Abstract: Grouping unit and method to form groups of hygiene absorbent articles in a packaging machine; a conveyor which receives the single hygiene absorbent articles in an input station is provided, which feeds the hygiene absorbent articles along a grouping path, and releases the groups of hygiene absorbent articles in an output station; wherein the conveyor has a belt which is closed so as to form a ring, is wound around at least two pulleys, and supports a plurality of blades, which extend perpendicular to the belt and delimit, between one another, respective pockets, which are each designed to hold a corresponding hygiene absorbent article; an active braking device is provided, which is arranged at the input station so as to cooperate with a pocket arranged in the input station to slow down the movement with which a corresponding hygiene absorbent article enters the pocket.

Abstract: A device for cutting a web of fibrous material including movement means for moving a web of fibrous material to be cut, defining a feed surface for the web and having at least one first cutting zone, at least one laser source configured to generate a laser beam extending along its operating direction towards the first cutting zone to make, on the web, at least one incision extending along a predetermined cutting line, where a portion of the laser beam passes through the web of fibrous material at the first cutting zone. The device also includes recovery means for recovering the portion of the laser beam and at least partly located along the operating direction, at the first cutting zone, in such a way as to intercept the portion of the laser beam and direct it towards a second cutting zone to make a further incision or cut.

Abstract: A machine for making absorbent sanitary articles which includes an absorbent pad in turn including one or more absorbent materials; the machine includes a line for feeding at least one continuous web of impermeable material and at least one unit for forming and applying a succession of absorbent pads along the continuous web of impermeable material and a device for detecting at least one between the weight, density profile (or weight profile) parameters of at least one of the absorbent materials defining the absorbent pad; the detecting device including at least one microwave resonator.

Abstract: A forming pocket suitable for forming conglomerates from particulate material to be used as an absorbent padding for hygienic products, includes an external forming substrate for receiving particulate material, the substrate having openings and a shape conjugated to a form of the absorbent padding to be made. The forming pocket includes a grid supporting structure, which has openings and is coupleable with the substrate to support the substrate during suction of particulate material through the substrate. The supporting structure has an external surface configured to contact the substrate and has a shape conjugated to the shape of the substrate. A method of making the forming pocket includes obtaining from at least one first metal sheet first and second sets of elements having a plurality of cuts, and wedging the elements of the first set with the elements of the second set via the cuts to make the grid supporting structure.

Abstract: A feeding unit for feeding a component of a hygiene absorbent article; the feeding unit has: at least one sucking-holding head, which is designed to receive and hold the component; a conveyor to cyclically move the holding head along an annular application path; an input station in which the holding head receives a corresponding component which is connected—without gaps—to a continuous web; a cutting station provided with a cutting device, which cuts the continuous web crosswise; and an output station in which the holding head releases the component; the conveyor has: an annular guide; a slide which supports the holding head and is coupled to the guide so as to freely slide along the guide itself; and a linear electric motor, which has a stator, which is arranged in a fixed position along the guide and a mobile slider which is electro-magnetically coupled to the stator so as to receive, from the stator, a driving force and is rigidly connected to the slide.

Abstract: A process for forming an absorbent sanitary article includes feeding a first web including first and second stretches each having front and rear end portions; feeding a second web for forming a first side panel of the article; feeding a third web for forming a second side panel of the article; cutting the second web into a succession of first and second pieces defining the first side panel of the article; cutting the third web in a succession of third and fourth pieces, defining the second side panel of the article; applying the first through fourth pieces to the first web; the first and second stretches being provided in the first web so each first stretch has the rear end portion upstream of the front end portion in a feed direction and each second stretch has the front end portion upstream of the rear end portion.

