CN114080206A - Absorbent article and method for manufacturing absorbent article - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an absorbent article which can easily maintain the flatness of leg gathers and can reduce leakage of excrement. The three-dimensional gather (70) and the leg gather (80) are formed from a pair of sheet layers (62p) that face each other by folding back 1 side sheet (62) with 1 folding line (FL1) extending in the front-rear direction (L) as a base point. In the width direction (W), the pair of sheet layers (62P) continuously extends from a position (P1) in contact with a 1 st three-dimensional elastic member (751) positioned closest to the skin surface side (T1) when the three-dimensional gather (70) stands up to a position (P2) in contact with a 4 th leg elastic member (854) disposed on the outermost side in the width direction (W).

Description

Absorbent article and method for manufacturing absorbent article

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an absorbent article and an absorbent article manufacturing method.

Background

Fig. 4 ofpatent document 1 discloses an absorbent article having: 1 side piece arranged outside the width direction of the absorbent article with respect to the center in the width direction; a three-dimensional gather capable of standing up to the skin surface side; and leg gathers disposed on the outer side in the width direction than the three-dimensional gathers. The side piece is folded back with 2 folding lines extending in the front-back direction as base points.

The leg gathers are formed by folding the side sheet with one fold line (a fold line on the outer side in the width direction) as a base point. Since the leg gathers have a contracted region that contracts in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width, the planarity of the leg gathers is easily maintained. Thus, the leg gathers can easily fit the skin of the wearer, and can suppress local pressure on the leg circumferences of the wearer.

The three-dimensional gather is formed by folding the side sheet with the other fold line (the inner fold line in the width direction) as a base point. The three-dimensional gather has: a rising section that can rise via a three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion. The standing portion is composed of a folded portion folded back with the inner folding line as a base point and a non-folded portion extending from the inner folding line to a standing end edge. The end of the folded portion away from the inner fold line is joined to the non-folded portion.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese Kohyo publication No. 2018-511385

Disclosure of Invention

Since the end portion of the folded portion does not extend to the standing end edge, the excrement flowing on the surface of the absorbent article and moving outward in the width direction immediately comes into contact with the non-folded portion in the vicinity of the standing end edge, and easily penetrates into the non-folded portion. As a result, the excrement is likely to leak to the outside in the width direction of the three-dimensional gathers, and leakage of the excrement may occur. In order to reduce the area from the end of the folded portion to the rising edge, it is considered to fold the side pieces so that the folded portion extends from the inner fold line to the rising edge, that is, so that the length of the folded portion is equal to the length of the non-folded portion.

However, since it is difficult to fold the side pieces accurately, a gap may be formed between the end of the folded portion and the rising edge. Therefore, the excrement passing through the gap immediately comes into contact with the non-folded portion, and thus the excrement may leak from the three-dimensional gather.

Accordingly, an absorbent article that can easily maintain the planarity of the leg gathers and reduce leakage of excrement is desired.

An absorbent article according to one embodiment includes: a front-back direction, a width direction orthogonal to the front-back direction, and a thickness direction; a front waistline region, a rear waistline region, and a crotch region sandwiched between the front waistline region and the rear waistline region; 1 side piece arranged outside the width direction of the absorbent article with respect to the center in the width direction; and a three-dimensional gather and a leg gather. The three-dimensional gather includes: a rising portion that can rise via at least 1 three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion. The leg gathers have a contracted region which is contracted in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width by 1 or more leg elastic members having stretchability in the front-rear direction, and are arranged outside the raised edges in the width direction. The three-dimensional gather and the leg gather are each constituted by a pair of sheet layers facing each other by folding the 1 side sheets with the 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction as a base point. The pair of sheet layers continuously extend in the width direction from a position in contact with the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers are erected to a position in contact with the leg elastic member disposed outermost in the width direction.

An absorbent article manufacturing method according to one aspect manufactures an absorbent article including: 1 side piece arranged on the outer side of the width direction of the absorbent article compared with the center of the width direction; and a three-dimensional gather and a leg gather, the three-dimensional gather including: a rising section that can rise via at least 1 three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion, wherein the leg gather has a contracted region which is contracted in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width by 1 or more leg elastic members having elasticity in the front-rear direction, and is arranged outside the rising edge in the width direction, and the three-dimensional gather and the leg gather are formed of a pair of sheet layers which face each other by folding back the 1 side sheet with 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction as a base point. The method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises: and a sheet continuous body forming step of forming a composite stretch sheet having stretchability and having the pair of sheet layers so as to be continuous in the front-rear direction. The forming step includes: disposing a plurality of continuous elastic members including a 1 st continuous elastic member constituting the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members and a 2 nd continuous elastic member constituting the 1 or more leg elastic members on a side sheet continuous body in which the 1 or more side sheets are continuous in the front-rear direction; and a folding step of folding the continuousside sheet body 1 time so that all of the plurality of continuous elastic members are sandwiched between the continuous side sheet bodies.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of anabsorbent article 1 according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of theabsorbent article 1 according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along the section F3-F3 shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of theabsorbent article 1 according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a view for explaining the three-dimensional gather.

Fig. 7 is a diagram (1) for explaining a method of manufacturing theabsorbent article 1.

Fig. 8 is a view (2) for explaining a method of manufacturing theabsorbent article 1.

Fig. 9 is a diagram (3) for explaining a method of manufacturing theabsorbent article 1.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an absorbent article according to a modification.

Detailed Description

(1) Brief description of the embodiments

At least the following matters will be apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

An absorbent article according to one embodiment includes: a front-back direction, a width direction orthogonal to the front-back direction, and a thickness direction; a front waistline region, a rear waistline region, and a crotch region sandwiched between the front waistline region and the rear waistline region; 1 side piece arranged outside the width direction of the absorbent article with respect to the center in the width direction; and a three-dimensional gather and a leg gather. The three-dimensional gather includes: a rising portion that can rise via at least 1 three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion. The leg gathers have a contracted region which is contracted in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width by 1 or more leg elastic members having stretchability in the front-rear direction, and are arranged outside the raised edges in the width direction. The three-dimensional gather and the leg gather are each constituted by a pair of sheet layers facing each other by folding the 1 side sheets with the 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction as a base point. The pair of sheet layers continuously extend in the width direction from a position in contact with the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers are erected to a position in contact with the leg elastic member disposed outermost in the width direction.

The pair of sheet layers are continuously present from the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gather is raised to the leg elastic member disposed at the outermost side in the width direction. When rising edges of the three-dimensional gathers are present between the three-dimensional elastic member closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers rise and the leg elastic members disposed at the outermost side in the width direction, even if excrement that has flowed across the surface of the absorbent article and moved to the outside in the width direction seeps from one sheet layer (the sheet layer on the inside in the width direction in the rising state, the sheet layer on the non-skin surface side in the extended state) to the outside in the width direction, the seepage to the outside in the width direction can be suppressed by the other sheet layer (the sheet layer on the outside in the width direction in the rising state, the sheet layer on the skin surface side in the extended state). This can suppress leakage of excrement due to leakage to the outside in the width direction of the three-dimensional gathers. Further, since both of the pair of sheet layers overlap all of the leg elastic members in the thickness direction T, the flatness of the leg gathers is easily maintained, and the leg gathers are easily fitted to the skin of the wearer.

According to a preferred aspect, the 1 side sheet may be folded back such that the 1 folding line is disposed in the three-dimensional gather, and the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members and the 1 or more leg elastic members may be sandwiched between the pair of sheets. The fold line of the side piece is more pleasant to the skin than the end edge (edge having a cut surface) of the side piece. Therefore, when the three-dimensional gathers stand up, the fold lines of the side pieces that feel well to the skin touch the skin of the wearer, and therefore, deterioration of the wearing feeling due to the standing up of the three-dimensional gathers can be suppressed.

According to a preferred aspect, the absorbent article may include a constituent member disposed on a non-skin surface side of the 1 side sheet and directly or indirectly joined to the 1 side sheet, and the constituent member may extend outward in the width direction of the absorbent article from the rising edge. According to this aspect, since the rigidity of the leg gathers can be increased by the constituent member, the planarity of the leg gathers can be easily maintained.

According to a preferred embodiment, the constituent member may include a liquid-impermeable sheet having liquid-impermeability. Thus, even if the excrement moves outward in the width direction of the standing edge, the liquid-impermeable sheet can suppress the excrement from seeping out from the liquid-impermeable sheet to the non-skin surface side.

