Ambient Bonded Fiber for Lightweight Absorbent Webs, 1999 Nonwovens Conference Proceedings

Cliff Marshall

Bandz, Inc.

Mel Mitchell

Eastman Chemical Company

A variety of absorbent products are available for the consumer. These absorbent articles include baby diapers, adult incontinence pads, and feminine hygiene products. Market trends require that these products be made thinner and more aesthetically attractive. This puts increased emphasis on the structure and performance of the bulky absorbent core. A really thin absorbent product may require non-traditional technology to achieve products having acceptable fluid absorbency and retention, adequate structural integrity, and possess a thin, aesthetically pleasing appearance.

At Eastman it has been determined that plasticizer bonded fiber technology similar to that used to convert acetate tow into filter rods may prove useful in the ambient bonding of absorbent product layers. The value of cellulose acetate is in its ambient “drop-in” bonding that maximizes superabsorbent polymer retention while minimizing core weight and thickness.

Development work has demonstrated an ambient bonded fiber system which provides a means to form a lightweight, high strength, internally bonded absorbent web that contains high levels of superabsorbent materials. This novel web does not use wood pulp or natural cellulose fibers. This new web is lighter in weight and considerably thinner than wood pulp containing webs while retaining adequate strength, absorbency, and fluid retention. These improved absorbent structures can be produced using existing equipment and processes and can be produced at equivalent or lower costs.