Methods and apparatus for application of nested zero waste ear to travelling web

[0001] The present invention relates to disposable hygiene products, and more particularly to methods and devices for processing disposable hygiene products. More specifically, the invention relates to cutting and placing segments of one web to attach to a disposable diaper.

[0002] The invention disclosed herein also relates to an apparatus and methods for limiting the amount of waste. Generally speaking, the diapers comprise an insert or absorbent insert and a carrying part which, while wearing the diaper, supports the insert in the vicinity of the wearer's body. In addition, the diapers may comprise various other inserts, such as banded tabs, reusable fasteners, and the like. The raw materials used to make the respective inserts are usually cellulose pulp, tissue paper, polymeric material, non-woven material, absorbent material and elastic material, although sometimes specific materials adapted to the applications are used. Most of the insert raw materials are usually delivered in the form of a coil, developed and placed in the assembly line. As with many production processes, in ribbon processing applications, the goal is to minimize waste as products containing glued raw materials can not be sold to customers. In fact, due to the speed of the web processing machines, even minimal amounts of waste can cause a large reduction in performance.

[0003] In current systems, waste materials are reused. However, it takes time to retrieve recyclable materials from a defective product. Recyclable materials are therefore only collected after the defective product has been identified at the end or near the end of the process. As a result, the recyclable materials are mixed together, and the uptake requires an additional step of separating the waste components. It is therefore beneficial to use all the coils introduced, so that some of the coils introduced do not become waste. This goal is achieved thanks to this invention.

[0004] In the production of hygiene products such as baby diapers, adult napkins, disposable underwear, incontinence products, sanitary napkins and the like, a commonly used way of placing separate elements of one web in the other is to use a shifting and cutting applicator. The shifting and cutting applicator typically comprises a rotatable cylindrical vacuum die, a rotatable cutter roller and a transfer device. In typical applications, the introduced web is delivered at a relatively low speed along the vacuum surface of the rotatable die that travels at a higher surface speed, and after which the web introduced can "move". The blade of the knife mounted on the rotary knife shaft cuts off the segment of the introduced web, cooperating with the surface of the matrix. Said blade knife preferably moves at a surface speed similar to that of the die surface. After cutting off the web segment, it is held by the negative pressure exerted by the openings in the die surface and is moved at the forward die speed to the transfer point, in which the web segment is transferred to the traveling web.

[0005] Continuous refinements and competitive pressure have resulted in a gradual increase in the speed of operating disposable diaper processing devices. Due to the increase in speed, it has been necessary to properly improve the mechanical integrity and working efficiency of the applicators.

Summary of the Invention [0006] In the present invention there is provided a method for attaching wings to a supporting web as claimed in claim 1 and a device according to claim 5.

[0007] The present invention makes it possible to place webs that form wings with a non-square, preferably trapezoidal shape, on the moving web, eliminating or minimizing the waste present in the inserted web forming the wings. Lack of material waste is related to the shape of the selected wing pattern and its further processing.

[0008] The wing is part of the diaper that is gripped and pulled around the waist of the wearer. The wings are usually attached to the diaper at the first end and the second free end usually comprises fixing means such as a pressure sensitive adhesive or a velcro material. When the user grips the wing and pulls the flap, elasticity is provided around the waist area of ​​the diaper to allow the free end to be stretched around the waist of the wearer and connected to the diaper. The wings can be rectangular or have irregular shapes.

[0009] In the present invention a process is provided in which a rotatable knife or stamp with one or more cutting edges rotates with a corresponding cylinder in a synchronized manner to form wings, which preferably have a trapezoidal shape. The material of the wing is cut into two straps, one corresponding to the left side of the diaper and the other corresponding to the right side of the diaper. The fastening straps are then placed on the left and right webs forming the wings. The wing material is then cut using a stamp with a group pattern on a vacuum matrix synchronized with it.