According to a preferred aspect, the pair of sheet layers may have end edges of the 1 side sheet in the width direction, respectively, and the end edge of one of the pair of sheet layers and the end edge of the other sheet layer may not overlap in the thickness direction. This makes it difficult for the edge of one sheet layer and the edge of the other sheet layer to come together against the skin of the wearer, thereby suppressing deterioration of the tactile sensation of the skin.

According to a preferred embodiment, the number of the 1 or more leg elastic members may be larger than the number of the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members. This can increase the rigidity of the leg gathers, and can easily maintain the flatness of the leg gathers.

According to a preferred aspect, the number of the 1 or more leg elastic members and the number of the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members may be 2 or more, and the interval between the leg elastic members may be smaller than the interval between the three-dimensional elastic members in the width direction. This can increase the rigidity of the leg gathers, and can easily maintain the flatness of the leg gathers.

According to a preferred aspect, a sheet joining portion may be provided between the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the non-skin surface side when the three-dimensional gather is erected and the erected edge, the sheet joining portion joining the pair of sheet layers with an adhesive. According to this aspect, the excrement passes through the joined portion and hardly reaches the sheet layer on the outer side in the width direction, and leakage of excrement due to leakage to the outer side in the width direction of the three-dimensional gather can be suppressed.

According to a preferred aspect, a region between the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the non-skin surface side when the three-dimensional gather is erected and the erected edge may be an inner non-joined region where the pair of sheet layers are not joined to each other by an adhesive. According to this aspect, since a space is formed between the pair of sheet layers, it is possible to suppress continuous infiltration of excrement from the sheet layer on the inner side in the width direction to the sheet layer on the outer side.

According to a preferred aspect, a region of the leg elastic member located further outward in the width direction than the leg elastic member located outermost in the width direction may be an outer non-joined region in which the pair of sheet layers are not joined to each other. According to this aspect, the leg elastic members disposed on the outermost side in the width direction are more likely to abut against the skin of the wearer than the regions located on the outer sides in the width direction. Therefore, in this region, since the pair of sheet layers are not joined to each other, the rigidity of this region does not become high, and deterioration of the tactile sensation of the skin can be suppressed.

According to a preferred aspect, the 1 side sheet may have a portion extending rearward while being bent outward in the width direction at least at a position rearward of the center in the front-rear direction of the absorbent article in a plan view of the absorbent article. According to this aspect, the side panels are easily arranged along the shape of the wearer's body (specifically, the boundary line between the buttocks and the legs (crease line)), and it is difficult to give the wearer a feeling of strangeness due to the side panels. Further, since a space for accommodating excrement (feces) can be secured, leakage of excrement can be suppressed.

An absorbent article manufacturing method according to one aspect manufactures an absorbent article including: 1 side piece arranged on the outer side of the width direction of the absorbent article compared with the center of the width direction; and a three-dimensional gather and a leg gather, the three-dimensional gather including: a rising section that can rise via at least 1 three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion, wherein the leg gather has a contracted region which is contracted in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width by 1 or more leg elastic members having elasticity in the front-rear direction, and is arranged outside the rising edge in the width direction, and the three-dimensional gather and the leg gather are formed of a pair of sheet layers which face each other by folding back the 1 side sheet with 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction as a base point. The method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises: and a sheet continuous body forming step of forming a composite stretch sheet having stretchability and having the pair of sheet layers so as to be continuous in the front-rear direction. The forming step includes: disposing a plurality of continuous elastic members including a 1 st continuous elastic member constituting the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members and a 2 nd continuous elastic member constituting the 1 or more leg elastic members on a side sheet continuous body in which the 1 or more side sheets are continuous in the front-rear direction; and a folding step of folding the continuousside sheet body 1 time so that all of the plurality of continuous elastic members are sandwiched between the continuous side sheet bodies.

Since all of the plurality of continuous elastic members are sandwiched between the side sheet continuous bodies, the produced absorbent article has a pair of sheet layers facing each other by folding back 1 side sheet, and extends continuously in the width direction from a position in contact with the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers stand up to a position in contact with the leg elastic member disposed at the outermost side in the width direction. Further, since both of the pair of sheet layers overlap all of the leg elastic members, the flatness of the leg gathers is easily maintained, and the leg gathers are easily fitted to the skin of the wearer. Therefore, an absorbent article can be manufactured in which the flatness of the leg gathers is easily maintained and leakage of excrement can be reduced. Further, since it is not necessary to fold the side sheet continuous body a plurality of times to form the sheet continuous body, an increase in the manufacturing process can be suppressed.

According to a preferred embodiment, the forming step may further include the steps of: an adhesive for bonding the side continuous pieces is applied to an intermediate region between a 1 st elastic region where the 1 st continuous elastic member is disposed and a 2 nd elastic region where the 2 nd continuous elastic member is disposed. According to this aspect, since the continuous elastic member is not disposed in the intermediate region, the rigidity is lower than the 1 st elastic region and the 2 nd elastic region. Thus, the adhesive is applied to the intermediate region to join the continuous side sheet bodies, thereby improving the rigidity of the intermediate region. This makes it difficult for the continuous sheet to wrinkle when the continuous sheet is joined to another member, and enables the continuous sheet to be appropriately joined to another member.

According to a preferred aspect, the composite stretch panel may have a low stretch region having a lower stretch ratio than a central portion of the composite stretch panel in the front-rear direction at an end portion of the composite stretch panel in the front-rear direction, and the method of manufacturing an absorbent article may include: forming the low expansion/contraction region in the sheet continuous body; and a step of joining the sheet continuous body to a continuous body that is continuous with a component member disposed on a non-skin surface side of the 1 side sheet, at least in a region overlapping the low stretch region. Thus, according to this aspect, since the sheet continuum is less likely to contract in the low stretch region, the sheet continuum can be easily joined to the continuum.

According to a preferred aspect, in the step of forming the low stretchability region, the low stretchability region may be formed by compressing the sheet continuous body and cutting the continuous elastic member. According to this aspect, the low stretch region is formed by cutting the continuous elastic member, and the rigidity of the sheet continuous body can be increased by compression. This makes it difficult for the continuous sheet to further contract, and therefore the continuous sheet can be easily joined to the continuous body.

According to a preferred embodiment, the method for manufacturing an absorbent article may include: a step of bending the sheet continuous body so that the 1 side sheet has a portion extending rearward while being bent to face the outer side in the width direction at least at a position rearward of the center in the front-rear direction of the absorbent article in a plan view of the absorbent article; and a step of joining the bent sheet continuous body to a continuous body that is continuous with the constituent member disposed on the non-skin surface side with respect to the 1 side sheet. According to this aspect, an absorbent article can be manufactured in which the side panels are easily arranged along the shape of the body of the wearer (specifically, the boundary line between the buttocks and the legs (crease line)) and the wearer is less likely to be given a feeling of incongruity by the side panels. Further, by bending the sheet continuous body, the position of the continuous elastic member can be easily adjusted as compared with the case where the continuous elastic member is disposed while being bent after the sheet continuous body is bent.

According to a preferred embodiment, the method for manufacturing an absorbent article may include: and a step of applying a main body adhesive to the sheet continuous body for joining the sheet continuous body to a continuous body that is continuous with a constituent member disposed on a non-skin surface side of the 1 side sheet, wherein in the step of bending the sheet continuous body, the sheet continuous body to which the main body adhesive is applied is bent. According to this aspect, height control for applying the body adhesive along the bend of the sheet continuous body is not necessary, and the body adhesive can be easily applied to a target position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the method for manufacturing an absorbent article may include: a step of forming the composite stretch panel by cutting the sheet continuous body; a step of bending the composite stretch panel so that the 1 side panel has a portion extending rearward while bending to face outward in the width direction at least at a position rearward of the center in the front-rear direction of the absorbent article in a plan view of the absorbent article; and a step of joining the composite stretch panel to a continuous body in which the constituent members are arranged on the non-skin surface side with respect to the 1 side panel. When the sheet continuous body is bent, a force applied to the inside in the width direction and a force applied to the outside in the width direction are alternately repeatedly applied to the sheet continuous body, and thus the sheet continuous body may not be bent as intended. Accordingly, by bending the composite stretchable panel alone, the composite stretchable panel can be bent as intended.

(2) Overall outline structure of absorbent article

Hereinafter, an absorbent article according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. Note that the drawings are schematic views, and the scale of each dimension and the like are different from those in reality. Therefore, specific dimensions and the like should be determined with reference to the following description. In addition, the drawings may include portions having different dimensional relationships or ratios from each other.

