AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING AIR-LAID ABSORBENT CORES

The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming air-laid absorbent cores (15,16), comprising a first and second mat-forming wheel (1,2), each of the mat-forming wheels having a series of moulds (3,4) along their peripheral surface, air-laying means (6,10 and 8,12) for supplying air-entrained fibrous material to the moulds on each mat-forming wheel, suction means (13,14) maintaining the formed core elements in the respective moulds during a part of the path of the moulds on the respective mat-forming wheel and means for transferring a core element (16) on the second mat-forming wheel onto a core element (15) on the first mat-forming wheel while the latter core element still is maintained in its mould, at least the air-laying means (8,12) associated with the second mat-forming wheel comprises means for supplying a mixture of air-entrained fibrous material and discrete particles. According to the invention means (5,9 and 7,11) are arranged for applying a protective layer (22,23) to the bottom of each mould (3,4) of at least the second mat-forming wheel (2), which protective layer (22,23) has the function of protecting the mould from discrete particles during air-laying of a mixture of air-entrained fibrous material and discrete particles and for preventing discrete particles from exit out of the second core element during and after transfer, and the two mat-forming wheels (1,2) forms such a nip between each other that the second core element (16) will abut the first core element (15) before transfer. La présente invention concerne un appareil pour former des âmes absorbantes obtenues par formation pneumatique (15,16), qui comprend des première et seconde roues de formation de mat (1,2), chacune des roues de formation de mat possédant une série de moules (3,4) le long de leur surface périphérique, des moyens de formation pneumatique (6,10 et 8,12) pour fournir un matériau fibreux entraîné par air aux moules sur chaque roue de formation de mat, des moyens d'aspiration (13,14) qui maintiennent les éléments d'âme formés dans les moules respectifs au cours d'une partie du passage des moules sur la roue de formation de mat respective et des moyens pour transférer un élément d'âme (16) sur la seconde roue de formation de mat à un élément d'âme (15) sur la première roue de formation de mat alors que ce dernier élément d'âme est toujours maintenu dans son moule, au moins les moyens de formation pneumatique (8,12) associés à la seconde roue de formation de ma