Aparelho e processo para a fabricação de produtos absorventes e produto absorvente

An apparatus (1) and method for making absorbent products (17) in which a first material (10), such as absorbent fluff formed from wood pulp, is introduced into a vacuum forming chamber (12). A portion of the fluff is deposited into the cavity of a mold (19) transported through the forming chamber (12) by a forming wheel (7) so as to form a layer of pure fluff within the bottom of the mold cavity (20). A second material (11), such as superabsorbent particles or heat stabilized fibers, is introduced into the forming chamber (12) so that streams of the first (10) and second (11) materials collide within a mixing zone (24). As the mold (19) continues its travel through the forming chamber (12), a mixture of first (10) and second (11) materials from the mixing zone (24) is deposited within the mold cavity (20), thereby filling it. The portion of the mixture that extends above the surface of the mold (19) is scraped off by a scarfing brush (13,14) that directs the mixture back into the mixing zone (24), thereby creating turbulence that ensures thorough mixing of the two materials. The result is an absorbent product having a first layer formed by pure first material (10) and a second layer formed by a mixture of the first (10) and second (11) materials.