Developing Processing Technologies for Functional Sheet Products

Many advances have been made in processing technologies for paper products such as disposable diapers, sanitary napkins and sheets for skin care. These include the perforation of paper and nonwovens, heat treatment that enhances the water permeability of sheet materials, and advanced mechanical processing methods for flat materials, including multilayering, grafting, forming, folding and cutting. Using these methods, Kao has created three-dimensional paper products that take various forms. The forms themselves generate important value in terms of function and performance, which means the processing technologies actually contribute to product benefits.

For example, the processing technology behind our Merries Pants (pull-up diapers) begins with a high-speed, continuously running line of non-woven cloth, to which elastic rubber is attached along a complex curved line to diaper-shaped paper, and then to another non-woven sheet to make an integrated unit that gathers at the legs. The design of the form and the design of the speed and acceleration of the gathering equipment are key technologies that enable us to satisfy two different and potentially contradictory requirements: excellent diaper fit and anti-leaking characteristics on the one hand, and high production speed on the other.

We have developed exothermic sheets made of fixed, functional powder. These sheets undergo complex processing to create forms that can be attached directly to the skin to produce heat that delivers deep, comfortable warmth to the body for hours at a time. Marketed under the name MegRhythm Steam Thermo Power Pads (designated as general medical devices), they alleviate aches and pains in the back and shoulders.

Other examples include Bioré Pore Pack and Wrinkle Seraty Sheets, which involve the application of special polymers or gels in sheet form, and Quickle series non-woven compound sheets, which have revolutionized dusting practices in households around the world. As these examples show, sheet processing is a fundamental technology that contributes to cleanliness, beauty, and health.