Manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of tampon

An apparatus for manufacturing a tampon, the tampon including a tampon main body having a cord, an accommodating cylinder accommodating the tampon main body, a pushing member movable inside the accommodating cylinder for pushing the tampon main body out of the accommodating cylinder, a leading-end part of the accommodating cylinder including a plurality of petaloid parts surrounding a leading-end opening of the accommodating cylinder, the tampon main body being formed by heating after pressing a cotton strip, said apparatus comprising:

• a pushing-member inserting mechanism configured to insert the pushing member into the accommodating cylinder through the leading-end opening;
• a first tampon main body inserting mechanism configured to insert the tampon main body into the accommodating cylinder, from a side including the cord, through the leading-end opening,
• the first tampon main body inserting mechanism including:
• a guide tube having an upper-end opening and a lower-end opening, and configured to guide the tampon main body inserted into the guide tube;
• a drive section configured to cause the guide tube and the accommodating cylinder to be connected by moving one of the guide tube and the accommodating cylinder towards the other and thus causing the guide tube to contact the leading-end part of the accommodating cylinder;
• a pressing part configured to press the tampon main body inserted into the guide tube so as to insert the tampon main body into the accommodating cylinder connected to the guide tube;
• and
• an air suction device configured to suck air from a rear-end side of the accommodating cylinder when the tampon main body is inserted into the accommodating cylinder,
• wherein the guide tube includes an air hole at an outer peripheral part of the guide tube and between the upper-end opening and the lower-end opening;
• and
• a bending mechanism configured to bend each of the plurality of petaloid parts outwardly in a radial direction of the accommodating cylinder in a bending process,
• wherein
• the guide tube includes
• a tapered part provided in a first end part of the guide tube in a longitudinal direction of the guide tube, wherein an internal diameter of the tapered part becomes smaller from the first end part of the guide tube toward a second end part of the guide tube;
• and
• a cylindrical part adjacent to the tapered part at an end side of the tapered part in the longitudinal direction of the guide tube,
• the drive section is configured to move the guide tube toward the accommodating cylinder on which the bending process is performed, and insert the accommodating cylinder into the guide tube from one end side in the longitudinal direction of the guide tube, and
• the guide tube is configured to guide the leading-end part of the accommodating cylinder into the cylindrical part to cause a leading end of the corresponding petaloid part to contact with an inner peripheral surface of the tapered part, and fit the leading-end part into the cylindrical part so as to cause the petaloid part to contact with an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical part, whereby the guide tube is connected to the accommodating cylinder.