Abstract: A device for forming and applying accessory elements to a continuous band of absorbent material, includes a unit for feeding a continuous strip to a conveyor roller, a unit for cutting the strip in a continuous and alternating succession of first and second pieces, a first and a second roller rotating about respective axes parallel to the first direction, each including a movement device acting along a circumferential direction around the respective axis and configured for imparting to each unit a respective motion between positions for picking up and releasing the pieces. A unit for applying a pair of pieces to the band is equipped with a separating unit equipped with a spacer device for moving first and/or second carriages along a separating direction between close and far axial positions, wherein the spacer device includes a plurality of linear actuators each associated with a respective first carriage.

Abstract: A method for making sanitary articles, includes: feeding along a longitudinal direction of movement a first web of material defining a main body of the article; feeding a pair of longitudinal strips; dividing each strip into a succession of trapezoidal pieces adjacent each other and each having a long base and a short base so the pieces of each strip can be divided alternately into first pieces having a first orientation and second pieces having a second orientation opposite to the first orientation; spacing the pieces of each strip from each other; rotating the first or second pieces of each strip by 180° in plane to give the pieces of the first strip the first orientation and the pieces of the second strip the second orientation; applying each piece on a first face so the long base protrudes laterally from the edge of the first web.

Abstract: A process for forming an absorbent sanitary article of the type including a pad having a direction of main extension, including a step of at least one absorbent core of the absorbent article by layering a corresponding composite web, a step of preparing a succession of hollows in the composite web obtained by removing for each hollow a corresponding portion of the composite web and a step of applying the portions removed on the composite web.

Abstract: A unit for making absorbent pads of absorbent articles including a drum for forming the absorbent pads and a hood for feeding a first and a second absorbent material to at least part of the peripheral surface of the drum; the hood has a chamber for mixing the first and the second absorbent materials and an opening for dispensing the first and the second absorbent materials facing at least part of the peripheral surface of the drum; the unit includes at least a first and a second duct for feeding the second absorbent material into the hood and means for distributing the second absorbent material both of the first feed duct and of the second feed duct; the first and the second ducts are connected to the same distribution means.

Abstract: A machine for making absorbent sanitary articles includes a feed conveyor on which a continuous web of material for making the articles is advanced along a feed line in a first direction. A forming and application unit forms and applies by which at least one pair of accessory elements for each article and includes a device for feeding a continuous succession of accessory elements and a conveying unit. The conveying unit includes a conveyor roller for the continuous succession of accessory elements, and a separating device defined by a first and a second spacer roller which are substantially tangent to the conveyor roller at a first and a second pickup station, respectively. The first and the second spacer roller have retaining and alternate movement devices including respective pickup pads which are slidable along a second direction and which are driven by a respective linear electric motor.

Abstract: In a unit for making sections of padding for absorbent sanitary articles comprising a first rotary conveyor for feeding and forming a continuous succession of outer pads, comprising at least one layer, a second rotary conveyor for feeding and forming a continuous succession of inner pads comprising two layers, a third rotary conveyor for the pads defining a position for superposing the outer pads and the inner pads, there are compressing means for the two-layer inner pads upstream of the superposing position and second compressing means for the superposed pads downstream of the superposing position.

Abstract: The unit for feeding lateral flaps of a hygiene absorbent article having: an input conveyor of a first continuous strip; a cutting assembly provided with a receiving drum, of the first suction-pick up heads that hold the lateral flaps and which are mounted to as to be radially movable on the receiving drum, and at least one blade which cyclically cuts the first strip crosswise; a spacer assembly having a pair of spacer drums provided with second suction-pick up heads that receive the lateral flaps of the receiving drum; and an actuator system, which cyclically moves each first suction-pick up head radially between a radial pick-up position and a radial release position, in the area of an output station.

Abstract: A unit for forming absorbent sanitary articles including a drum rotatable about its axis of rotation and having a circumferential peripheral surface movable along a feed direction, first feeding means for feeding a succession of pairs of panels of material facing the circumferential peripheral surface and configured to position each pair in such a way that the respective two panels are facing each other and transversely aligned with the feed direction and second feeding means for feeding a continuous web of material suitable for defining at least part of the main body of an absorbent sanitary article, and configured to position the web on the circumferential peripheral surface of the drum in such a way that each panel projects partly sideways from the web.

