end of the first side of the bonding area is located on the first side with respect to the first side end of the stretchable sheet in the intersecting direction, wherein the intersecting direction intersects the conveying direction direction.

According to this manufacturing apparatus of an absorbent article, since the stretchable sheet is joined to the first side end in the intersecting direction, it is possible to manufacture an absorbent article in which curling of the stretchable sheet in the first side end region is suppressed. Therefore, the waist opening of the absorbent article can be easily opened, and the waist of the wearer can be prevented from being excessively contracted.

=== Implementation ===.

Hereinafter, the embodiment of the absorbent article manufactured by the manufacturing method of this invention is demonstrated using the disposable diaper for infants as an example. Note that the absorbent article according to the present invention is not limited to the disposable diaper for infants, but can also be applied to, for example, a disposable diaper for adults, sanitary pants, and the like.

===Configuration of Disposable Diaper 1 ===.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable diaper 1 (hereinafter, referred to as "diaper"). Fig. 2 is a plan view of the diaper 1 in an unfolded and extended state. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in FIG. 2 .

In the state of the underpants shape shown in FIG. 1 , the diaper 1 has an up-down direction and a left-right direction, and includes a waist opening BH and a pair of leg openings LH. With respect to the up-down direction, the waist opening BH side is the upper side, and the crotch side is the lower side. Also, as shown in FIG. 3 , the thickness direction refers to the direction in which the constituent members of the diaper 1 overlap each other, the skin side refers to the side in contact with the wearer in the thickness direction, and the non-skin side refers to the side that is not in contact with the wearer in the thickness direction. the side that the user contacts.

The diaper 1 further includes the absorbent main body 10, the abdominal waist part 20, and the back waist part 30, which are three members which are rectangular in plan view. The abdominal waist part 20 (first waist part) is in contact with the wearer's abdominal region, and the back waist part 30 (second waist part) is in contact with the wearer's back region.

When the diaper 1 is in the unfolded state shown in FIG. 2 , the abdominal waist portion 20 and the back waist portion 30 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof matches the left-right direction of the diaper 1 . One end in the longitudinal direction of the absorptive main body 10 is arranged in the center portion of the abdominal waist portion 20 with respect to the left-right direction, and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the absorptive main body 10 is disposed in the back side The center part with respect to the left-right direction of the waist part 30.

When the diaper 1 is in the unfolded state shown in FIG. 2 , the absorptive main body 10 is folded once at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction so that the longitudinal direction of the absorptive main body 10 matches the vertical direction of the diaper 1 . The pair of joining regions 2 is obtained by joining both side ends of the abdominal waist portion 20 in the left-right direction of the diaper 1 to both side ends of the back waist portion 30 using heat welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like to form a pair of joining regions 2 . The diaper 1 in the state of the underpants shape shown in FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the absorptive main body 10 includes an absorber 11 , a liquid-permeable topsheet 12 disposed on the skin side of the absorber 11 , and a liquid-impermeable back sheet 13 disposed on the non-skin side of the absorber 11 . and the outer layer sheet 14 arranged on the non-skin side of the back sheet 13 .

The absorber 11 includes an absorptive core 11A that absorbs and retains excretion fluid such as urine, and a liquid-permeable core wrap sheet 11B that covers the absorptive core 11A. For example, the absorbent core 11A is composed of liquid-absorbent fibers such as pulp containing superabsorbent polymer (SAP), which are molded into a predetermined shape.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 , leg elastic members 15 are provided on both sides of the absorbent body 10 in the left-right direction, thereby allowing the diaper 1 to fit the wearer's legs. For example, the leg elastic members 15 are fixed between the two outer layer sheets 14 folded inward in the left-right direction in a state of being elongated in the longitudinal direction of the absorbent main body 10 . The leg elastic member 15 is a linear elastic member, a stretchable sheet, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the abdominal waist portion 20 and the back waist portion 30 include inner layer sheets 21 and 31 , outer layer sheets 22 and 32 respectively covering the inner layer sheets 21 and 31 , and a plurality of linear elastic members 23 and 33.

The outer-layer sheets 22 and 32 are arranged on the non-skin side of the inner-layer sheets 21 and 31 . The inner-layer sheets 21 and 31 and the outer-layer sheets 22 and 32 are arranged on the non-skin side of the absorptive main body 10 . .