The absorbent article is, for example, a pants-type disposable diaper, a belt-type disposable diaper, a pants-type sanitary napkin, or the like. The absorbent article of the embodiment is a pants-type disposable diaper. Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of anabsorbent article 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of theabsorbent article 1 according to the present embodiment. The schematic plan view shown in fig. 2 shows an extended state in which theabsorbent article 1 is extended to a state in which no gathers are formed in a state in which the sidejoint portions 18 described later are unfolded. Fig. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along the section F3-F3 shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4a is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article at a position closer to the front waistline region in the crotch region, and is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the section F4A-F4A shown in fig. 2. B of fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the absorbent article at a position closer to the rear waistline region in the crotch region, and is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the section F4B-F4B shown in fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of theabsorbent article 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 6 is a view for explaining the three-dimensional gather. Fig. 6 is a view showing a state where a three-dimensional gather is raised at a cross section F6-F6 shown in fig. 5. Note that, even if the members are separated in the thickness direction for convenience, they are in contact in the thickness direction in an actual product.

Theabsorbent article 1 has a front-back direction L and a width direction W that are orthogonal to each other. The front-back direction L is defined by a direction extending to the front side and the back side of the body. In other words, the front-rear direction L is a direction extending in the front-rear direction in the unfoldedabsorbent article 1. Theabsorbent article 1 has a thickness direction T orthogonal to both the front-back direction L and the width direction W. The thickness direction T extends toward a skin surface side T1 on the wearer side and a non-skin surface side T2 opposite to the skin surface side.

Theabsorbent article 1 has a front waistline region S1, a rear waistline region S2, and a crotch region S3. The front waistline region S1 is a region that faces the front waistline (abdomen) of the wearer. The back waistline region S2 is a region that faces the back waistline (back) of the wearer, and includes a region where the body (buttocks) is placed when worn. The crotch region S3 is a region located in the crotch of the wearer and sandwiched between the front waistline region S1 and the rear waistline region S2. As shown in fig. 1, sidejoint portions 18 may be provided that join the ends of the front waistline region S1 and the ends of the rear waistline region S2 in the width direction W. The sidejoint portions 18 are defined by portions that mutually fasten the outer portion of the front waistline region S1 and the outer portion of the rear waistline region S2. As shown in fig. 1, in theabsorbent article 1, awaist opening 16 through which the waist of the wearer is inserted and a pair ofleg hole openings 17 through which the legs of the wearer are inserted are formed in a state where the sidejoint portions 18 are formed. Thewaist opening 16 may be defined by a front end edge S1F of the front waistline region S1 and a rear end edge S2R of the rear waistline region S2.

Here, fig. 2 shows a state in which the engagement at the sidejoint portions 18 is released and theabsorbent article 1 is unfolded. Theside joining portions 18 may extend in the front-rear direction L in the front-side exterior body 20 and the rear-side exterior body 30, respectively. In the pant-type absorbent article, the boundary between the front waistline region S1 and the crotch region S3 may be defined by the rear end edge of the sidejoint portion 18 provided in the front sideouter cover 20. Similarly, the boundary between the rear waistline region S2 and the crotch region S3 may be defined by the front end edge of theside joining portion 18 provided in the rearouter cover 30. The crotch region S3 may be a region where theleg hole openings 17 are provided.

The outer portion in the present invention means a portion occupying a fixed range in the width direction W including an outer edge in the width direction W, and the outer edge means an outer edge in the width direction W. The inner side portion in the present invention means a portion occupying a fixed range in the width direction W including an inner edge in the width direction W, and the inner edge means an inner edge in the width direction W. In the present invention, the front end portion and the rear end portion are portions that occupy a certain range in the front-rear direction L including edge portions in the front-rear direction L, and the front end edge and the rear end edge are edge portions in the front-rear direction L. The outer end portion comprises a front end portion and a rear end portion, and the outer end edge comprises a front end edge and a rear end edge.

In the present embodiment, theabsorbent article 1 may have theouter package 15 and themain body 40. Theexterior body 15 overlaps thebody portion 40 in the thickness direction T. Theouter body 15 may include a frontouter body 20 disposed in the front waistline region S1 and a rearouter body 30 disposed in the rear waistline region S2. The front sideouter package 20 is an outer package disposed on the non-skin surface side T2 with respect to themain body portion 40 in the front waistline region S1. The rear sideouter package 30 is separated from the front sideouter package 20 in the front-rear direction L, and themain body portion 40 is disposed on the non-skin surface side T2 with respect to the rear waistline region S2.

As shown in fig. 3, theexterior body 15 may have a cover sheet disposed on the skin surface side T1 of themain body portion 40. The cover sheet may have afront cover sheet 27 provided on the skin surface side T1 of themain body portion 40 of the front waistline region S1 and arear cover sheet 37 provided on the skin surface side T1 of themain body portion 40 of the rear waistline region S2. Thefront cover sheet 27 and therear cover sheet 37 may be made of a sheet such as a nonwoven fabric. Thefront cover sheet 27 may be formed of a portion obtained by folding back the sheet constituting the frontouter package 20 toward the skin surface side T1, or may be formed of a sheet separate from the sheet constituting the frontouter package 20. Similarly, therear covering sheet 37 may be formed of a portion obtained by folding back the sheet constituting the rearouter body 30 toward the skin surface side T1, or may be formed of a sheet separate from the sheet constituting the rearouter body 30.

The frontexterior body 20 and the rearexterior body 30 are made of a sheet such as a nonwoven fabric. The frontouter cover 20 may have a 1 stfront side sheet 25 and a 2 ndfront side sheet 26 positioned on the non-skin surface side T2 of the 1 stfront side sheet 25. The frontouter cover 20 may further include a sheet other than the 1 stfront side sheet 25 and the 2 ndfront side sheet 26. In addition, the rear sideouter package 30 may have a plurality of sheets. The frontouter cover 20 may have a 1 st backside sheet 35 and a 2 nd backside sheet 36 positioned on the non-skin surface side T2 of the 1 st backside sheet 35. The rear sideouter package 30 may further include a sheet other than the 1 strear side sheet 35 and the 2 ndrear side sheet 36.

Theouter package 15 may include a waist elastic member WE having stretchability in the width direction W. Specifically, the front waistelastic member 22, which is a waist elastic member WE having stretchability in the width direction W, may be disposed in the front waistline region S1. The rear waistelastic member 32 serving as the waist elastic member WE having stretchability in the width direction W may be disposed in the rear waist region S2. The front waistelastic member 22 may be disposed between the 1 stfront side panel 25 and the 2 ndfront side panel 26, and the back waistelastic member 32 may be disposed between the 1 st backside panel 35 and the 2 nd backside panel 36. The waist elastic member WE may be formed of, for example, a rubber thread stretchable in the width direction W or an elastic sheet stretchable in the width direction W. The waist elastic member WE may be constituted by theouter covering 15 itself made of, for example, an extensible sheet. The waist elastic member WE of the present embodiment is composed of a rubber filament.

Themain body unit 40 is disposed at least in the crotch region S3. Themain body portion 40 may be disposed in the front waistline region S1, the rear waistline region S2, and the crotch region S3. Themain body 40 may be formed separately from the frontouter package 20 and the rearouter package 30, and may be joined to the frontouter package 20 and the rearouter package 30 in the front waistline region S1 and the rear waistline region S2, respectively. Themain body portion 40 may include an absorbentmain body 41 and a pair ofcomposite stretch panels 60 arranged on the skin surface side T1 with respect to the absorbentmain body 41.

The absorbentmain body 41 has at least anabsorbent core 50. Theabsorbent core 50 comprises an absorbent material. Theabsorbent core 50 may comprise, for example, comminuted pulp or a Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP), or a mixture thereof. Theabsorbent core 50 is disposed in at least the crotch region S3. Theabsorbent core 50 may be disposed in the front waistline region S1 or in the rear waistline region S2. Theabsorbent core 50 may extend in the front-back direction L from the front waistline region S1 to the back waistline region S2. Theabsorbent core 50 may be covered by a core wrap.

As shown in fig. 3, the absorbentmain body 41 may have acenter sheet 43 positioned on the skin-facing side T1 of theabsorbent core 50, a liquid-impermeable sheet 46 positioned on the non-skin-facing side T2 of theabsorbent core 50, and a non-skin-facingsheet 47 arranged on the non-skin-facing side T2 with respect to the liquid-impermeable sheet 46. In the absorbentmain body 41 of the present embodiment, thecenter sheet 43, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46, and the non-skin-facingsheet 47 are arranged in this order from the skin-facing side T1 toward the non-skin-facing side T2 in the front side of theabsorbent core 50. In the region overlapping theabsorbent core 50, thecenter sheet 43, theabsorbent core 50, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46, and the non-skin-facingsheet 47 are disposed in this order from the skin-facing side T1 toward the non-skin-facing side T2. Thecentral sheet 43 and the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 may be disposed across theabsorbent core 50 in the thickness direction T.

