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The Fiberization Process in Meantime Production

Steven Vandal


 
ABSTRACT

Today, more then 17 million American's suffer from incontinence. The market is in two major segments, the institutional market place valued at $1.2 billion and the retail market valued at $600 million in 1997. The market place is made up of 4 major categories in terms of products, Briefs 38%, Undergarments 27%, Underpads 18% and Liners 17%. The average nursing home resident is White (89.5%), Female (75%), greater than 75 years old (75%), needs a hospital bed (78%), 65% need wheelchairs and 50% are incontinent. The number of American's 65 and older will double in the next 30 years which will potentially make this market larger than the baby diaper market by the year 2010.

Most of the products today are manufactured using rolled pulp and super absorbent polymers as the absorbing platforms. This presentation will describe the general process used in making the absorbing cores (platforms) and what things effect product performance now and it will take a short look at the future trends. Treated cotton offers some unique properties that may fit in with the future needs and designs.

The processes described here are very similar to those used in the baby diaper production process but the core structure in baby diapers is nearly 60% super absorbent polymers (SAP) and only 40% pulp versus adult briefs 90% pulp and 10% SAP. Adult briefs use between 60 and 90 grams of pulp per product while baby diapers use between 10 and 25 grams of pulp. Both products use primarily rolled pulp and SAP particles about the size of sugar particles. They are combined together in a forming chamber and formed on vacuum table or drum. They can be formed as discrete pads or continuous mats that are cut into individual pads. This paper will talk in detail on the core formation process and what characteristics are most important.



Reprinted from Proceedings of the 2000 Beltwide Cotton Conferences pp. 763 - 764
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

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Document last modified Saturday, Jun 17 2000