The inner-layer sheets 21 and 31 and the outer-layer sheets 22 and 32 are all non-stretchable sheets having substantially no stretchability in the left-right direction of the diaper 1 . The inner layer sheets 21 and 31 and the outer layer sheets 22 and 32 can be made of SMS nonwoven sheets (spunbond/meltblown/spunbond nonwoven sheets), spunbond nonwoven sheets, breathable nonwoven sheets, plastic sheets , a porous plastic sheet, or a laminate comprising any of the above layers.

The linear elastic members 23 and 33 are arranged side by side between the inner layer sheets 21 and 31 and the outer layer sheets 22 and 32, respectively, in the up-down direction, and are fixed in a state of being elongated in the left-right direction. Therefore, the abdominal waist part 20 and the back waist part 30 can expand and contract in the left-right direction so as to fit the waist of the wearer. The linear elastic members 23 and 33 may be constituted by linear elastic members made of rubber, spandex, or the like.

In the back waist part 30, the linear elastic member 33 is arrange|positioned in the range from the upper end part to the lower end part. However, the linear elastic member 23 is not provided in the upper end part of the abdominal waist part 20, but the elastic sheet 24 which has elasticity in the left-right direction is provided. Note that in the present embodiment, although the lower end portion of the elastic sheet 24 overlaps with the linear elastic member 23 in the up-down direction, the overlapping is not essential.

According to the structure in which the elastic sheet 24 is provided instead of the linear elastic member 23 at the upper end of the abdominal waist portion 20 , the upper end of the abdominal waist portion 20 is in close contact with the wearer on the ground. Therefore, this suppresses local constriction, and it is possible to suppress the formation of marks by the telescopic member. In particular, since infants and young children have a swollen abdominal region, it is advantageous to suppress contraction of the abdominal waist portion 20 .

In addition, the stretching force in the upper ends of the waist portions 20 and 30 greatly affects the ability of the waist opening BH to open easily when the diaper 1 is put on. The stretchable sheet 24 has a property that it is easy to stretch from a natural state but is difficult to shrink from the stretched state. Therefore, by providing the elastic sheet 24 at the upper end of the abdominal waist portion 20, the waist opening BH can be more easily opened when the diaper 1 is put on, and the waist portion 20 and 30 can be prevented from already being fitted to the wearer. Then squeeze the ventral area.

The stretchable sheet 24 may be composed of a stretchable fibrous nonwoven sheet manufactured by any of various known manufacturing methods, such as a mass of 10 g/m ² to 40 g/m ² or more preferably 15 g/m ² Spunbond non-woven sheets, breathable non-woven sheets, needle-punched non-woven sheets, etc. composed of elastic fibers of up to 30 g/m ² . The raw materials constituting the elastic fibers are thermoplastic elastomers, rubbers, and the like. In particular, when the raw material is a thermoplastic elastomer, it can be melt-spun using an extruder as with a general thermoplastic resin. The fibers thus obtained can be easily thermally fused, which is advantageous for stretchable fiber nonwoven sheets. Examples of thermoplastic elastomers include styrene elastomers, olefin elastomers, polyester elastomers, and polyurethane elastomers. Any one of the above may be used alone, or two or more of them may be used in combination. The stretchable sheet only needs to exhibit elasticity in at least the left-right direction, and may exhibit elasticity in two or more directions. It is preferable that the expansion-contraction magnification in the left-right direction of the elastic sheet 24 is about 1.2 times to 3.0 times.

===Manufacturing method of abdominal waist part 20 ===

As mentioned above, the diaper 1 consists of the abdominal waist part 20, the back waist part 30, and the absorptive main body 10 arrange|positioned so that these waist parts may be bridged. In the manufacturing steps of the diaper 1, sheet members and the like, which are materials constituting the above-mentioned parts (10, 20, and 30), are subjected to various types of treatments such as joining treatment and cutting treatment while being conveyed in the conveying direction, thereby obtaining Diaper 1. A method of manufacturing the diaper 1 in which the stretchable sheet 24 is less likely to be curled in the manufacturing steps of the diaper 1 is explained below.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part of the manufacturing steps of the abdominal waist portion 20 . FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the conveying line (conveying unit) of the abdominal waist portion 20 , and shows the content of processing performed in the steps shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 5 includes side views schematically showing steps in the conveying line and plan views of the state of the abdominal waist portion 20 (exterior continuous sheet 25s) at each step.