Thecenter sheet 43 may be made of, for example, nonwoven fabric, as long as it has liquid permeability. Thecenter sheet 43 covers the center of theabsorbent core 50 in the width direction W. The liquid-impermeable sheet 46 may be formed of a film, for example, as long as it has liquid-impermeability. As shown in fig. 4, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 may be disposed on the non-skin-surface side T2 rather than theside sheet 62. Thenon-skin surface sheet 47 may be made of, for example, nonwoven fabric.

As shown in fig. 4, the absorbentmain body 41 may have a non-muscular-side sheet 48 disposed on the outer side in the width direction W than theabsorbent core 50. Thenon-muscle side sheet 48 may be disposed on the non-skin surface side T2 with respect to theside sheet 62. Thenon-muscle side sheet 48 may be made of, for example, nonwoven fabric. The absorbentmain body 41 may not have thenon-muscle side sheet 48.

As shown in fig. 3, the absorbentmain body 41 is joined to theexterior body 15 via the main body joining portion MB. In the embodiment, theabsorbent body 41 is joined to the front-sideouter package 20 via the front-body joining portion 28, and is joined to the rear-sideouter package 30 via the rear-body joining portion 38. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 3 and 5, theabsorbent article 1 may be provided with a non-joined region NBR where theabsorbent body 41 and theouter cover 15 are not joined. As shown in fig. 2 and 4, the length of the absorbentmain body 41 in the width direction W in the crotch region S3 at a position closer to the rear waistline region may be larger than the length of the absorbentmain body 41 in the width direction W in the crotch region S3 at a position closer to the front waistline region. The outer edge of the absorbentmain body 41 may extend in the front-rear direction L along thecomposite stretch panel 60.

The pair ofcomposite stretch panels 60 extend in the front-rear direction L on both side portions of the absorbentmain body 41, and are joined to the absorbentmain body 41. Thecomposite stretch panel 60 has stretchability in the front-rear direction L. Thecomposite stretch panel 60 has a pair ofsheet layers 62p as described later. The pair ofcomposite stretch panels 60 may have a pair ofside panels 62, a three-dimensionalelastic member 75, and a legelastic member 85.

Theside sheet 62 is disposed outward in the width direction W from the center C in the width direction W of theabsorbent article 1. Theside panels 62 cover the outer side of thecenter panel 43 at a position closer to the skin surface side T1 than thecenter panel 43. Theside pieces 62 are formed of 1 piece. The 1 sheet constituting the side sheet may be a single sheet or may be a 1-sheet laminated sheet in which sheets are laminated in the thickness direction T.

In a plan view of theabsorbent article 1, the 1side pieces 62 may have portions that extend rearward while being bent outward in the width direction W at least at positions rearward of the center Lc of theabsorbent article 1 in the front-rear direction L. The maximum width between the pair ofside panels 62 in the rear crotch region S3 is larger than the maximum width between the pair ofside panels 62 in the front crotch region S3. Theside piece 62 extends in the front-rear direction L while being bent. Therefore, theside panels 62 can be joined to thecenter panel 43 and thenon-muscle side panels 48 in the front crotch region S3. In the rear crotch region S3, theside panels 62 may be joined to thenon-muscle side panels 48 and the non-skin-facingsheet 47.

Of theside pieces 62, 1side piece 62 is folded back with the 1 st folding line FL1 as the 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction L as a base point. Theside sheet 62 may be folded back by 1side sheet 62 so that the 1 st folding line FL1 is arranged in the three-dimensional gather 70 described later. Therefore, the 1 st folding line FL1 is disposed inward in the width direction W of theside sheet 62. On the other hand, theend edge 62E of theside piece 62 in the width direction W is disposed on the outer side of theside piece 62 in the width direction W, that is, on the leg hole opening 17 side. Theend edge 62E of theside piece 62 is an end edge (edge having a cut surface) of theside piece 62 itself.

A pair ofsheet layers 62p facing each other by folding back 1side sheet 62 with the 1 st folding line FL1 as a base point are formed. The pair ofsheets 62p has a 1st sheet 621 and a 2nd sheet 622. The 1st sheet 621 is disposed at least on the outer side in the width direction W in a state where the three-dimensional gathers are raised, and the 2nd sheet 622 is disposed at least on the inner side in the width direction W. The 1st sheet layer 621 is disposed on the skin surface side T1 in an extended state in which the absorbent article is extended until no wrinkles of the three-dimensional gathers are visible, and the 2nd sheet layer 622 is disposed on the non-skin surface side T2. The 1 st fold line FL1 may define the intersection of the 1st sheet 621 and the 2nd sheet 622.

As shown in fig. 4, the pair ofsheet layers 62p may be further folded back on the inner side in the width direction W of theside sheet 62 with the 2 nd folding line FL2 as a folding line extending in the front-rear direction L as a base point. In the folded-back portion of the pair ofsheet layers 62p, the 1st sheet layer 621 may be disposed on the non-skin-surface side T2, and the 2nd sheet layer 622 may be disposed on the skin-surface side T1.

Each of the pair ofsheet layers 62p, i.e., the 1st sheet layer 621 and the 2nd sheet layer 622 may have anend edge 62E of 1side sheet 62. In the embodiment, theend edge 62E of the 1st sheet layer 621 and theend edge 62E of the 2nd sheet layer 622 overlap in the thickness direction T. As shown in fig. 4, theend edge 62E of theside panel 62 may be disposed inward in the width direction W of the absorbentmain body 41 with respect to the side edge in the width direction W. This makes it difficult for the end edges 62E of theside pieces 62 to abut against the skin of the wearer, and suppresses deterioration in the tactile sensation of the skin.

The three-dimensionalelastic member 75 is an elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction L. The three-dimensional gathers 70 can rise to the skin surface side T1 by contraction of the three-dimensionalelastic member 75. The three-dimensionalelastic member 75 may be formed of, for example, a rubber thread or an elastic sheet. The three-dimensionalelastic member 75 is formed of 1 or more elastic members. When the number of the three-dimensionalelastic members 75 is 2 or more, the three-dimensionalelastic members 75 may be arranged with a space in the width direction W. In the present embodiment, the three-dimensionalelastic member 75 is composed of a 1 st three-dimensionalelastic member 751 and a 2 nd three-dimensionalelastic member 752. As shown in fig. 6, the 1 st stereoscopicelastic member 751 is positioned closest to the skin surface side T1 when the stereoscopic gathers 70 are erected. Therefore, the 1 st three-dimensionalelastic member 751 is disposed at a position closest to the apex Ap of the three-dimensional gather 70. On the other hand, the 2 nd three-dimensionalelastic member 752 is positioned closest to the non-skin surface side T2 when the three-dimensional gather 70 is erected. Therefore, the 2 nd three-dimensionalelastic member 752 is disposed at a position farthest from the apex Ap (1 st folding line FL) of the three-dimensional gather 70 in the direction along theside sheet 62. In the present embodiment, since the side piece 62 (the pair ofpieces 62p) is further folded back with the 2 nd folding line FL2 as a base point, the 1 st stereoscopicelastic member 751 is arranged more outside than the 2 nd stereoscopicelastic member 752 in the width direction W in fig. 4. That is, the 1 stelastic member 751 may be disposed on the outer side in the width direction W than the 2 ndelastic member 752 in the non-standing state, but may be located on the inner side in the width direction W than the 2 ndelastic member 752 and on the skin surface side than the 2 ndelastic member 752 in the standing state. In addition, although the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gather 70 is raised is the 1 st three-dimensionalelastic member 751 in the present embodiment, it may be the 2 nd three-dimensionalelastic member 752. The three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers 70 are erected may be a three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side at the center in the front-rear direction of the crotch region.

As shown in fig. 4, theabsorbent article 1 may have a joint portion (sheet inside joint portion) 63 in which the pair ofsheet layers 62p are joined to each other with an adhesive between the 2 nd stereoscopic elastic member 752 (elastic member positioned closest to the non-skin surface side T2 when the stereoscopic gather 70 is erected) and the erectededge 73 described later. The sheet interior joint 63 may be HMA (hot melt adhesive), for example.