Abstract: A crushing mill for crushing fibrous material for a unit for forming absorbent cores in a machine which makes absorbent sanitary articles, including a casing having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening for the fibrous material, a rotor rotatable about its axis of rotation and housed in the casing at an intermediate position between the infeed opening and the outfeed opening. Also provided is an auxiliary opening operatively interposed between the infeed opening and the outfeed opening, with reference to a direction of rotation of the rotor, and adapted to allow feeding a particulate absorbent material into an intermediate zone between the infeed opening and the outfeed opening.

Abstract: Maker machine to manufacture hygiene absorbent articles and having: a feeding line which feeds a continuous strip of impermeable material, which is intended to define a succession of sheets of impermeable material; and at least one operating unit which feeds a corresponding component of the hygiene absorbent articles to the sheets of impermeable material carried by the feeding line by way of an application device; the application device has at least one sucking pick-up head and a conveyor provided with an annular guide which is arranged in fixed position along an application path, a slide which supports the sucking pick-up head and is coupled to the guide so as to freely slide along the guide, and a linear electric motor, which has a stator that is arranged in a fixed position along the guide and a mobile slider which is electro-magnetically coupled to the stator so as to receive, from the stator a driving force and is rigidly connected to the slide.

Abstract: A machine for making absorbent sanitary articles, where each article includes components progressively positioned relative to each other and assembled along a production line. The machine includes a programmable electronic controller device having a shift register, at least one optical inspection system connected to the programmable electronic controller device, and an operator interface connected to the electronic controller. The programmable electronic controller device generates a machine sync signal, a trigger signal for activating the optical inspection system in phase with the sync signal and a shift register shift command. The optical inspection system receives the trigger signal and has a defined maximum response time which produces at least one band of uncertainty. The operator sets with the operator interface the instant of activating the shift register shift command outside the band of uncertainty and between two consecutive sync signals defining a machine step.

Abstract: The machine according to the invention, for making absorbent sanitary articles, comprises a device for forming inside the absorbent article a pad composed of a plurality of superposed layers of absorbent material, a transfer roller located downstream of the device and having a cylindrical lateral surface, and a wrapping unit which is located downstream of the transfer roller and by which the pad is placed between a first sheet of impermeable or permeable material and a second sheet of permeable material; the transfer roller transfers the internal pad from the forming device to the wrapping unit, the forming device also comprises, for each layer of absorbent material, a respective forming unit for cutting into lengths a continuous web of absorbent material fed into the selfsame unit and for transferring the lengths to the transfer roller; the lengths of material fed by each unit are mutually superposed on the lateral surface of the transfer roller so as to form the layers of the pad and the pad itself.

Abstract: A machine for making absorbent sanitary articles includes a device for feeding a continuous strip to a conveyor roller and to a device for cutting the strip into first and second pieces. A unit forms and applies at least a pair of first and second pieces, aligned and spaced by a distance (d), for each absorbent article A first and a second roller each comprising a plurality of units pick up and successively release of first and the second pieces. A plurality of concentric units rotating, independently of each other, about a shared axis of rotation, each carries at least one unit. A motor defines a respective law of motion for each of the units and a mechanism translates the units, between a position for picking up the pieces, at the conveyor roller, and a position for releasing the pieces, at the forming and applying unit.

Abstract: A unit for making absorbent pads for nappies including a forming drum by which the absorbent pad is formed and in turn including on its peripheral surface one or more suction recesses; at least one hood for feeding the absorbent material and peripherally facing at least part of the peripheral surface of the drum; and a duct which leads to the hood and which can intermittently feed predetermined charges of a superabsorbent material; the feeding duct is configured in such a way that the flow of superabsorbent material fed into the hood expands until reaching an extent corresponding to the longitudinal extension of the at least one discrete layer of the absorbent pad.