Cómo fabricar compresas

¿Cómo se fabrican las compresas higiénicas?

Sanitary pads, also known as sanitary napkins or menstrual pads, are essential products that provide women with protection and hygiene during their menstrual cycle. With increasing awareness around feminine health, the global demand for high-quality and affordable sanitary pads has been steadily rising.

However, the process of manufacturing sanitary pads involves multiple steps and requires a good understanding of the raw materials as well as machinery involved. In this comprehensive guide, as a professional sanitary pads manufacturer, I will walk you through the end-to-end process of setting up your own sanitary pad manufacturing unit.

Cómo fabricar compresas

Overview of the Sanitary Pad Manufacturing Process

The typical process of manufacturing sanitary pads can be broadly classified into four steps:

Step 1. Raw Material Processing

Step 2. Production of Sanitary Pad Components

Step 3. Assembly of Components

Step 4. Packaging & Sterilization

Now let’s get into the specifics of each step:

How to Manufacture Sanitary Pads

Step 1. Raw Material Processing

The first step is preparing the raw materials needed for producing the components of a sanitary pad:

Absorbent Core Materials

The absorbent core is responsible for absorbing and retaining menstrual fluid. Its key materials are:

  • Cellulose Pulp: Derived from wood pulp or cotton, provides structure
  • Superabsorbent Polymers (SAP): Absorb fluids up to 30 times their weight

The pulp goes through processing where it’s mechanically or chemically treated to increase softness and absorbency. The SAP and pulp are then blended at a particular ratio using a mixer.

Top Sheet Materials

The top sheet contacts the skin directly. Key requirements are softness and ability to pass fluids to the core. Common materials are:

  • Non-woven fabrics: Polypropylene(PP) or Polyethylene(PE)-based
  • Cotton fabrics: Combed and carded for uniform feel

These fabrics undergo specialized processes like heat bonding or needling to increase their fluid penetration properties.

Back Sheet Materials

The back sheet forms the bottom exterior of the pad. Its role is to prevent leakage by providing an impermeable barrier for fluids. The most optimal materials are:

  • Polyethylene (PE) films: Ultra-thin and flexible grade
  • Aluminum films: Offer greater impermeability

They may also be embossed to increase surface area.

Other Raw Materials

Additional raw materials needed in the manufacturing process are:

  • Release paper: Protects adhesive in pads
  • Packaging films: Polyethylene films that cover pads
  • Hot melt adhesives: Secure pad components and wings

Step 2. Production of Sanitary Pad Components

With the processed raw materials, we can now manufacture specialized components that make up a sanitary pad.

Absorbent Cores

The cellulose-SAP blend gets fed into a core-forming machine. It deposits the material on a moving belt, forming it into a continuous strip with a consistent width and thickness.

The strip then passes through multiple rollers, getting compressed and embossed to create SAP-enriched raised portions. This specially designed core allows superior fluid absorption and retention.

Top & Bottom Sheets

The top perforated coversheet and bottom leakproof back sheet get created in separate processes using extrusion machines.

In the extruder, pellets of the thermoplastic raw material (PP or PE) enter a chamber. They become molten under controlled heat and pressure.

The molten polymer gets pushed through a flat or annular die opening to create a continuous polymer sheet with strict thickness specifications. These thin sheets later get used as top sheets or back sheets.

Release Paper Layer

Silicone-coated release paper plays an important role as it protects the adhesive layer in pads.

It gets manufactured on specialized coating machines where precision rollers deposit an ultra-thin layer of silicone onto the paper surface.

This creates a uniform non-stick release layer without impacting the paper texture.

Packaging Films & Adhesives

Specific grades of PE films and hot melt adhesives also undergo specialized production processes to meet the needs of feminine hygiene products.

With that, our key raw materials get transformed into the absorbent core, top sheet and other components needed to assemble a full sanitary pad.

Step 3. Assembly of Sanitary Pad Components

At this stage, we bring together the different components of a sanitary napkin through an intricate multi-step assembly process. It typically involves:

I. Absorbent Core Compression

The fluff-SAP core gets Sandwiched between tissue papers and fed into calendar rollers. It gets compressed to a precise thickness, width and length. This immobilizes the SAP, prevents lumping and evens out absorption capacity.

