Tampon especially for feminine hygiene and a process and apparatus for producing this

An apparatus for producing a tampon from an approximately cylindrical tampon blank, comprising:

• (i) first and second groups of press dies, at least three press dies in each group, the press dies arranged in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal press axis and adapted to move radially inward toward the longitudinal press axis into a closed position so as to press the tampon blank into a tampon preform, the first group of press dies having side flanks so that when the first group of press dies are in the closed position their side flanks form guide surfaces for each of the second group of press dies, each of the press dies having an end face, the end faces collectively forming a generally cylindrical surface having a diameter when the press dies are in the closed position, each of the press dies having a press cutter having a distal end projecting from its end face toward the longitudinal press axis, the distal ends of the press cutters are extended to an essentially equal radial distance from the longitudinal press axis in forming the tampon preform, each of the press cutters adapted to form a groove in the tampon preform, leaving ribs extending outward from the longitudinal press axis between adjacent grooves, the ribs each having a distal end;
• and (ii) a stationary conical forming die arranged coaxially relative to the longitudinal press axis for softening the distal ends of the ribs, the forming die having an entry orifice having a diameter that approximately corresponds to the diameter of the generally cylindrical surface formed by the end faces of the press dies in the closed position, and a smaller exit orifice.