[0010] Due to the trapezoidal shape of the wings, the resulting separate wing elements are, however, alternately placed in the correct orientation and in the incorrect (inverted) orientation. The inverted wing must be rotated 180 ° to the correct orientation, so that the wings together with the tape form on the napkin the left wing and the right wing.

[0011] In order to ensure the inversion of the wing pattern, the individual wing elements are raised, keeping the grouped wings divided by the wing rotating unit, which expands with a pitch large enough to separate the wings and provide a rotating distance for every other wing. Rotated wings are ungrouped and placed in the correct orientation.

[0012] It is possible to use two wing rotating units to rotate every second flap placed on the right side of the product and every other flap placed on the left side of the product. In this way, in the case of a single product, one of the two wings is rotated by 180 °.

[0013] Placing the wings on the support web can be done using a striking method (which will be described below) with discontinuous application of the adhesive to the support web or they can be vacuum transferred.

Brief description of the drawings [0014]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a process known in the art;

Fig. 2 shows a top view of a product in the form of a disposable diaper with a pair of wings;

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the wing forming web comprising a single wing detached from the web;

Fig. 4 shows a front view of a matrix cylinder supporting two wing-forming webs;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a bezadzpadowo grouped rear wing device and methods of the present invention;

Fig. 6 shows a staggered arrangement of the wings and alternate wing sizes;

Figs. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E are top views of webs forming the wings;

Fig. 7A shows webs with uncut alternate wings cut out by means of a punch, Fig. 7B shows webs with rotated bladed wings cut out by means of a punch, and Figures 7C, 7D and 7E show alternative wing configurations;

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a bezadzpadowo grouped rear wing device and methods according to the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a side view of the rotating assembly of the wing used to rotate the alternating wings;

Fig. 10a shows a front view of the rotating assembly of the wing used to rotate the alternating wings;

Fig. 10b is a front view of a rotary assembly of the wing used to rotate the alternating wings, wherein an alternative embodiment of the transfer form configured to have its shape and dimensions to match the alternative wing pattern is seen;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of two rotatable wing assemblies used for rotating the alternating wings on the left and right web forming the wings;

Fig. 12 is a side view of the rotating assembly of the wing used to rotate the alternating wings;

Fig. 13 is a front view of two rotatable wing assemblies used to rotate the alternating wings on the left and right web forming the wings;

Fig. 14 is a side view of the rotating assembly of the wing used to rotate the alternating wings;

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating assembly of the wing used to rotate the alternating flaps shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 16 shows a front view of a die, an ultrasonic binder ring and a vacuum system used to change the pitch of the wings from the slower web and to position and attach the wings to the faster moving support web;

Fig. 17 is a schematic view of the bezadekaded grouped rear wing arrangement apparatus and the methods of the present invention, with an alternative embodiment of the wing positioning means on the support web.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment [0015] The present disclosure is detailed and accurate to enable those skilled in the art to implement the invention, but the disclosed physical embodiments are only an example of the invention that can be used in other specific constructions. A preferred embodiment is described herein, however its details can be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.

[0016] Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of a prior art process for placing wings on webs during the diaper manufacturing process to obtain the intermediate product shown in Figure 2. In the present invention, it is possible to use this known in the state of the art. techniques for attaching the segments 12 to the web 10 using a different template, i.e. a new matrix 114 described below. The web 10 is a composite material used to make diapers, which is typically formed of a variety of materials such as plastic backsheets, absorbent pads and non-woven top sheets. A series of wings 12 is attached to the web 10. In the process shown in FIG. In order to place the wings 12 on the ribbon 10, a rotatable vacuum matrix 14 is used. Inside the die 14 there is a reduced air pressure, i.e. a vacuum (not shown), and a plurality of holes 24 extends through its surface 24 to allow the flaps 12 to be sucked onto the die surface 14. The web of the material 16 forming the thumb tabs is provided by means of rollers 20 and 22 to the die surface 14, where it is cut into segments using a rotary knife 18.