The legelastic member 85 is an elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction L. The legelastic member 85 is disposed outside in the width direction W of a standingedge 73 serving as a standing fulcrum of a standingportion 72 described later. The legelastic member 85 may be composed of, for example, a rubber wire or an elastic sheet. The legelastic member 85 is constituted by 1 or more elastic members. When the number of the legelastic members 85 is 2 or more, the legelastic members 85 may be arranged with a space in the width direction W. When the number of the legelastic members 85 and the number of the three-dimensionalelastic members 75 are 2 or more, the interval between the legelastic members 85 may be smaller than the interval between the three-dimensionalelastic members 75 in the width direction W. In addition, the number of the legelastic members 85 may be greater than the number of the stereoscopicelastic members 75.

In the present embodiment, the legelastic member 85 is composed of a 1 st legelastic member 851, a 2 nd legelastic member 852, a 3 rd legelastic member 853, and a 4 th legelastic member 854. Among the 1 or more legelastic members 85, the 1 st legelastic member 851 is disposed innermost in the width direction W, and the 4 th legelastic member 854 is disposed outermost in the width direction W. A contractedregion 85R contracted by contraction of the legelastic member 85 in the front-rear direction L by a predetermined width is provided. The width of the contractedregion 85R is a length in the width direction W from at least the innermost leg elastic member 85 (i.e., the 1 st leg elastic member 851) to the outermost leg elastic member 85 (i.e., the 4 th leg elastic member 854). As shown in fig. 4, the length of the contractedregion 85R may be greater than the length from the innermost legelastic member 85 to the outermost legelastic member 85. In the present embodiment, the three-dimensionalelastic member 75 and the legelastic member 85 are sandwiched by the pair of sheet layers 62 p. Thereby, the three-dimensionalelastic member 75 and the legelastic member 85 are in contact with thesheet 62 p. A region located on the outer side in the width direction W than the 4 th legelastic member 854 disposed on the outermost side in the width direction W may be an outer non-joined region where the pair ofsheet layers 62p are not joined to each other.

Theabsorbent article 1 has three-dimensional gathers 70 and leg gathers 80. The three-dimensional gather 70 can rise toward the skin surface side T1. The three-dimensional pleats 70 may also be referred to as leak-proof cuffs. The three-dimensional gather 70 may have a leak-proofjoint portion 71, a standingportion 72, and astanding end edge 73. The leakage-proof joints 71 are parts that join the side panels 62 (composite stretch panels 60) to the absorbentmain body 41. The leak-proof joint 71 may be made of an adhesive.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the leakage preventingjoint portion 71 may include a front-rearjoint portion 711 disposed outward in the front-rear direction L from theupright end edge 73 and a widthjoint portion 712 disposed outward in the width direction W from theupright end edge 73. The front and rearjoint portions 711 may include a frontjoint portion 711F disposed in the front waistline region S1 and a rearjoint portion 711R disposed in the rear waistline region S2. The risingportion 72 can rise via 1 or more three-dimensionalelastic members 75. The risingportion 72 rises due to contraction of the three-dimensionalelastic member 75. The risingedge 73 serves as a rising fulcrum of the risingportion 72. The risingedge 73 is constituted by the inner edge of the front and rear joining portions 711 (the rear edge of the front joiningportion 711F and the front edge of therear joining portion 711R) and the inner edge of thewidth joining portion 712. The front-rear joining portion 711 joins a portion of theside sheet 62 folded back with the 2 nd folding line FL2 as a base point and a portion not folded back with the 2 nd folding line FL2 as a base point.

The leg gather 80 has a contractedarea 85R. The contractedregion 85R is contracted in the front-rear direction L by contraction of the legelastic members 85 disposed outward in the width direction W from the erectedend edge 73 in the crotch region S3. The leg gathers 80 are disposed further outward in the width direction W than the standing edges 73 in the extended state.

The three-dimensional gather 70 and the leg gather 80 are constituted by a pair of sheet layers 62 p. As shown in fig. 6, the pair of sheet layers 62P continuously extend from a position P1 at which the 1 st three-dimensionalelastic member 751 positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gather 70 is erected, to a position P2 at which the 4 th legelastic member 854 arranged outermost in the width direction W is contacted. Therefore, both of the pair of sheet layers 62p overlap all of the legelastic members 85 in the thickness direction T.

In the present embodiment, since the 1 st folding line FL1 is arranged at the three-dimensional gather 70, the pair of sheet layers 62p continuously extend beyond the 1 st three-dimensionalelastic member 751 to the 1 st folding line FL1, that is, the apex Ap of the three-dimensional gather 70. Further, the pair ofsheet layers 62p extend to the outer side in the width direction W beyond the 4 th legelastic member 854.

As shown in fig. 4 and 6, the constituent member disposed on the non-skin-surface side T2 with respect to the 1side sheet 62 and directly or indirectly joined to the 1side sheet 62 may extend outward in the width direction W with respect to theupright end edge 73. The constituent member may overlap 1 or more of the legelastic members 85 in the thickness direction T, and preferably overlaps all of the legelastic members 85.

In the present embodiment, the constituent member is at least one of thecenter sheet 43, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46, the non-skin-side sheet 47, and the non-muscle-side sheet 48. Therefore, for example, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 may extend outward in the width direction W than the risingedge 73. As shown in fig. 4a and 4B, thecenter piece 43 and thenon-muscle side piece 48 are directly joined to theside pieces 62. The liquid-impermeable sheet 46 is indirectly joined to theside sheet 62 via thenon-muscle side sheet 48. The non-skin-facingsheet 47 is directly joined to the side sheet 62 (see fig. 4 a), and is indirectly joined to theside sheet 62 via the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 and/or thenon-muscle side sheet 48.

As described above, in theabsorbent article 1 of the present embodiment, the pair of sheet layers continuously exist from the 1 st three-dimensionalelastic member 751 positioned closest to the skin surface side T1 when the three-dimensional gathers 70 stand up to the 4 th legelastic member 854 arranged outermost in the width direction W. When the standingedge 73 exists between the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers stand up and the legelastic member 854 arranged on the outermost side in the width direction, the pair ofsheet layers 62p exists in the vicinity of the standingedge 73. Therefore, even if the excrement E flowing on the surface of theabsorbent article 1 and moving outward in the width direction W seeps outward in the width direction W from the 2nd sheet layer 622 as shown in fig. 6, the excrement can be inhibited from seeping outward in the width direction W by the 1st sheet layer 621. This can suppress leakage of excrement due to leakage to the outside of the three-dimensional gathers in the width direction W.

Since both of the pair of sheet layers overlap all of the legelastic members 85 in the thickness direction T, the flatness of the leg gathers 80 is easily maintained, and the leg gathers 80 easily conform to the skin of the wearer. The first folding line FL1 of theside panel 62 is more pleasant to the touch than theend edge 62E of theside panel 62. Therefore, since the three-dimensionalelastic member 75 and the legelastic member 85 are sandwiched between the pair ofsheet layers 62p, the 1 st folding line FL1 of theside sheet 62 having a good feel to the skin comes into contact with the skin of the wearer when the three-dimensional gathers 70 are raised, and therefore, deterioration in the wearing feeling of theabsorbent article 1 due to the raising of the three-dimensional gathers 70 can be suppressed.

Further, since the constituent members such as thecenter sheet 43, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46, the non-skin-facingsheet 47, and the non-muscle-side sheet 48 extend outward in the width direction W than the risingedges 73, the rigidity of the leg gathers 80 can be increased, and the planarity of the leg gathers 80 can be easily maintained. In particular, by extending the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 outward in the width direction W relative to the risingedge 73, even if the excrement moves outward in the width direction W of the risingedge 73, the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 can suppress the excrement from seeping out from the liquid-impermeable sheet 46 to the non-skin surface side.

In addition, the number of the legelastic members 85 is larger than that of the stereoscopicelastic members 75. By arranging the legelastic members 85 in a large amount, the rigidity of the leg gathers 80 can be increased, and the planarity of the leg gathers 80 can be easily maintained. In addition, the interval between the legelastic members 85 is smaller than the interval between the three-dimensionalelastic members 75. Thus, by arranging the legelastic members 85 in a large number per unit area, the rigidity of the leg gathers 80 can be increased, and the planarity of the leg gathers 80 can be easily maintained.

