Manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for disposable wearable article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11311425-B2
Application number	US-201916957126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2019
Priority date	Jan 16, 2018
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

In order to manufacture a wearable article of the first size, the introduction velocity is set to the first introduction velocity having a high velocity and the arrangement velocity is set to the first the arrangement velocity having a high velocity. In order to manufacture wearable article of the second size having a shorter length in the carrying direction than that of the first size, the introduction velocity is set to the second introduction velocity lower than the first introduction velocity and the arrangement velocity is set to the second arrangement velocity lower than the first the arrangement velocity and the drum velocity is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a disposable wearable article in which an absorbing body overlaps an external material, the method comprising:
an introduction step of introducing a continuous laminated body, which extends in a carrying direction, to an anvil roll at an introduction velocity, the continuous laminated body being to be used as absorbing bodies;
a slip step of carrying the continuous laminated body at the introduction velocity, the slip step being performed by sucking a tip end of the continuous laminated body on a peripheral surface of the anvil roll rotating at a drum velocity higher than the introduction velocity, with the tip end of the continuous laminated body slipping over the peripheral surface of the anvil roll;
a cutting step of intermittently cutting the tip end of the continuous laminated body on the anvil roll to thereby sequentially obtain the absorbing bodies;
a separation step of carrying the absorbing bodies, which have been cut in the cutting step, at the drum velocity along the peripheral surface of the anvil roll to thereby separate the absorbing bodies from the continuous laminated body in the carrying direction;
a first transfer step of sequentially transferring the absorbing bodies, which have been separated in the separation step, from the anvil roll to respective retention pads P of a turn drum;
a posture change step of allowing the retention pads of the turn drum to rotate around an axis line of the turn drum at a fixed velocity that equals the drum velocity, the posture change step allowing each of the retention pads on the turn drum to turn around a normal line of the turn drum to thereby change a posture of the absorbing bodies together with the retention pads;
a second transfer step of transferring the absorbing bodies from the retention pads of the turn drum to respective velocity-changeable pads and of a velocity-changeable roller at a receiving position at the drum velocity;
a velocity change step of changing a velocity of the velocity-changeable roller from the drum velocity to an arrangement velocity until the velocity-changeable roller reaches a delivery position from the receiving position;
a carrying step of allowing a carrying device to carry an external material at the arrangement velocity; and
an arrangement step of sequentially arranging, at the delivery position, the absorbing bodies over the exterior material carried by the carrying device,
wherein:
the introduction velocity and the arrangement velocity are each set to a respective velocity depending on a size of a wearable article; and
the drum velocity of the turn drum is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size of the wearable article.

2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the drum velocity is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size of the wearable article, the fixed velocity being higher than the introduction velocity and the arrangement velocity.

3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the method manufactures a first-size wearable article and a second-size wearable article, the second-size wearable article having a shorter length in the carrying direction than that of the first-size wearable article;
when the first-size wearable article is manufactured, the introduction velocity is set to a first introduction velocity having a high velocity, and the arrangement velocity is set to a first arrangement velocity having a high velocity;
when the second-size wearable article is manufactured, the introduction velocity is set to a second introduction velocity lower than the first introduction velocity, and the arrangement velocity is set to a second arrangement velocity lower than the first arrangement velocity; and
the drum velocity is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size of the wearable article.

4. The manufacturing method according to claim 3 , wherein:
the method manufactures a third-size wearable article having a length in the carrying direction shorter than that of the second-size wearable article; and
when the third-size wearable article is manufactured, the introduction velocity is set to a third introduction velocity lower than the second introduction velocity,
the drum velocity is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size of the wearable article, and
the arrangement velocity is set to a third arrangement velocity lower than the second arrangement velocity.

5. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein:
in a section from the receiving position to the delivery position, each of the velocity-changeable pads of the velocity-changeable roller is decelerated or accelerated by changing a rotation velocity of a corresponding servo motor.

6. An apparatus for manufacturing a disposable wearable article in which an absorbing body overlaps an exterior material, the apparatus comprising:
a first carrying device configured to carry a continuous laminated body, which extends in a carrying direction, at a variable introduction velocity based on a size of the wearable article, the continuous laminated body being to be used as absorbing bodies;
an anvil roll configured to:
rotate at a fixed drum velocity higher than the variable introduction velocity,
suck a tip end of the continuous laminated body on a peripheral surface of the anvil roll while allowing the tip end of the continuous laminated body to slip over the peripheral surface, thereby carrying the continuous laminated body at the variable introduction velocity, and
carry absorbing bodies, which are obtained by intermittently cutting the tip end of the continuous laminated body, along the peripheral surface at the drum velocity higher than the variable introduction velocity to thereby separate the absorbing bodies from the continuous laminated body in the carrying direction;

a cutter configured to intermittently cut the tip end of the continuous laminated body on the anvil roll to thereby sequentially generate the absorbing bodies;
a turn drum configured to sequentially receive the absorbing bodies from the anvil roll via respective retention pads of the turn drum, the turn drum being configured to carry the absorbing bodies at a fixed velocity that equals the drum velocity while each of the retention pads turns around a normal line of the turn drum to thereby change a posture of the absorbing bodies together with the retention pads;
a second carrying device configured to carry an exterior material at a variable arrangement velocity based on the size of the wearable article; and
a velocity-changeable roller configured to receive the absorbing bodies from the retention pads of the turn drum via respective velocity-changeable pads of the roller at a receiving position, the velocity-changeable pads being configured to transfer, at a delivery position, the absorbing bodies to the exterior material carried by the second carrying device.

7. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the turn drum includes turn mechanisms configured to independently turn the respective retention pads on the turn drum.

8. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the velocity-changeable roller includes: a pair of first velocity-changeable pads configured to retain both ends in a longitudinal direction of a precedent absorbing body among the absorbing bodies; and a pair of second velocity-changeable pads configured to retain both ends in the longitudinal direction of a subsequent absorbing body among the absorbing bodies.

Assignees

• Zuiko Corp

Inventors

• Inoue Daisuke
• UTANI Kouji
• Fujita Hideki

Classifications

• A61F13/15723

  Partitioning batts; Cutting · CPC title

• B26D7/018

  Holding the work by suction · CPC title

• A61F13/15764

  Transferring, feeding or handling devices; Drives · CPC title

• A61F13/15585

  of babies' napkins, e.g. diapers (A61F13/15617 - A61F13/15804 take precedence) · CPC title

• B26D1/40

  and coacting with a rotary member · CPC title