In the present embodiment, steps S101 to S104 are performed by the conveying unit shown in FIG. 5 while the base sheet (non-stretchable sheet) of the abdominal waist portion 20 is conveyed (conveyed) at a predetermined conveying speed along a predetermined conveying direction. step). The “base sheet” of the abdominal waist portion 20 is an exterior continuous sheet 25s including a plurality of outer layer sheets 22 and a plurality of inner layer sheets 21, and the plurality of outer layer sheets 22 and the plurality of inner layer sheets 21 are in the left-right direction of FIG. 2 . are connected and cover each other in the thickness direction with the linear elastic member 23 sandwiched therebetween. A method of manufacturing a sheet member having the same structure as that of the outer continuous sheet 25s is known, and therefore will not be described here.

Hereinafter, the conveying direction is the direction in which the exterior continuous sheet 25s is conveyed in the left-right direction of FIG. 2 , and the intersecting direction is the direction intersecting the conveying direction. Note that in one step in the manufacturing process of the diaper 1, the outer continuous sheet 25s continuous in the conveying direction is cut along the intersecting direction (the direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction in FIG. 2), thereby forming a The abdominal waist part 20 (diaper 1) of each product.

First, a bonding area forming step ( S101 ) is performed in which an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive is provided on a predetermined area of the substrate (external continuous sheet 25s ) conveyed by the conveying unit from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction. An adhesive such as a bonding agent is used to form the adhesive region 41 . Note that in this specification, the adhesion region 41 is also referred to as a "first adhesion region 41" in order to distinguish it from the second adhesion region 43 to be described later. The step for forming the first adhesion region 41 will also be referred to as a "first adhesion region forming step ( S101 )".

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the first adhesive region 41 has been formed on the surface of the exterior continuous sheet 25s. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first adhesion region 41 is a substantially rectangular region formed to extend in the conveyance direction (left-right direction). The adhesive area forming unit provided above the conveying unit applies the adhesive to the corresponding rectangular area of the exterior continuous sheet 25s being conveyed with a substantially uniform basis weight. As shown in FIG. 6, the first bonding area 41 has a predetermined width in the intersecting direction, and has an end 41a located on the first side in the intersecting direction (corresponding to the upper side in the up-down direction in FIG. 2) and an end 41a located on the first side in the intersecting direction The ends 41b on both sides (corresponding to the lower side in the up-down direction in FIG. 2 ). Note that, in FIG. 6 , the first adhesive region 41 is formed to extend across the end 21 a on the first side in the intersecting direction of the inner layer sheet 21 of the exterior continuous sheet 25 s. In other words, the first adhesive area 41 is formed such that the end 21a of the inner layer sheet 21 is located between the end 41a and the end 41b of the first adhesive area 41 in the intersecting direction.

Next, a stretchable sheet joining step ( S102 ) is performed in which the stretchable sheet 24 in the state stretched in the conveyance direction is joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s by the first adhesive region 41 . In the stretchable sheet joining step performed by the stretchable sheet joining unit, the above-mentioned spunbonded nonwoven fabric sheet or the like which has been subjected to an appropriate stretching process such as gear stretching and the like in a state stretched in the transporting direction is transported. And the above-mentioned spunbond nonwoven fabric sheet etc. merge with 25 s of exterior continuous sheets, and are joined to 25 s of exterior continuous sheets. At this time, the stretchable sheet 24 is joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s by being arranged to overlap with the area where the first adhesion region 41 is formed on the exterior continuous sheet 25s.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along B-B of FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the stretchable sheet 24 has been joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s in the first adhesive region 41 . In this stretchable sheet joining step, the stretchable sheet 24 is joined so that the first side end 41a of the first adhesive region 41 is located on the first side in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end 24a of the stretchable sheet 24 . Therefore, in step S102 , the first side of the first adhesive region 41 in the intersecting direction extends outward (toward the first side) beyond the end 24 a of the elastic sheet 24 . Therefore, the end 24a of the elastic sheet 24 is surely joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a comparative example in which the first side end 24a of the elastic sheet 24 is located at the first side end 41a in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end 41a of the first adhesive region 41 The elastic sheet 24 is joined side by side. In this comparative example, the portion of the stretchable sheet 24 extending beyond the first adhesive region 41 on the first side (including the end 24a) is not joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s. In other words, the stretchable sheet 24 has a portion having high rigidity by being joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s, and a portion having low rigidity because it is not joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s. Therefore, when the stretchable sheet 24 is released from the stretched state, the portion having higher rigidity and the portion having lower rigidity undergo different amounts of shrinkage, and the end region (end 41a) having lower rigidity easily occurs in the thickness direction The so-called "curling" that rises up and turns back in the intersecting direction.

