Forming Pocket And Method For Making A Forming Pocket

Abstract

A forming pocket, which is suitable for receiving particulate material and forming conglomerates from the particulate material to be used as absorbent padding for hygienic products, comprises: an external forming substrate (3) which is suitable for receiving the particulate material, which is provided with openings and has a shape conjugated to the form of the absorbent padding to be made; a grid-shaped supporting structure (10; 30), which is couplable with the external substrate (3) to support the external substrate (3) during suction of the particulate material through the external substrate(3) and comprises a curved external face (11), intended for contact with the external substrate (3) and of a shape conjugated to the shape of the external substrate (3), an internal face (12), opposite the external face (11), a pair of greater side faces (13) that are opposite one another and a pair of lesser side faces (14) that are opposite one another, and through openings (17a, 17b, 18a, 18b)extending between the external face (11) and the internal face (12) to enable a gas to flow from the external face (11) to the internal face (12) during suction. A method for making the forming pocket comprises making at least one external layer (15) of the supporting structure (10; 30) and at least one internal layer (16) of the supporting structure (10; 30) that are superimposed and have respectively external openings (17a, 17b) and internal openings (18a, 18b) bounded by external walls (19a, 19b) and by internal walls (20a, 20b), in which the external openings ( 17a, 17b) and the internalopenings (18a, 18b) are arranged superimposed so as to define said through openings (17a, 17b, 18a, 18b); and in which the method further comprises making at least one of the external openings (17a, 17b) of a different shape and / or dimension from one of the internal openings (18a, 18b) on which it is superimposed by using a layer additive manufacturing process, i.e. 3D printing to make the external walls (19a, 19b) and the internal walls (20a, 20b).

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a forming pocket for forming absorbent fillings for hygiene articles, the forming pocket comprising an outer forming matrix and a grid-like support structure coupled to the outer forming matrix, the outer forming The matrix is ​​adapted to receive particulate material and form agglomerates from the particulate material. [0002] The invention also relates to a method of fabricating a grid-like support structure forming a cavity by an additive manufacturing process. [0003] The invention is advantageously applied to a forming conveyor for shaping sanitary articles, the forming conveyor comprising a plurality of forming cavities adapted to form corresponding Absorbent aggregates, which will be mentioned below, without loss of generality. Background technique [0004] Hygienic articles, in particular baby diapers, sanitary napkins or adult incontinence products, are known to comprise a layer of absorbent filler, for exa...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0022] One disadvantage is that the cost of the grid-like support structure is very high, making the production process required to make the grid-like support structure costly and requiring large industrial investments

[0025] Another problem with support structures made by the aforementioned methods is that the compactness and corresponding density of the absorbent layer in the area of ​​the forming cavity cannot be easily modified

However, the diameter of the micro-openings is primarily determined by the minimum diameter of the shredded material that needs to be held and therefore cannot be used to determine the desired density of the shaped sub-layers

[0026] This greatly limits the possibility of distinguishing the compactness of the absorbent layer inside the absorbent layer, a feature that is increasingly desired by the market for absorbent fillings

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