Further, since the sheet insidejoint portion 63 is provided between the 2 nd three-dimensionalelastic member 752 and the risingedge 73, the excrement hardly reaches the 1st sheet layer 621 on the outer side in the width direction W due to the sheet inside joint portion 63 (see fig. 6). This can suppress leakage of excrement due to the excrement oozing to the outside in the width direction W of the three-dimensional gathers 70. In addition, a region located on the outer side in the width direction W than the 4 th legelastic member 854 is an outer non-joined region. Since this region is likely to be in contact with the skin of the wearer, the pair ofsheet layers 62p are not joined to each other in this region, so that the rigidity of this region does not increase, and deterioration in the tactile sensation of the skin can be suppressed.

Theside piece 62 has a portion (curved portion) that extends rearward while being curved outward in the width direction W at a position rearward of the center Lc in the front-rear direction L. Thus, theside panels 62 are easily arranged along the shape of the wearer's body (specifically, the boundary line between the buttocks and the legs (crease line)), and it is difficult to give the wearer a feeling of strangeness due to theside panels 62. Further, since a space for accommodating excrement (feces) can be secured, leakage of excrement can be suppressed.

(3) Method for manufacturing absorbent article

Next, a method for manufacturing theabsorbent article 1 will be described with reference to fig. 7 to 9. Fig. 7 to 9 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing theabsorbent article 1. The direction in which the component parts are conveyed during the manufacturing process is indicated as a conveyance direction MD, the direction intersecting the conveyance direction is indicated as an intersecting direction CD, and the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction MD and the intersecting direction CD is indicated as a transverse direction TD. In fig. 7 to 9, the left drawing shows the member viewed from the transverse direction TD (upper side), and the right drawing shows the member viewed from the conveyance direction MD. Specifically, the right side of the step S11 in fig. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the C11-C11 section of the left side. The right diagram of the process S12 of fig. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C12-C12 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S13 of fig. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C13-C13 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S20 of fig. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C20-C20 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S30 of fig. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C30-C30 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S40 of fig. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C40-C40 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S50 of fig. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C50-C50 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S60 of fig. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C60-C60 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S70 of fig. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C70-C70 section of the left diagram. The right diagram of the process S80 of fig. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view along the C80-C80 section of the left diagram. For convenience, the structure of the manufacturing apparatus is not shown.

Note that CL denotes a cutting line at which the sheetcontinuous body 60C is cut. PFL1 represents an imaginary line showing the folding line of the side sheetcontinuous body 62C. The side sheetcontinuous body 62C is bent at the position of PFL1, thereby providing a 1 stfolding line FL 1. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the manufacturing of one side in the width direction W of theabsorbent article 1 will be mainly explained, but it is needless to say that the other side in the width direction W of theabsorbent article 1 is manufactured similarly. As shown in fig. 7 to 9, the steps of manufacturing the absorbent article according to the present embodiment include steps S10 to S80.

Step S10 is a step of forming a sheetcontinuous body 60C in which thecomposite stretch panel 60 is continuous in the front-rear direction L. The process S10 may have a process S11, a process S12, and a process S13. Step S11 is a step of applying the adhesive 63C to the conveyed side sheetcontinuous body 62C. The side sheetcontinuous body 62C is a structure in which 1side sheet 62 is continuous in the front-rear direction L. The adhesive 63C is an adhesive corresponding to the sheet inside joiningportion 63. The adhesive 63C bonds the side sheetcontinuous bodies 62C to each other. The adhesive 63C is applied along the conveyance direction MD. The adhesive 63C may be disposed in the intermediate region MR. The middle region MR is a region between the 1 st elastic region ER1 and the 2 ndelastic region ER 2. The 1 st elastic region ER1 is a region where a 1 st continuouselastic member 75C described later is disposed. The 2 nd elastic region ER2 is a region where a 2 nd continuouselastic member 85C described later is disposed. The intermediate region MR is sandwiched between the 1 st elastic region ER1 and the 2 nd elastic region ER2 in the conveyance direction MD.

Step S12 is a step of disposing a plurality of continuous elastic members CE on the side sheetcontinuous body 62C. The plurality of continuous elastic members CE include the 1 st continuouselastic member 75C constituting the 1 or more stereoscopicelastic members 75 and the 2 nd continuouselastic member 85C constituting the 1 or more legelastic members 85. The continuous elastic member CE includes a structure in which the stereoscopicelastic member 75 is continuous in the front-rear direction L, and includes a structure in which the legelastic member 85 is continuous in the front-rear direction L. The 1 st continuouselastic member 75C may be disposed between the position (PFL1) that becomes the 1 st folding line FL1 and the adhesive 63C in the cross direction CD. The 2 nd continuouselastic member 85C may be disposed between the adhesive 63C and theend edge 62E of the side sheetcontinuous body 62C that is closer to the adhesive 63C in the cross direction CD.

In the embodiment, the 1 st continuouselastic member 75C is composed of a 1 st continuouselastic member 751C and a 1 st continuouselastic member 752C. Therefore, the 1 st elastic region ER1 is a region from the 1 st continuouselastic member 751C to the 1 st continuouselastic member 752C. Likewise, the 2 nd continuouselastic member 85C is composed of the 2 nd continuouselastic member 851C to the 2 nd continuouselastic member 854C. Accordingly, the 2 nd elastic region ER2 is a region from the 2 nd continuouselastic member 851C to the 2 nd continuouselastic member 854C. The adhesive is applied to the continuous elastic member CE, and the continuous elastic member CE is disposed on the side sheetcontinuous body 62C, thereby fixing the continuous elastic member CE to the side sheetcontinuous body 62C. Further, an adhesive for fixing the continuous elastic member CE may be applied to the side sheetcontinuous body 62C.

The step S13 is a step of folding the side sheetcontinuous body 62C back 1 time so that all of the plurality of continuous elastic members CE are sandwiched by the side sheetcontinuous body 62C. The side sheetcontinuous body 62C on the side where the plurality of continuous elastic members CE are not arranged is folded back with respect to the position PFL1 as a boundary where the 1 st folding line FL1 is formed, and the side sheetcontinuous body 62C on the side is overlapped with the side sheetcontinuous body 62C on the other side where the plurality of continuous elastic members CE are arranged in the transverse direction TD. In order to hold all of the plurality of continuous elastic members CE between the side sheetcontinuous body 62C, it is necessary to set the distance from the position PFL1 to theother end edge 62E of the side sheetcontinuous body 62C, which is away from the adhesive 63C, to a distance from the position PFL1 to the 2 nd continuouselastic member 854C or more in the cross direction CD. The adhesive 63C joins the pair ofsheets 62p (the 1st sheet 621 and the 2 nd sheet 622) formed by folding back. After step S13, the adhesive 63C is not shown.

The sheetcontinuous body 60C having the pair ofsheet layers 62p can be formed by the above-described steps. In addition, in the case where the absorbent article described in fig. 4 of patent document 1 (japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-511385) is to be manufactured, all of the 1 st continuouselastic members 75C are sandwiched between the side sheetcontinuous bodies 62C by the 1 st folding, and all of the 2 nd continuouselastic members 85C are sandwiched between the side sheetcontinuous bodies 62C by the 2 nd folding. Therefore, in order to form the sheetcontinuous body 60C, the side sheetcontinuous body 62C needs to be folded at least 2 times or more. The number of steps for forming the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be reduced as compared with the absorbent article of fig. 4 ofpatent document 1.

Step S20 is a step of forming a low expansion and contraction region LER (1 st low expansion and contraction region LER 1). The low stretch region LER is a region in which the stretch force is lower at the end portion of thecomposite stretch sheet 60 in the front-rear direction L than at the central portion of thecomposite stretch sheet 60 in the front-rear direction L.

As shown in fig. 8, the adhesive is applied so as to overlap the continuous elastic member CE (1 st continuouselastic member 75C) in the transverse direction TD. The adhesive is applied so as to cross the cutting line CL. On the other hand, the adhesive is applied with a gap in the conveyance direction MD so that the stretching force of the central portion in the front-rear direction L of thecomposite stretch panel 60 is not reduced. The elastic force of the 1 st continuouselastic member 75C in the area where the adhesive is applied is weaker than the elastic force of the 1 st continuouselastic member 75C in the area where the adhesive is not applied (the areas before and after the adhesive conveyance direction MD), depending on the rigidity of the adhesive. Therefore, the region to which the adhesive is applied constitutes the 1 st low expansion region LER1 as the low expansion region LER.

Step S30 is a step of folding back thecontinuous sheet assembly 60C. By folding back the sheetcontinuous bodies 60C on the 1 st folding line FL1 side, the sheetcontinuous bodies 60C are joined to each other via the adhesive applied in step S20.