In FIG. 8 , the elastic sheet 24 has a folded portion 241 formed by folding (curling) the portion of the first side extending beyond the first adhesive region 41 in the intersecting direction toward the second side. In the folded portion 241, since the stretchable sheets 24 are themselves laminated in the thickness direction, the stretchable force in the conveying direction increases, and there is a risk that when the diaper 1 is put on, the shrinkage force around the waist of the wearer is locally increased Large and the opening BH becomes difficult to open.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, the first side end 24a of the elastic sheet 24 in the intersecting direction is joined to the exterior continuous sheet 25s, and thus curling of the first side end in the intersecting direction is suppressed. Therefore, this suppresses a situation in which the contractile force in the conveying direction (left-right direction) is raised higher than the design in the first side end portion (upper end portion in the up-down direction) in the intersecting direction of the abdominal waist portion 20 value. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is put on, the ease of opening the waist opening BH can be maintained, and the wearer's waist can be prevented from being excessively contracted.

Then, in the elastic sheet bonding step ( S102 ), the elastic sheet 24 is bonded so that the second side end 24 b of the elastic sheet 24 is positioned on the second side in the intersecting direction with respect to the second side end 41 b of the first adhesive region 41 The stretchable sheet 24 . In other words, on the second side in the intersecting direction, the first adhesive region 41 does not extend beyond the end 24b of the elastic sheet 24 . The second side end portion of the stretchable sheet 24 in the intersecting direction (the lower end portion in the up-down direction in FIG. 2 ) is an area where if the arrangement of the absorbent main body 10 or the length of the end portion 221 of the outer layer sheet 22 is changed , the area may be in direct contact with the wearer's skin. Therefore, if the adhesive (first adhesive area 41) extends beyond this area, there is a risk of the adhesive sticking to the wearer's body. In view of this, in the present embodiment, the stretchable sheet 24 is arranged such that the first adhesive region 41 does not extend beyond the second side end 24b of the stretchable sheet 24, thereby suppressing the adhesive from adhering to the wearer's body Case.

On the contrary, a configuration (not shown) in which the stretchable sheet 24 is joined in such a way that the second side end 24b of the stretchable sheet 24 is located in the intersecting direction with respect to the second side end 41b of the first adhesive region 41 is possible the first side. In this case, on the second side in the intersecting direction, the first adhesive region 41 extends beyond the end 24b of the elastic sheet 24, and according to this configuration, the elastic sheet 24 is similar to the configuration described using FIG. 8 . The second side end of the is less likely to curl, and the contraction force in the corresponding region is suppressed from rising above the design value. Note that, in the covering step ( S104 ) and the like described later, the portion of the first adhesive region 41 extending beyond the end 24 b of the elastic sheet 24 is bonded to a different sheet member (for example, the covering sheet 26 or the outer layer sheet 22 ) folded section). Therefore, there is little possibility that the adhesive contained in the first adhesive region 41 is exposed to the outside, and problems such as sticking of the adhesive to the wearer's skin are unlikely to occur.

Next, a second bonding region forming step ( S103 ) is performed in which the second bonding region 43 is formed by disposing an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive on a predetermined region of the stretchable sheet 24 . FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along C-C in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the second adhesive region 43 has been formed on the stretchable sheet 24 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , the second adhesive area 43 is formed by providing an adhesive such as a hot melt adhesive on the surface of the stretchable sheet 24 on the opposite side to the surface to which the first adhesive area 41 has been joined . In the present embodiment, the second adhesion region 43 is a substantially belt-shaped (rectangular) region extending in the conveying direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , the second bonding region 43 is formed by applying the adhesive in a spiral pattern or an Ω pattern along the conveying direction. Note that the second adhesive region 43 is formed by applying an adhesive to the stretchable sheet 24 (stretchable nonwoven sheet), and if the application range of the adhesive is too wide, the adhesive is present There is a risk of bleeding to the opposite surface of the stretchable nonwoven fabric sheet because the surface density of the stretchable nonwoven fabric sheet is not uniform. In view of this, since the adhesive is applied in a spiral pattern or the like along the conveying direction, the adhesive is provided only in a limited area of the stretchable nonwoven fabric sheet.

