Method and system for evaluating the distribution of an absorbent material in an absorbent article

A system for imaging a distribution of an absorbent material within an absorbent article, the system comprising:

• a radiation source configured to generate infrared radiation incident on an absorbent article comprising an absorbent material, the absorbent material having a spatial distribution within the absorbent article, wherein the infrared radiation within a particular wavelength range is more likely to be absorbed by the absorbent material than by other materials within the absorbent article, wherein the particular wavelength range is from 3 μm to 3.2 μm;
• and
• a detector positioned such that the absorbent article is situated between the radiation source and the detector, the detector configured to:
• detect a quantity of the infrared radiation within the particular wavelength range generated by the radiation source that was transmitted through a plurality of regions of the absorbent article;
• and
• generate data indicative of the spatial distribution of the absorbent material based on the detected quantity of the infrared radiation corresponding to the plurality of regions of the absorbent article.