Nonwoven unit
The current invention concerns an improved method for intermittently providing strips of a continuous first web material onto a continuous second web material, in particular a method for manufacturing tampon blanks, in a continuous process, thus avoiding the disadvantages of stop-and-go methods. Furthermore, an apparatus or system is provided for executing said methods.
1. Method for manufacturing tampon laminate, comprising the steps of:
a. supplying a continuous first web material at a first speed, whereby said first speed is greater than zero;
b. cutting strips of the continuous first web material, whereby the strips are cut transversally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the continuous first web material and equidistantially repeated over the longitudinal axis of the continuous first web material;
c. supplying a continuous second web material at a second speed, which is higher than the first speed;
d. accelerating the strips from the first speed to the second speed;
e. bonding at least parts of the strips of the first web material to the continuous second web material, thereby forming a laminate structure;
characterized in that the step of accelerating the strips from the first speed to the second speed is conducted essentially concurrently with the step of bonding at least parts of the strips of the first web material to the continuous second web material, thereby forming a laminate structure, and in that the step of accelerating the strips is conducted essentially concurrently with the step of cutting strips of the continuous web material.
2. Method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the step of bonding at least parts of the strips, comprises non-adhesive sealing parts of the strips of the first web material to the continuous second web material.
3. Method according to claim 2 , whereby the non-adhesive sealing is heat-sealing.
4. Method according to claim 1 , whereby one of said first and second web materials is a nonwoven web material and the other is an absorbent fiber web material.
5. Method according to claim 4 , whereby one of said first and second web materials is a thermoplastic nonwoven web material, and the other is an absorbent fiber web material comprising rayon and/or cotton wool.
6. Method according to claim 1 , comprising a step of applying predetermined breaking points on the continuous second web material, whereby the predetermined breaking points are applied transversally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the continuous second web material and equidistantially repeated over the longitudinal axis of the continuous second web material, and whereby said step of applying predetermined breaking points is executed before bonding at least parts of the strips of the first web material to the continuous second web material.
7. Method according to claim 6 , comprising the steps of:
f. entirely separating along the predetermined breaking points of the laminate structure, thereby creating laminate strips;
g. rolling the laminate strip so that the strip of the first web material forms an outer layer around the second web material of the laminate strip; and
h. optionally sealing the rolled laminate strip on the outer layer parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rolled laminate strip, thereby creating a tampon blank.
8. Method according to claim 1 , whereby said first speed is constant, the strips are cut perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis, and said second speed is constant.
9. Method for intermittently providing strips of a continuous first web material onto a continuous second web material, comprising the following steps:
a. supplying the continuous first web material at a first speed, whereby said first speed is higher than zero;
b. cutting strips of the continuous first web material, whereby the strips are cut transversally with respect to a longitudinal axis of the continuous first web material;
c. supplying a continuous second web material at a different second speed, whereby the second speed is higher than the first speed;
d. accelerating the strips from the first speed to the second speed;
e. bonding at least parts of the strips to the continuous second web material;
characterized in that the step of accelerating one of the strips from the first speed to the second speed is conducted essentially concurrently with the step of bonding at least parts of said one of the strips to the continuous second web material and essentially concurrently with the step of cutting said one of the strips of the continuous web material.
10. Method according to claim 9 , whereby said first speed is constant, the strips are cut perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis, and the second speed is constant.