[0017] The surface of the die 14 constituting the die can include vacuum openings 24 in its smooth surface. In a typical configuration of the shifting and cutting applicator, a system of vacuum openings 24 is used to uniformly attract the introduced web to the surface of the die 14, and thus to the cutting point in which the knife blade 18 cooperates with the die 14.

[0018] In Fig. 1, it can be seen that in the prior art, the material 16 forming the flap tabs can be carried out at a first speed (individual wings 12 are then spaced apart), and the individual wings are then given a speed corresponding to the speed of the matrix 14. Typical the delivery rates can be 120 mm / product for administration, while the die speeds can be 450 mm / product on the die. The transition from the lower first speed to the higher second speed takes place at the cutting point, and the material 16 forming the thumb flaps slides over the die 14 until the cutting point. Immediately after passing at the cutting point 18 from a lower speed to a higher speed, however, it is desirable to subject the wings to negative pressure,

[0019] As illustrated in Fig. 2, the wing forming webs 16 may consist of two parts, 12a and 12b. Segment 12a is called the wing section of the wing 12, and the segment 12b is the wing section of the wing 12.

[0020] As illustrated in Figs. 6, 7A and 7B, the wings can have a trapezoidal shape, as will be described below. The trapezoidal shape shown in Figs. 7A and 7B is particularly advantageous for non-waste applications in which it is desired to limit or eliminate the off-cuts of the raw material. In another waste-free technique, it is possible to form two parallel rows of alternating webs 16 forming wings with wing sections of the wings 12 by applying a mirror image of the web 16 as shown in Figure 3, and arranging a mirror image of the web in a position shifted by half the length of the wing (not shown) ).

[0021] Referring to Fig. 4, a front view of a shaft 114 forming a phantom-supporting material 16 for forming wings (and later a flap 12) is shown here. The shaft 114 forming the die is preferably made so that it comprises two vacuum parts 116 separated by a central groove portion 118. The vacuum portions 116 are preferably mirror images thereof. The shaft 114 constituting the matrix is ​​symmetrical with respect to the central plane passing through its circumference. Each vacuum part 116 comprises several circumferential rows of round vacuum openings 24. Each vacuum part 116 may also comprise a peripheral groove 120 with an additional row of vacuum openings 24 located in the circumferential groove 120.

[0022] Still referring to Fig. 4, two oppositely facing die seats 122 and two opposite pairs of wing support portions 124 are shown thereon. The wing supporting parts can be formed in the form of inserts, with various vacuum systems, made in a form recognized by the user as being appropriate. Each die seat 122 is in the form of a groove extending through the surface of the entire die 114 forming the die. On each of the vacuum parts 116 there is one supporting part 124 of the wings. Each flap support part 124 includes a vacuum openings system 126 formed of a plurality of vacuum openings 24 located at or near the surface of the shaft 144 forming the matrix. It is possible to use several rows of vacuum openings 24,

[0023] Referring to Fig. 5, there is shown a schematic view of the bezadekaded grouped rear wing device and the methods of the present invention. The components of this wing applicator comprise a web cutter 210 that converts the introduced material 16 into a web forming the wings into two parallel bands (in this view not shown). After cutting, each of the wing-forming web materials is processed using a tape applicator 220 that allows the tabs 10 to be attached to the wings to attach the wings 12 around the user's waist.

[0024] After cutting and applying the tape to the wing forming web 16, the web 16 forming the wings is cut according to the pattern shown in fig. 7A using the wing stamp. The wing forming material 16 is cut according to the group pattern on the synchronized 230/322 die / punch combination.

[0025] Still referring to Fig. 5, the cutting blades of the wing blades 230 rotate in a synchronized manner with the corresponding matrix 232 to form blades that preferably have a trapezoidal shape. It should be noted that as shown in Fig. 6, wings 12 having different heights, H1 and H2, can be produced in this configuration by increasing or decreasing the feed rate of material 16 to the die / die combination 230/322. In this way, it is possible to move the material 16 larger or smaller before the cutting operation, resulting in longer or shorter wings.

