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Use Of Breathable Films & Laminates in the Hygiene Industry

August 30 2010- For different needs of the hygiene industry, different kinds of films are needed. Hygiene back sheets require cast lines and coating lines. Hygiene products with such coatings are used mainly for diapers and sanitary napkins. Breathable films & breathable laminates are important products required for the production of hygiene back sheets for sanitary diapers and sanitary napkins. Let's further understand how breathable films and breathable laminate are used in the production process of hygiene back sheets.

Breathable Films & Laminates in the Hygiene Industry

Japanese markets introduced the breathable films for the hygiene industry uses, back in 1980s. Later in the 1990s the use of breathable films for hygiene industry spread to other parts of the world, namely US & Europe. Breathable films are used mainly for producing incontinence diapers, children's diapers and sanitary napkins. In most of the breathable film diapers, a three layer film is used. The lowest of breathable film thickness is not supposed to go below 15g per meter square. A mono axial orientation feature in the production machines is responsible for generating micro pores in the breathable film. These micro pores are essential features of all kinds of diapers, sanitary pads and panty liners. They are the feature that allows for quick moisture soaking and air circulation. It is these micro pores in the breathable film coating of the diapers and sanitary pads that keeps the skin free of moisture, allows inflow and outflow of air, therefore resulting in comfort and dryness. At the same time they are effective in preventing any kind of leakages.

Breathable laminates are added to a breathable film line. Two things are added to the layout of the breathable films on these diapers and sanitary napkins, to produce a fine in line breathable laminate:

• An unwinding station for the non woven coat
• A lamination station with a porous coating on the head for the hot melt

These two things are added to the breathable film layout and the in line breathable laminate is produced. This particular type of producing in line breathable laminates is quite popular and also preferred since it helps in saving production cost. However, another process for producing a similar in line breathable laminate is to use the unwinds for both – as in the breathable film as well as the non woven.

The above article only touches the part of breathable films being used in the hygiene industry. Apart from the breathable film and the breathable laminate, there are other kinds of films, laminates and coating that go into the successful production of the hygiene industry back sheets. Some of them are : melt-embossed films, melt embossed laminate & coated non woven.