The step S40 is a step of forming the low expansion and contraction region LER (2 nd low expansion and contraction region LER 2). Specifically, thecontinuous sheet body 60C is compressed in the areas before and after the cutting line CL in the conveyance direction MD. Thereby, the continuous elastic member CE is cut. The cut continuous elastic members CE contract in the conveyance direction MD by contraction, and the three-dimensionalelastic members 75 and the legelastic members 85 are provided. The region where the three-dimensionalelastic member 75 and the legelastic member 85 are no longer present due to contraction is a region where the stretching force is reduced, and constitutes a 2 nd lowstretch region LER 2.

Step S50 is a step of applying the body adhesive 71C to the sheetcontinuous body 60C. The body adhesive 71C is an adhesive for joining the sheetcontinuous body 60C to the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C that is continuous with the constituent members disposed on the non-skin surface side T2 with respect to the 1side sheet 62. The main body adhesive 71C is an adhesive constituting the leak-proof joint 71. Themain adhesive 71C is applied to the area where the leak-proof joint 71 is disposed. The body adhesive 71C may be disposed in a region overlapping the low expansion region LER.

Step S60 is a step of bending thecontinuous sheet body 60C. The sheetcontinuous body 60C is curved such that 1side sheet 62 has a curved portion in a plan view of theabsorbent article 1. In the area between the cutting line CL and the cutting line CL in the conveyance direction MD, the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be bent by offsetting one side of the sheetcontinuous body 60C in the conveyance direction MD in the cross direction CD with respect to the other side of the sheetcontinuous body 60C.

Further, for example, when the rear side of thecontinuous sheet body 60C is shifted to one side (for example, the right side) in the cross direction CD, the front side of thecontinuous sheet body 60C is shifted to one side in the cross direction CD in the area between the next cutting line CL and the cutting line CL, and therefore, the rear side of thecontinuous sheet body 60C can be shifted to the other side (for example, the left side) in the cross direction CD. This prevents the space in the cross direction CD from increasing, and thus, the size of the manufacturing apparatus can be reduced.

Since step S60 is performed after step S40, the elastic member is discontinuous in the width direction W. This reduces the force applied in the cross direction CD by the elastic member, and the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be bent as intended. Since step S60 is performed after step S50, the sheetcontinuous body 60C coated with the body adhesive 71C is bent.

In step S70, the bent sheetcontinuous body 60C is joined to the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C. By disposing the sheetcontinuous body 60C on the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C, the sheetcontinuous body 60C and the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C can be joined via the body adhesive 71C.

When the body adhesive 71C is disposed in the region overlapping the low expansion and contraction region LER, the bent sheetcontinuous body 60C and the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C can be joined at least at the position overlapping the low expansion and contraction region LER.

The absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C may be a structure in which theabsorbent body 41 is continuous in the front-rear direction L, or may be a structure in which a member directly joined to thecomposite stretch panel 60 is continuous. For example, the structure in which the non-skin-facingsheet 47 is continuous in the front-rear direction L may be joined after the sheetcontinuous body 60C is joined to the absorbent-bodycontinuous body 41C that does not include the structure in which the non-skin-facingsheet 47 is continuous in the front-rear direction L. By joining the bent sheetcontinuous body 60C to the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C, the body continuous body 40C in which thebody 40 is continuous can be formed.

In step S80, the main continuous body 40C is cut. The body continuous body 40C is cut along a cutting line CL. Further, the side end portion of the main body continuous body 40C in the cross direction CD may be cut. Specifically, the side end portion 41CE of the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C in the cross direction CD may be cut along the sheetcontinuous body 60C extending in the conveyance direction MD. This enables themain body 40 to be manufactured with a larger width on the rear side than on the front side. After that, theabsorbent article 1 can be manufactured by joining theouter package 15 to themain body 40.

As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the embodiment, theabsorbent article 1 can be manufactured in which leakage of excrement can be reduced while the planarity of the leg gathers 80 is easily maintained. Further, since it is not necessary to fold the side sheetcontinuous body 62C multiple times to form the sheetcontinuous body 60C, an increase in the number of manufacturing processes can be suppressed.

In step S11, the adhesive 63C for bonding the side sheetcontinuous bodies 62C to each other is applied to the intermediate region MR. The intermediate region MR has lower rigidity than the 1 st elastic region ER1 and the 2 nd elastic region ER2 because the continuous elastic member CE is not disposed. Then, the adhesive 63C is applied to the intermediate region MR to join the side sheetcontinuous bodies 62C to each other, thereby improving the rigidity of the intermediate region MR. Thus, when the sheetcontinuous body 60C is joined to another member (the absorbent main bodycontinuous body 41C), wrinkles are less likely to occur in the sheetcontinuous body 60C (the side sheetcontinuous body 62C), and the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be appropriately joined to another member.

In step S70, the sheetcontinuous body 60C and the absorbent main bodycontinuous body 41C are joined in a region overlapping the low stretch region LER. Thus, in the low stretch region LER, since the sheetcontinuous body 60C is less likely to contract, the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be easily joined to the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C.

In step S40, the continuous elastic member CE is cut while the sheetcontinuous body 60C is compressed, thereby forming the 2 nd low expansion andcontraction region LER 2. The 2 nd low stretchability region LER2 is formed by cutting the continuous elastic member CE, and the rigidity of the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be increased by compression. This makes it difficult for the sheetcontinuous body 60C to further contract, and therefore the sheetcontinuous body 60C can be easily joined to the absorbent main bodycontinuous body 41C.

In step S70, the bent sheetcontinuous body 60C is joined to the absorbent bodycontinuous body 41C. Thus, theside panels 62 are easily arranged along the shape of the wearer's body (specifically, the boundary line between the buttocks and the legs (crease line)), and theabsorbent article 1 in which the wearer is less likely to be given a feeling of incongruity by theside panels 62 can be manufactured.

Further, by bending the sheetcontinuous body 60C, the position of the continuous elastic member CE can be easily adjusted as compared with a case where the continuous elastic member CE is arranged while being bent after the sheetcontinuous body 60C is bent. Therefore, the continuous elastic member CE can be bent as intended.

In the case where the body adhesive 71C is applied after the sheetcontinuous body 60C is bent, height control is required when the body adhesive 71C is applied according to the bending condition. In step S60, thecontinuous sheet 60C coated with the body adhesive 71C is bent. Therefore, height control for applying the body adhesive 71C along the bend of the sheetcontinuous body 60C is not necessary, and the body adhesive is easily applied to a target position.

(4) Modification example

Next, each modified example will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an absorbent article according to a modification. Fig. 10 a is a schematic cross-sectional view of theabsorbent article 1 according tomodification 1, and fig. 10B is a schematic cross-sectional view of theabsorbent article 1 according tomodification 2. The cross-section in fig. 10 corresponds to the cross-section F4A-F4A. Note that the same description as in the embodiment is omitted.

Modification 1 will be described with reference to a of fig. 10. As shown in fig. 10 a, the end edges 62E of theside sheets 62 are disposed in the three-dimensional gathers 70. In this case, theend edge 62E of theside sheet 62 may constitute a vertex Ap of the three-dimensional gather 70 described later. Further, the sheet insidejoint portion 63 may not be provided in the region between the 2 nd stereoscopicelastic member 752 and the risingedge 73. That is, the region between the 2 nd stereoscopicelastic member 752 and the risingedge 73 may be an inner non-joined region where the pair ofsheet layers 62p are not joined to each other. This generates a space between the pair ofsheet layers 62p, and therefore, the continuous penetration of excrement from the 2nd sheet layer 622 to the 1st sheet layer 621 can be suppressed.

Modification 2 will be described with reference to B in fig. 10. As shown in fig. 10B, theend edge 62E of the 1st sheet layer 621 and theend edge 62E of the 2nd sheet layer 622 may not overlap each other in the thickness direction T. Therefore, theedge 62E of the 1st sheet layer 621 and theedge 62E of the 2nd sheet layer 622 can be shifted (offset) in the width direction W. Theedge 62E of the 1st sheet layer 621 and theedge 62E of the 2nd sheet layer 622 are less likely to come together against the skin of the wearer, and deterioration in the tactile sensation of the skin can be suppressed. Theedge 62E of the 1st sheet layer 621 may be disposed on the outer side in the width direction W than theedge 62E of the 2nd sheet layer 622, or may be disposed on the inner side in the width direction W than theedge 62E of the 2nd sheet layer 622.

Modification 3 will be described. The absorbent article manufacturing method may include a step of cutting the continuous piece-cutbody 60C after the step S50. Thecontinuous piece body 60C can be cut along the cutting line CL. Next, after the sheetcontinuous body 60C is cut, a step of bending thecomposite stretch sheet 60 produced by cutting is performed. The bending method is the same as step S60.