[0026] Since the wing forming material 16 has already been cut into two belts, one corresponding to the left side of the diaper and the other corresponding to the right side of the diaper, it should be noted that two parallel 230 wing stamps are used to produce the arrangement shown in Fig. 7A on the split web 16. .

Due to the trapezoidal pattern of the wings shown in Fig. 7A, the individual wing elements obtained are alternately in the correct orientation A and incorrect (inverted) orientation B. The inverted wings B have to be rotated 180 ° to the correct orientation A, thanks to why the wings and associated tape form the left wing and the right diaper wing, as shown in Fig. 7B. As shown in Fig. 7B, in the correct orientation A, the shorter of the parallel edges of the trapezium faces outwards, left in the case of the left and right in the right side. Such a shape is desired to surround the user's legs when the wings 12 are pulled around the user's waist.

[0028] In order to ensure the reversal of the wing arrangement, the individual wing elements are lifted keeping the grouped wings divided by the wing rotating assembly 200 (see Figures 5 and 8) which comprises a series of transfer forms 234 radially moving from the minimum radius position R1 to a position the maximum radius R2 at the place of placing. The difference between R1 and R2 is chosen so that the individual transfer forms 235 can be ungrouped, allowing a distance to rotate every other wing, as will be described below with reference to Figs. 10a and 10b. The rotated wings are then ungrouped and placed in the correct orientation.

Referring to Fig. 7A, all wings 12 marked & quot; B & quot; on the material to be inserted 16A will be rotated 180 ° to position A. All wings 12 labeled & quot; B & quot; on the material 16B to be inserted will be rotated by 180 [deg.] To with A. orientation

[0030] It should be noted that the configurations can be changed as shown in Figs. 7C-7E. Figures 7C and 7D show wavy or curved wing patterns. Fig. 7E shows a trapezoidal pattern. In the case of wing designs of any shape, it is possible to cut out the slices as shown in Fig. 7E.

The clippings can be of any shape and size, they can also be on the edges of the wings and inside the wings.

Referring again to Figure 5, after rotation of each flap 12 labeled as "B", each flap is placed on the vacuum drum 240, rotated and lifted by a drum 250 with high negative pressure. Since the speed of the wings 12 must be increased to the speed corresponding to the speed of the carrier web 10, the high vacuum drum 250 rotates faster than the vacuum drum 240. Larger underpressure in the drum 250 compared to the drum 240 allows the wings 12 to be caught or entrained at a higher speed occurring at 250 reels.

[0032] Referring to Fig. 8, there is shown a schematic perspective view of a bezadzpadowo grouped rear wing device and methods of the present invention. As can be seen, two sets 200R (right) and 200L (left) rotate the wings to rotate every other wing 12 placed on the right side of the carrier web 10 and every other wing 12 placed on the left side of the support web 10. In this way in the case of a single product, one of the two wings is turned by 180 °.

[0033] As can be seen in Fig. 8, two types of transfer molds are used, non-rotatable transfer molds 234A and rotatable transfer molds 234B. The non-rotatable transfer molds 234A carry the wings "A" shown in Fig. 7A or those that do not require rotation. The rotatable transfer portions 234B carry the wings "B" shown in Fig. 7A. As the rotatable blades 200R and 200L rotate, the wings 12 are raised from the wing / die stamping station 230/232 and rotated about the pivot member 200, each pivotable transfer mold 234B being also rotated while the pivoting member 200 rotates, as will be described. below.

[0034] The wings 12 are then placed on a support web 10 and connected thereto, for example using an ultrasonic sealing ring 252, and the product obtained is transported further for further processing.