Also, in the second adhesion region forming step ( S103 ), the second adhesion region 43 is formed in such a manner that the first side end 43 a of the second adhesion region 43 in the intersecting direction is relative to the length of the stretchable sheet 24 . The first side end 24a is located on the second side in the intersecting direction. In other words, the adhesive is applied so as not to extend to the outside of the first side end 24 a of the elastic sheet 24 . As described above, the first adhesive region 41 is formed to extend outside the first side end 24 a of the elastic sheet 24 . Therefore, if the second adhesive area 43 is further formed to extend beyond the first side end 24a of the stretchable sheet 24, the first adhesive area 41 and the second adhesive area 43 are in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end 24a overlap each other in the region of the first side and there is a risk of too much adhesive in this region. In this case, the adhesive may penetrate into the abdominal waist portion 20, and the nonwoven fabric may be hardened, which may cause discomfort to the wearer. In view of this, in the present embodiment, the second adhesion region 43 is formed so as not to extend to the outside of the end 24a of the elastic sheet 24, thereby suppressing bleeding of the adhesive or the like.

Further, the second adhesive region 43 is formed in such a manner that the basis weight of the adhesive in the portion of the second adhesive region 43 to which the adhesive has been applied is larger than that of the first adhesive region 41 The basis weight of the binder in the part of the agent. Note that in the area of the second adhesive region 43 shown by hatching in FIG. 9 , the portion of the second adhesive region 43 to which the adhesive has been applied is actually applied in a spiral pattern or the like along the conveying direction. part of the adhesive. On the other hand, the portion of the first adhesion region 41 to which the adhesive has been applied is the entire first adhesion region 41 shown by hatching in FIG. 6 .

The second adhesive region 43 is formed so as to join the sheet members (eg, the outer layer sheet 22 ) in the next step ( S104 ). This sheet member is a member arranged to be closest to the skin of the wearer when the diaper 1 is put on. Therefore, there is a risk that the sheet member and the stretchable sheet 24 are separated due to the influence of an external force such as frictional force with the wearer's skin. In view of this, in the present embodiment, the basis weight of the adhesive provided in the second adhesive region 43 is increased to locally improve the bonding strength and suppress the separation of the sheet members. On the other hand, since the adhesive is provided substantially uniformly over a wide range of the first adhesion region 41, even if the basis weight is low, sufficient bonding strength of the entire first adhesion region 41 can be ensured.

Next, a covering step is performed in which the elastic sheet is covered on the skin side in the thickness direction by bonding a predetermined sheet member to the elastic sheet 24 with the first adhesive area 41 and the second adhesive area 43 24 (S104). In this embodiment, the outer layer sheet 22 constituting the exterior continuous sheet 25s is used as a predetermined sheet member.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along D-D in FIG. 5 , and shows a state in which the stretchable sheet 24 is covered with the outer layer sheet 22 . As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 , the outer layer sheet 22 (exterior continuous sheet 25 s ) has a portion (end portion 221 ) that protrudes to the first side in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end 41 a of the first adhesive region 41 . . In this step ( S104 ), the end portion 221 of the outer layer sheet 22 protruding toward the first side in the intersecting direction is folded toward the second side in the intersecting direction at a predetermined position F1 in the intersecting direction, and the folded end portion 221 covers the stretchable sheet 24 on the skin side (upper side in FIG. 10 ). Note that the predetermined position F1 is any position on the first side in the intersecting direction with respect to the first side end 24a of the elastic sheet 24 . In FIG. 10 , the predetermined position F1 is substantially the same position as the first side end 41 a of the first adhesion region 41 .

