TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a manufacture method and a manufacture apparatus of a disposable wearable article.

BACKGROUND ART

Regarding this type of manufacture of wearable articles, a method has been known according to which a so-called cut-and-slip procedure is used to cut sheet pieces out of a continuous sheet to arrange the respective cut sheet pieces on a continuous web with an increased interval among the sheet pieces (patent document 1).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

[The first patent document] JP2007-260875 A

[The second patent document] WO2005/075163 A

[The third patent document] WO2014/006834 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Another method has been known according to which sheet pieces are received by retention pads on a rotating drum and the interval among the sheet pieces is increased by increasing the rotation velocity of the retention pads (patent documents 2 and 3).

In the case of this method, however, a mechanism is required to accelerate the retention pads. Furthermore, the retention pad has thereon an anvil to cut the sheet on the retention pads, which causes an increased inertia, causing a difficulty in the control.

Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a disposable wearable article for which no need is required to change the drum due to a change of a product size and the control is simple.

The manufacturing method of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a disposable wearable article in which an absorbing body overlaps an external material, the method including;

an introduction step of introducing a continuous laminated body S, which extends in a carrying direction, to an anvil roll2at an introduction velocity V1, the continuous laminated body S being to be used as absorbing bodies20;

a slip step of carrying the continuous laminated body S at the introduction velocity V1, the slip step being performed by sucking a tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S on a peripheral surface2fof the anvil roll2rotating at a drum velocity V2higher than the introduction velocity V1, with the tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S slipping over the peripheral surface2fof the anvil roll2;

a cutting step of intermittently cutting the tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S on the anvil roll2to thereby sequentially obtain the absorbing bodies20;

a separation step of carrying the absorbing bodies20, which have been cut in the cutting step, at the drum velocity V2along the peripheral surface2fof the anvil roll2to thereby separate the absorbing bodies20from the continuous laminated body S in the carrying direction;

a first transfer step of sequentially transferring the absorbing bodies20, which have been separated in the separation step, from the anvil roll2to respective retention pads P of a turn drum D;

a posture change step of allowing the retention pads P of the turn drum D to rotate around an axis line DL of the turn drum D at a fixed velocity that equals the drum velocity V2, the posture change step allowing each of the retention pads P on the turn drum D to turn around a normal line L of the turn drum D to thereby change a posture of the absorbing bodies20together with the retention pads P;

a second transfer step of transferring the absorbing bodies20from the retention pads P of the turn drum D to respective velocity-changeable pads30A and30B of a velocity-changeable roller3at a receiving position R1at the drum velocity V2;

a velocity change step of changing a velocity of the velocity-changeable roller3from the drum velocity V2to an arrangement velocity V3until the velocity-changeable roller3reaches a delivery position R2from the receiving position R1;

a carrying step of allowing a carrying device4to carry an external material21at the arrangement velocity V3; and

an arrangement step of sequentially arranging, at the delivery position R2, the absorbing bodies20over the exterior material21carried by the carrying device4.

On the other hand, the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing a disposable wearable article in which an absorbing body overlaps an exterior material, the apparatus including:

a first carrying device5configured to carry a continuous laminated body S, which extends in a carrying direction, at an introduction velocity V1, the continuous laminated body S being to be used as absorbing bodies20;

an anvil roll2rotating at a drum velocity V2higher than the introduction velocity V1, the anvil roll2being configured to suck a tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S on a peripheral surface2fof the anvil roll2while to allow the tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S to slip over the peripheral surface2f, thereby carrying the continuous laminated body S at the introduction velocity V1,

the anvil roll2being configured to carry absorbing bodies20, which are obtained by intermittently cutting the tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S, along the peripheral surface2fat the drum velocity V2higher than the introduction velocity V1to thereby separate the absorbing bodies20from the continuous laminated body S in the carrying direction;

a cutter1configured to intermittently cut the tip end S1of the continuous laminated body S on the anvil roll2to thereby sequentially generate the absorbing bodies20;

a turn drum D configured to sequentially receive the absorbing bodies20from the anvil roll2via respective retention pads P of the turn drum D, the turn drum D being configured to carry the absorbing bodies20at a fixed velocity that equals the drum velocity V2while each of the retention pads P turns around a normal line L of the turn drum D to thereby change a posture of the absorbing bodies20together with the retention pads P;

a second carrying device4configured to have an arrangement velocity V3and to carry an exterior material21; and

a velocity-changeable roller3configured to receive the absorbing bodies20from the retention pads P of the turn drum D via respective velocity-changeable pads30A and30B of the roller3at a receiving position R1, the velocity-changeable pads30A and30B being configured to transfer, at a delivery position R2, the absorbing bodies20to the exterior material21carried by the second carrying device4.

According to the present invention, a first-size wearable article and a second-size wearable article having a shorter length in the carrying direction than that of the first-size wearable are manufactured in the manner as described below.

When the first-size wearable article N1is manufactured, the introduction velocity V1is set to a first introduction velocity V11having a high velocity, and the arrangement velocity V3is set to a first arrangement velocity V31having a high velocity;

when the second-size wearable article N2is manufactured, the introduction velocity V1is set to a second introduction velocity V12lower than the first introduction velocity V11, and the arrangement velocity V3is set to a second arrangement velocity V32lower than the first arrangement velocity V31; and

the drum velocity V2is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size of the wearable article.

Furthermore, a wearable article N3of the third size having a length in the carrying direction shorter than that of the second-size wearable article is manufactured in the manner as described below.

Specifically, when the third-size wearable article N3is manufactured, the introduction velocity V1is set to a third introduction velocity V13lower than the second introduction velocity V12,

the drum velocity V2is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size of the wearable article, and

the arrangement velocity V3is set to a third arrangement velocity V33lower than the second arrangement velocity V32.

As described above, according to the present invention, the introduction velocity V1and the arrangement; velocity V3are set; to respective velocities depending on the size of the wearable article. The drum velocity V2of the turn drum D is set to a fixed velocity regardless of the size.

Thus, the turn drum D having a plurality of retention pads P has a small inertia and the drum velocity V2of the turn drum D does not require acceleration and deceleration.

Thus, the present invention provides a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a disposable wearable article, in which a drum replacement due to a change in the product size is not required and the drum control is easy.