[0035] Referring to Fig. 9, there is shown a side view of the wing rotating assembly 200. The wing rotating assembly 200 is used to rotate the alternating wings and together with the entire device 200 also rotates about the central axis, each transfer form 234 moving radially from the position of the minimum radius R1 to the position of the maximum radius R2 at the place of placing and then back to from the position of the minimum radius R1. The difference between R1 and R2 is chosen so that the individual transfer molds 235 can be ungrouped, allowing a distance to rotate every other wing. Compared to rotating from the R1 position to the R2 position, not only the radius increases during the rotation of the conveying forms 234B, but they also rotate 180 ° about an axis perpendicular to the central axis. This can preferably be carried out using a screw arrangement (Figure 12). When rotating from the position R2 back to the position R1, the rotatable transfer molds 234B rotate back 180 ° so that they take the initial position.

[0036] Referring to Fig. 10a, there is shown a front view of the swivel rotatable assembly 200 used to rotate the alternating flaps. As can be seen, each of the transfer forms 234 includes vacuum openings 236 through which a negative pressure acts, supporting the wings on the rotating device 200 as they are rotated prior to placing. As can be seen, the transfer molds 234 have a trapezoidal shape that is roughly matched to the shape of the wings 12. In this view, it can also be seen that the non-rotatable transfer molds 234A retain their position with respect to the rotatable transfer molds 234B which rotate from their initial positions between the two non-rotatable transfer portions 234A and back.

[0037] Referring to Fig. 10B, an alternative shape of the transfer forms 234 is shown. In Fig. 10A, the transfer forms 234 are configured to receive wave-shaped wings therein, as described above. In the case of FIG. 10A, the transfer forms 234 are configured to receive trapezoidal shaped wings therein, as described above. It is advantageous to configure the transfer molds 234 to be matched to the desired pattern of the wings.

[0038] Referring to Fig. 11, there is shown a perspective view of two wing turning units 200R and 200L. Also visible are branched vacuum lines used for applying negative pressure to the transfer molds 234. The front view of this configuration is shown in Fig. 13 and the side view in Fig. 14.

[0039] Referring to Fig. 12, it shows a mechanism for rotating the transfer molds 234b. It can be seen here that screws 236 are used here, whereby the movement of the transfer molds 234B in the direction away from the central axis causes simultaneous rotation of the transfer mold 234B. The radially moving connection 238 provides a connection of the transfer mold with the screw 236, whereby when the threads of the bolt engage on the radially moving connection 238, a rotation is achieved.

[0040] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable wing assembly 200 used to rotate the alternating wings along the line shown in FIG. 12. The screws 236 are particularly connected to transfer molds or rotating units 234. Rotating the bolt 236 causes the transfer molds to move 234 relative to the pin-like rotating element 246. In order to bring the vacuum into the transfer molds 234 and hold the wings 12 in the correct position, a bifurcated vacuum line 244 is used. For turning, a cam 242 of the wing rotating element is used.

[0041] Referring to Fig. 16, it shows a front view of a rotatable vacuum wheel 114, an ultrasonic bite ring 252 and a vacuum system 124 used to change the pitch of the wings from the slower web and to position and attach the flaps between the roll 260 and the dome 114 12 on the faster moving support web.

[0042] In this embodiment, the aggressive vacuum system 124 on the high vacuum drum 250 pulls the wings 12 away from the vacuum drum 240. After this step, the wings "B" are rotated as described above. The carrier web 10 is inserted between the roll 260 and the drum 250 with high negative pressure. The ultrasonic bonding ring 252 connects the wings 12 to the carrier web 10 (see FIG. 5).

[0043] Referring to Fig. 17, there is a schematic view of a sageless grouped rear sash placement device 200, wherein an alternative embodiment of the wing placing means 12 on the carrier web 10 is shown. Instead of the vacuum suction system described above, into the carrier web Here, a rotatable body 274 with a protrusion is pressed in, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,475,225. The method disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,475,225 is called & quot; shock transfer & quot ;. In this embodiment, a non-continuous adhesive is applied to the carrier web 10 in the station 270. The discontinuous adhesive is applied at intervals ensuring its contact with the wings 12 supported by the rotatable body 200.

[0044] The above should be regarded merely as an illustration of the principles of operation of the invention.