The folded end portion 221 of the outer layer sheet 22 is joined to the portion of the first adhesive region 41 that extends beyond the first side end 24 a of the elastic sheet 24 to the first side in the intersecting direction. In other words, the two parts of the outer layer sheet 22 are joined together by a part of the first adhesive region 41 . Therefore, this suppresses the return of the folded end portion 221 to its original state. Also, the entire area of the first adhesive region 41 in the intersecting direction is covered by any one or more sheet members (see FIG. 10 ), and the adhesive forming the first adhesive region 41 is not exposed to the outside, thus suppressing This applies to the case where the adhesive is attached to the wearer's skin or other members (eg, the waist portion 30 or the absorbent body 10, etc.).

Note that the predetermined position F1 is a position corresponding to the upper end of the abdominal waist portion 20 (see FIG. 3 ). In the present embodiment, the outer layer sheet 22 is folded at the predetermined position F1, thereby suppressing the adhesive forming the first bonding region 41 from moving to a position on the first side in the intersecting direction with respect to the predetermined position F1. In other words, this suppresses that the adhesive agent extends beyond the upper end of the abdominal waist portion 20 when the diaper 1 is in the pants-type state. Therefore, the wearer is less likely to experience discomfort.

Also, the folded end portion 221 of the outer layer sheet 22 is joined to the second adhesive region 43 . As described above, in the second bonding region 43 , the basis weight of the adhesive is set high so that the bonding strength at the time of bonding the end portions 221 can be improved. Therefore, the folded end portion 221 is securely fixed in a state of being covered on the elastic sheet 24, thereby suppressing the return of the folded end portion 221 to its original state.

At this time, the end 221 a of the folded end portion 221 (ie, the free end of the folded end portion 221 ) is located on the second side in the intersecting direction with respect to the second side end 43 b of the second adhesive region 43 . Therefore, the entire second adhesive area 43 is covered by the end portion 221 and the adhesive is less likely to extend beyond the end portion 221 . Also, the adhesive does not adhere to the end 221a, so the area near the end 221a is a so-called dry edge and remains soft. Therefore, when the diaper 1 is put on, the texture is good.

After step S104, the step of joining the absorptive main body 10, the step of cutting the outer continuous sheet 25s, etc. are performed, and the diaper 1 is completed. Note that the step of joining the absorbent main body 10 to the exterior continuous sheet 25s may be performed between step S103 and step S104.

<Variation>

In the covering step S104 in the above-described embodiment, the elastic sheet 24 is covered on the skin side by the outer layer sheet 22 folded at the predetermined position F1 in the intersecting direction, but a modification in which the elastic sheet 24 is covered by another sheet member is possible of. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modification of step S104.

In this modification, the outer layer sheet 22 is not folded, but a cover sheet 26 as a non-stretchable sheet is provided. The same member as the outer layer sheet 22 (for example, an SMS nonwoven fabric sheet, etc.) can be used as the cover sheet 26 . The first side end 26a of the cover sheet 26 is located on the first side at least with respect to the first side end 41a of the first adhesive region 41 in the intersecting direction. Also, the second side end 26b of the cover sheet 26 is located at least on the second side with respect to the second side end 43b of the second adhesive region 43 in the intersecting direction. The cover sheet 26 is joined to a portion of the first adhesive area 41 extending toward the first side beyond the first side end 24 a of the elastic sheet 24 in the intersecting direction, and is joined to the second adhesive area 43 .

According to this modification, the adhesive is not exposed to the outside, so the adhesive is less likely to adhere to the wearer's skin or other members, so the step of folding the outer layer sheet 22 can be omitted. In addition, the size and configuration of the cover sheet 26 can be freely changed, thereby enabling easy manufacture of diapers of various designs and sizes.

===Other Embodiments===.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments of the present invention are only for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention in any way. Various changes or improvements can be made to the present invention without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention covers the equivalents thereof.

For example, the elastic sheet 24 is not limited to being provided in the upper end portion of the abdominal waist portion 20 . The stretchable sheet 24 may be provided at any position in the abdominal waist portion 20 in the up-down direction. In addition, the structure may be such that the back waist part 30 (first waist part) has an elastic sheet, and the abdominal waist part 20 (second waist part) does not have an elastic sheet, or the abdominal waist part 20 and the back The waist part 30 may have the elastic sheet 24 in any case.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the so-called three-piece disposable diaper including the abdominal waist part 20, the back waist part 30, and the absorptive main body 10 was demonstrated as an underpants type absorbent article, it is not limited to this. For example, the outer sheet 14 may be a diaper (so-called two-piece diaper) in which the abdominal waist portion 20 and the back waist portion 30 are integrally connected.

