Method and apparatus for folding and opening-up wipes

A method of producing wipes in a three dimensional conical form from a flat piece of material by a wipe manufacturing apparatus, including:

• cutting a blank from a continuous web of material and putting at least two creases in the blank at a cutting and creasing station of the wipe manufacturing apparatus,
• folding the blank about these creases to create a pleated blank of planar form at a folding station of the wipe manufacturing apparatus, and
• opening out said pleated blank into a three dimensional conical form at an opening station of the wipe manufacturing apparatus,
• wherein said step of opening out the pleated blank into a three dimensional conical form involves imparting an impetus to it using a pair of counter-rotating drums between which the pleated blank is fed, and
• wherein the pair of counter-rotating drums are perforated with a plurality of holes and are operable to introduce vacuum suction pressure and/or air pressure during the step of opening out the pleated blank.