The tissue papers get taken out, with the compressed core now ready for cover-wrapping.

II. Lamination of Top Sheet-Core-Back Sheet

The top perforated coversheet first gets unrolled and layered onto the core on a moving lower carrier belt. The impermeable back sheet then gets placed under the carrier belt.

The components enter a pair of heated rollers and get bonded in a continuous lamination process with pressure and temperature. A thin application of hot melt adhesive may also be involved.

This results in a three-layer laminate that forms the main body of the sanitary pad.

III. Cutting

The continuous laminate strip now passes through a precise cutting machine.

Ultra-sharp cutters divide the sandwiched layers as per the dimensions of a single pad unit. This creates multiple individual pads connected to one another in a continuous zig-zag manner by small laminate links.

IV. Pad Folding & Side Sealing

The zig-zag web of pads enters another machine which first applies the peel-off release paper on the back sheet. It then covers the entire adhesive layer.

Next, automated folders create longitudinal side-folds, giving pads their typical flat tube-like structure. Side seals also get created along the folds using heat-compression modules.

This step completes the 3D shape of individual pads with side flaps and wings.

V. Attachment of Peel Strips

At this stage, continuous peel strips cut from the top sheet fabric get attached to the wings sections on both sides of pads. They get partially overlapped with the release paper.

Later during use, these help with easy removal of the pad’s backing paper layer.

Step 4. Packaging & Sterilization

As the final step, the pads in a continuous strip move through:

I. Flow Wrapping

Pads enter an automatic flow-wrapping machine consisting of multiple rollers. The chain of pads first gets cut and separated into smaller sets of 5-10 pads.

Each set then gets wrapped in a film of polyethylene or other plastic packaging material. It tightly covers each pad individually, allowing easy detachment later on.

II. Sterilization Treatment

The hermetically sealed pads next undergo Gamma Ray or Ultra-Violet treatment depending on the production scale. This sterilizes the pads, killing bacteria and microorganisms.

III. Packing of Pads

The wrapped and sterilized pads stack together and move to high-speed packing lines. Here they automatically get inserted and packed into external retail packaging like pouches, bags or cartons.

Some key steps here are date coding & labeling of packets and specialized techniques like nitrogen flushing to extend shelf life.

And that completes an end-to-end walkthrough of the manufacturing process for sanitary napkins! With strong demand prospects, setting up a production line can be an excellent business opportunity if done right.

Essential Equipment for Manufacturing Pads

Now that we’ve seen the production steps, let’s go through some essential machinery involved:

  • Pulp Processing Equipment: Hammer mills, refiners, mixers
  • Core, Top Sheet & Back Sheet Making: Extruders, calendar rollers, slitters
  • Assembly Equipment: Laminators, applicators, cutters, folders, sealers
  • Packaging Equipment: Flow wrappers, labelers, checkweighers, cartoners
  • Facility Fit-Outs: Cleanrooms, sterilizers, dust collectors, air showers

For large-scale continuous production, you would need advanced automated machines for each process specialized for high speeds, precision and minimal downtime.

Smaller semi-automatic equipment options are also available when starting out for simpler processes and lower volumes.

Setting Up Your Own Manufacturing Facility

When establishing your own sanitary napkin production plant, here are some key steps involved:

Preparation & Business Planning

  • Conduct extensive market research
  • Develop robust business & financial plans
  • Estimate manufacturing costs & operating expenses
  • Get loan financing and startup capital

Registration & Government Approvals

  • Identify suitable production site & acquire licenses
  • Obtain clearance certificates from FDA/other bodies
  • Complete business operational registrations

Facility Design & Build-Out

  • Design production layout & workflow
  • Set up cleanroom, warehouses and utilities
  • Install machines with precision calibration
  • Implement testing labs & quality processes

Trial Production & Ramp-Up

  • Test run all equipment with sample materials
  • Refine manufacturing processes
  • Start commercial batch production
  • Scale up capacity as per business milestones

With focused strategic planning and robust execution, it’s possible to build a successful sanitary napkin manufacturing business. And with the rising awareness of feminine hygiene globally, the opportunities for growth in this space are truly exciting.

I hope you found this guide on setting up your own sanitary pad production helpful! Let me know in the comments below if you have any other questions.

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