Description of reference numerals

1 diaper (absorbent article), 2 joining area,

10 absorbent body, 11 absorbent body,

11A Absorbent Core, 11B Core Wrap,

12 front sheet, 13 back sheet,

14 outer sheet, 15 leg elastic member,

20 Abdominal waist (first waist),

21 inner layer sheet (non-stretchable sheet), 21a end (first side),

22 outer sheet (non-stretchable sheet), 221 end,

23 Linear elastic member, 24 Elastic sheet, 24a end (first side), 24b end (second side),

241 Folding part,

25s external continuous film,

26 Cover sheet, 26a end (first side), 26b end (second side),

30 Back waist part (2nd waist part), 31 Inner sheet,

32 outer sheet, 33 linear elastic member,

41 Adhesion area (first adhesive area), 41a end (first side), 41b end (second side),

43 Second bonding area, end 43a (first side), end 43b (second side)

Claims (10)

1. A method of manufacturing an absorbent article having an absorbent main body and a first waist portion, The method includes: a conveying step of conveying a non-stretchable sheet as a constituent member of the first waist portion in a conveying direction; An adhesive area forming step of forming an adhesive area by disposing an adhesive on a predetermined area of the non-stretchable sheet being conveyed; and A stretchable sheet joining step of joining a stretchable sheet in a state extended in the conveying direction to the non-stretchable sheet using the adhesive region, In the elastic sheet joining step, The stretchable sheet is joined in such a manner that the first side end of the first side of the adhesive region in the intersecting direction is located on the first side with respect to the first side end of the stretchable sheet, Wherein, the intersecting direction is a direction intersecting with the conveying direction. 2. The method for producing an absorbent article according to claim 1, wherein After the elastic sheet joining step, A predetermined sheet member is joined to a portion of the adhesive region extending beyond the first side end of the stretchable sheet toward the first side in the intersecting direction. 3. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 2, wherein The predetermined sheet member is a portion of the non-stretchable sheet that has been folded toward the second side of the intersecting direction at a predetermined position located at the first side end of the stretchable sheet. the first side in the intersecting direction. 4. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 3, wherein The method further includes a second bonding region forming step after the stretchable sheet bonding step, The second adhesion region forming step is a step of forming the second adhesion region by providing the adhesive on a predetermined region of the surface of the stretchable sheet, The surface of the stretchable sheet is a surface on the opposite side of the surface to which the adhesive region has been attached, The already folded portion of the non-stretchable sheet is joined to the stretchable sheet using the second adhesive area. 5. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 4, wherein The average basis weight of the portion of the second adhesive region where the adhesive is provided is greater than the average basis weight of the portion of the adhesive region where the adhesive is provided. 6. The method for producing an absorbent article according to claim 4 or 5, wherein The first side end of the first side in the intersecting direction of the second adhesive region is located on the second side with respect to the first side end of the stretchable sheet. 7. The method for producing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein On the second side in the intersecting direction, the second side end of the portion of the non-stretchable sheet that has been folded is located on the second side with respect to the second side end of the second adhesive region. 8. The method for producing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein In the elastic sheet joining step, The stretchable sheet is joined in such a manner that the second side end of the second side of the stretchable sheet in the intersecting direction is located on the second side with respect to the second side end of the adhesive region . 9. The method for producing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein In the elastic sheet joining step, The stretchable sheet is joined in such a manner that the second side end of the second side of the stretchable sheet in the intersecting direction is located on the first side with respect to the second side end of the adhesive region . 10. An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article having an absorbent main body and a first waist portion, The device includes: a conveying unit configured to convey a non-stretchable sheet as a constituent member of the first waist portion in a conveying direction; an adhesive area forming unit configured to form an adhesive area by disposing an adhesive on a predetermined area of the conveyed non-stretchable sheet; and a stretchable sheet joining unit configured to join a stretchable sheet in a state elongated in the conveying direction to the non-stretchable sheet using the adhesive region, The stretchable sheet joining unit performs the joining of the stretchable sheet such that the first side end of the first side in the intersecting direction of the adhesive region is opposed to the first side of the stretchable sheet An end is located on the first side, wherein the intersecting direction is a direction intersecting the conveying direction.

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