Here, when the sheetcontinuous body 60C is bent, since the sheetcontinuous body 60C continues in the conveyance direction MD, a force applied to the inside in the cross direction CD and a force applied to the outside in the cross direction CD alternately repeat acting on the sheetcontinuous body 60C, and there is a possibility that the sheetcontinuous body 60C cannot be bent as intended. Thus, by bending thecomposite stretch panel 60 alone, thecomposite stretch panel 60 can be bent as intended.

Next, in the same manner as in step S70, thecomposite stretch panel 60 after bending is joined to the absorbent-main-bodycontinuous body 41C. Thus, thecomposite stretch panel 60 bent as intended can be joined to the absorbent-main-bodycontinuous body 41C, and theside panels 62 can be easily arranged along the shape of the wearer's body (specifically, the boundary line between the buttocks and the legs (fold line)).

(5) Other embodiments

While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in the present specification. The present invention can be implemented as modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the claims. Therefore, the description in the present specification is for the purpose of illustration and does not have any limiting meaning to the present invention.

The order of the steps of the above-described manufacturing method may be changed. For example, the process S11 may be performed after the process S12. In addition, a part of the steps of the above-described manufacturing method may be omitted. For example, one or both of the steps of forming the 1 st and 2 nd low expansion and contraction regions LER1 and LER2 may be omitted. Step S20 may be omitted. The configurations of theabsorbent article 1 according to the above-described embodiment, modifications, and other embodiments may be appropriately combined.

In addition, the entire contents of japanese patent application No. 2019-115024, applied on 20/6/2019, are incorporated herein by reference.

Description of reference numerals

1: absorbent article, 15: exterior body, 16: waist opening, 17: leg hole opening portion, 18: side joint portion, 20: front-side outer body, 30: rear-side outer body, 40: main body portion, 41: absorbent main body, 43: center piece, 46: liquid-impermeable sheet, 47: non-skin sheet, 48: non-muscular lateral square, 50: absorbent core, 60: composite stretch panel, 62: side piece, 62 p: sheet, 63: in-sheet joining portion, 70: three-dimensional gather, 71: joint, 72: rising portion, 73: rising edge, 75: stereoscopic elastic member, 80: leg gather, 85: leg elastic member, 621:slice 1, 622:slice 2, FL: fold line 1 (1 fold line), S1: front waistline region, S2: rear waist region, S3: the crotch region.

Claims (18)

1. An absorbent article having:

a front-back direction, a width direction orthogonal to the front-back direction, and a thickness direction;

a front waistline region, a rear waistline region, and a crotch region sandwiched between the front waistline region and the rear waistline region;

1 side piece arranged outside the width direction of the absorbent article with respect to the center in the width direction; and

a three-dimensional gather and a leg gather,

the three-dimensional gather includes:

a rising portion that can rise via at least 1 three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and

a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion,

the leg gathers have a contracted region which is contracted in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width by 1 or more leg elastic members having stretchability in the front-rear direction, and are arranged outside the raised edges in the width direction,

wherein the three-dimensional gathers and the leg gathers are formed of a pair of sheet layers facing each other by folding back the 1 side sheets with the 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction as a base point,

the pair of sheet layers continuously extend in the width direction from a position in contact with the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers are erected to a position in contact with the leg elastic member disposed outermost in the width direction.

2. The absorbent article of claim 1,

the 1 side sheet is folded back so that the 1 folding line is arranged in the three-dimensional gather,

the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members and the 1 or more leg elastic members are sandwiched between the pair of sheet layers.

3. The absorbent article of claim 1 or 2,

the absorbent article has a component member disposed on the non-skin surface side of the 1 side sheet and directly or indirectly joined to the 1 side sheet,

the constituent member extends outward in the width direction from the rising edge.

4. The absorbent article of claim 3,

the above-mentioned constituent member includes a liquid-impermeable sheet having liquid-impermeability.

5. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the pair of sheet layers have end edges in the width direction of the 1 side sheet,

the edge of one of the pair of sheets and the edge of the other of the pair of sheets do not overlap in the thickness direction.

6. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the number of the 1 or more leg elastic members is larger than the number of the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members.

7. The absorbent article of claim 6,

the number of the above-mentioned 1 or more leg elastic members and the number of the above-mentioned 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members are 2 or more,

in the width direction, the interval between the leg elastic members is smaller than the interval between the three-dimensional elastic members.

8. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the sheet joining part is provided between the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the non-skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers are erected and the erected edge, and the pair of sheet layers are joined to each other by an adhesive.

9. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the region between the three-dimensional elastic member positioned closest to the non-skin surface side when the three-dimensional gathers are raised and the raised edge is an inner non-joined region where the pair of sheet layers are not joined to each other by an adhesive.

10. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

a region located outside the leg elastic member located outermost in the width direction is an outer non-joined region where the pair of sheet layers are not joined to each other.

11. The absorbent article according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the 1 side panel has a portion extending rearward while being bent outward in the width direction at least at a position rearward of the center of the absorbent article in the front-rear direction when the absorbent article is viewed in plan.

12. An absorbent article manufacturing method that manufactures an absorbent article having:

1 side piece arranged on the outer side of the width direction of the absorbent article compared with the center of the width direction; and

a three-dimensional gather and a leg gather,

the three-dimensional gather includes:

a rising section that can rise via at least 1 three-dimensional elastic member having stretchability in the front-rear direction; and

a rising edge serving as a rising fulcrum of the rising portion,

the leg gathers have a contracted region which is contracted in the front-rear direction by a predetermined width by 1 or more leg elastic members having stretchability in the front-rear direction, and are arranged outside the raised edges in the width direction,

the three-dimensional gather and the leg gather are constituted by a pair of sheet layers facing each other by folding the 1 side sheets with 1 folding line extending in the front-rear direction as a base point,

wherein the method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises:

a sheet continuous body forming step of forming a composite stretch sheet having stretchability and having the pair of sheet layers so as to be continuous in the front-rear direction,

the forming step includes:

disposing a plurality of continuous elastic members including a 1 st continuous elastic member constituting the 1 or more three-dimensional elastic members and a 2 nd continuous elastic member constituting the 1 or more leg elastic members on a side sheet continuous body in which the 1 or more side sheets are continuous in the front-rear direction; and

and a folding step of folding the continuous side sheet body 1 time so that all of the plurality of continuous elastic members are sandwiched between the continuous side sheet bodies.

13. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 12,

the forming step further includes the steps of:

an adhesive for bonding the side continuous pieces is applied to an intermediate region between a 1 st elastic region where the 1 st continuous elastic member is disposed and a 2 nd elastic region where the 2 nd continuous elastic member is disposed.

14. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 12 or 13,

the composite stretch panel has a low stretch region having a lower stretch ratio than a central portion of the composite stretch panel in the front-rear direction at an end portion of the composite stretch panel in the front-rear direction,

the method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises:

forming the low expansion/contraction region in the sheet continuous body; and

and a step of joining the sheet continuous body to a continuous body that is continuous with the constituent member disposed on the non-skin surface side with respect to the 1 side sheet, at least in a region overlapping the low stretch region.

15. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 14,

in the step of forming the low stretch region, the continuous elastic member is cut by compressing the continuous sheet body, thereby forming the low stretch region.

16. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 12 to 15,

the method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises:

a step of bending the sheet continuous body so that the 1 side sheet has a portion extending rearward while being bent to face the outer side in the width direction at least at a position rearward of the center in the front-rear direction of the absorbent article in a plan view of the absorbent article; and

and a step of joining the bent sheet continuous body to a continuous body that is continuous with the constituent member disposed on the non-skin surface side with respect to the 1 side sheet.

17. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to claim 16,

the method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises:

a step of applying a main body adhesive to the sheet continuous body for joining the sheet continuous body to a continuous body that is continuous with a constituent member disposed on a non-skin surface side of the 1 side sheet,

in the step of bending the sheet continuous body, the sheet continuous body coated with the body adhesive is bent.

18. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article according to any one of claims 12 to 15,

the method for manufacturing the absorbent article comprises:

a step of forming the composite stretch panel by cutting the sheet continuous body;

a step of bending the composite stretch panel so that the 1 side panel has a portion extending rearward while bending to face outward in the width direction at least at a position rearward of the center in the front-rear direction of the absorbent article in a plan view of the absorbent article; and

and a step of joining the composite stretch panel to a continuous body in which the constituent members are arranged on the non-skin surface side with respect to the 1 side panel.

Images