Abstract: This invention relates to machines for the manufacture of tampons, the machines having a first set of n pressing dies arranged around a common central axis for pivotal movement together from a separated position for receiving a tampon blank inwardly toward a common axis to a compression position compressing the blank into a shaped tampon and then back to the separated position. Each such first die has generally converging arcuately curved concave and convex surfaces which define therebetween an included angle equal to about 360/n with these curvatures generally mating respectively with the respectively adjacent convex and concave surfaces of other dies on either side to define a narrow arcuately curved gap or slot between the mutually mating surfaces of each adjacent pair of first dies.