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US 7,252,725 B2Granted
Absorbent composite product and process and apparatus for manufacture thereof
AssigneeNordson Corporation
InventorMartin A Allen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-layer absorbent product in a preferred embodiment includes a fibrous nonwoven top sheet, a fibrous nonwoven absorbent core layer, and a fibrous nonwoven substantially water-impervious back sheet. Each component layer or sheet is manufactured at a fiberizing station (i.e., melt spinning) and laminated together at a combining station. The preferred melt spinning apparatus is spunbond for the top sheet, meltblowing for the core layer, and a combination of spunbond and meltblowing for the bottom sheet.
Claims31
A method of manufacturing a composite absorbent article, the method comprising:
- (a) fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer to form a liquid-permeable nonwoven top sheet on a moving collector;
- (b) withdrawing the top sheet from the collector and delivering the same in-line to a combining station;
- (c) fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at a bottom sheet forming station to form a nonwoven, substantially liquid-impervious nonwoven bottom sheet on a moving collector;
- (d) withdrawing the bottom sheet from the bottom sheet forming station and delivering the bottom sheet in-line to a core forming station;
- (e) fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at the core forming station to deposit a nonwoven core layer on the bottom sheet delivered from the bottom sheet forming station to form a core layer/bottom sheet composite;
- (f) withdrawing the core layer/bottom sheet composite from the core forming station and delivering the same in-line to the combining station;
- and
- (g) laminating together the top sheet delivered from the top sheet forming station and the composite delivered from the core forming station to form a composite comprising a top sheet, a bottom sheet, and a core layer sandwiched therebetween.
5 more elements
A method of manufacturing a three-layer composite absorbent, comprising the steps of:
- (a) continuously forming a liquid-permeable nonwoven top sheet layer by (i) extruding a thermoplastic polymer into fibers and (ii) collecting the fibers on a moving collector to form the liquid-permeable nonwoven top sheet thereon;
- (b) continuously forming a nonwoven absorbent core layer by (i) extruding a thermoplastic polymer to form fibers, and (ii) collecting the fibers on a moving collector to form the nonwoven absorbent core layer thereon;
- (c) continuously withdrawing the top sheet and the core layer from their respective collectors;
- and
- (d) continuously laminating the top sheet and the core layer withdrawn in step (c) with a substantially liquid-impervious bottom sheet to form a three-layer composite.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing a diaper comprising:
- (a) fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at a top sheet forming station to form a liquid-permeable nonwoven top sheet on a moving collector;
- (b) withdrawing the top sheet from the collector and delivering the top sheet in-line to a combining station;
- (c) fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at a bottom sheet forming station to form a nonwoven, substantially liquid-impervious bottom sheet on a moving collector;
- (d) withdrawing the bottom sheet from the bottom sheet forming station and delivering the bottom sheet in-line to the combining station;
- (e) fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer into a core layer comprising a plurality of sublayers, the first sublayer being a fluid acquisition and distribution layer comprised of a first group of fibers and the second sublayer being a main absorbent layer comprised of a second group of fibers, the fibers of the first group being coarser than the fibers of the second group;
- (f) delivering the core layer to the combining station;
- and
- (g) combining the top sheet, bottom sheet, and core layer into a composite at the combining station.
5 more elements
A method of manufacturing in-line a composite absorbent article, the method comprising:
- continuously fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at a top sheet forming station to form a liquid-permeable nonwoven top sheet on a moving collector;
- delivering the top sheet in-line to a combining station;
- continuously fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at a bottom sheet forming station to form a nonwoven, substantially liquid-impervious bottom sheet on a moving collector;
- delivering the bottom sheet in-line to the combining station;
- fiberizing a thermoplastic polymer at a core forming station to form a nonwoven core layer;
- delivering the core layer in-line to the combining station;
- and
- laminating together the top sheet delivered from the top sheet forming station and the core layer delivered from the core forming station and the bottom sheet delivered from the bottom sheet forming station to form a composite absorbent article comprising a top sheet, a bottom sheet and a core layer sandwiched therebetween.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.