• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Applications
    • Technology
    • Market
    • Other
    • Top 40
    • Buyers Guide
    • Hygiene Directory
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Applications
  • Technology
  • Market
  • Other
  • Top 40
  • Buyers Guide
  • Hygiene Directory
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Columns
    Digital Edition
    Southeast Asia Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    eBook
    Top Features
    Fibers Report

    Household Wipes Market

    Sustainable Hygiene Products Gain Ground

    Moist Toilet Wipes Lead 2024 Growth, Baby Wipes Decline, and General-Purpose Wipes Bounce Back

    Dissolvable Wipes. Will They Be the Industry’s Next Big Thing?
    Company Cameo
    Financial News
    Machinery Equipment
    New Products
    Nonwovens News
    Patent Review
    People in the News
    Supplier News
    Top News
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Ontex Introduces bioSAP in Baby Diapers

    Applecrumby Launches Chlorine-Free Diaper

    Essity Recognized by CDP for Sixth Consecutive Year

    New York to Mandate Diaper Labeling

    Autoneum Develops Adhesive-Free Automotive Carpet
    Nonwovens Insights
    Online Exclusives
    Adult Incontinence
    Absorbent Core
    Antimicrobials
    Apparel
    Automotive and Transportation
    Face Masks
    Chemicals / Adhesives
    Construction
    Contract Services
    Diaper, Baby
    Electronics
    Feminine Hygiene
    Fibers
    Filtration
    Flame Retardance
    Geotextile / Agrotextile
    Home Products
    Hygiene Film/Components
    Industrial / Institutional
    Inspection / Quality Control
    Machinery and Equipment
    Medical
    Wipes

    Video Bite: Technical Absorbents Finds Success in Self Healing Geo Liner Market

    Ontex Introduces bioSAP in Baby Diapers

    Applecrumby Launches Chlorine-Free Diaper

    Autoneum Develops Adhesive-Free Automotive Carpet

    Premier Care Industries Expands Manufacturing Operations
    Air Through Bonding
    Airlaid
    Carded/Carding
    Chemical Bonded
    Composite
    Meltblown
    Needlepunch
    Nanotechnology
    Spunbond
    Spunbond/Spunmelt
    Spunlace
    Thermal Bonded
    Wetlaid

    Softbond, A.Celli Collaborate on Spunbond Line

    Freudenberg to Showcase Advanced Foam Replacement at FOAM Expo

    Reifenhauser Reicofil GmbH & Co.

    Enka Tecnica GmbH / Reifenhauser Heinsberg GmbH

    Sandler Group
    China
    Eastern Europe/Russia
    India
    Middle East/North Africa
    North America
    Pacific Rim
    South/Central America
    Turkey
    Western Europe

    Premier Care Industries Expands Manufacturing Operations

    A Look At Megasoft—Asia's Vertically Integrated Hygiene Producer

    CIDPEX Middle East to be Held in September

    Pelsan Tekstil to Add Films Production in North Carolina

    Citadel J – From Round Wipes Roll to Revenue
    Associations
    Contracts / Awards
    Education
    Facilities / Capacity
    Green / Sustainability
    Legal / Regulatory
    Market Data
    Flushability
    Mergers and Acquisitions
    Product Improvement / Innovation
    R&D/Basic Research
    Shows / Events

    Premier Care Industries Expands Manufacturing Operations

    Nippon Shokubai's U.S. Group Company Acquires ISCC Plus Certification

    Joa to Acquire Cellulose Converting Solutions

    Smithers Predicts Growth for Nonwoven Battery Separators

    CIDPEX Middle East to be Held in September
    Chart
    Companies
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Profiles
    Add New Company
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Valco Melton

    Dukane Center of Excellence for Personal Care, Nonwovens and Packaging

    ELSNER

    Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc.

    Alliance Machine and Engraving
    Brands
    Brand Owners
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • Southeast Asia Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Editorial Guidelines
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Buyers Guide
      • All Companies
      • Categories
      • Company Profiles
      • Add Your Company
    • Applications
      • Absorbent Core
      • Adult Incontinence
      • Antimicrobials
      • Apparel
      • Automotive and Transportation
      • Chemicals / Adhesives
      • Construction
      • Contract Services
      • Diaper, Baby
      • Electronics
      • Feminine Hygiene
      • Fibers
      • Filtration
      • Flame Retardance
      • Geotextile / Agrotextile
      • Home Products
      • Hygiene Film/Components
      • Industrial / Institutional
      • Inspection / Quality Control
      • Machinery and Equipment
      • Medical
      • Wipes
      • Face Masks
    • Technology
      • Air Through Bonding
      • Airlaid
      • Carded/Carding
      • Chemical Bonded
      • Composite
      • Meltblown
      • Needlepunch
      • Nanotechnology
      • Spunbond
      • Spunlace
      • Thermal Bonded
      • Wetlaid
      • Spunbond/Spunmelt
    • Market
      • China
      • Eastern Europe/Russia
      • India
      • Middle East/North Africa
      • North America
      • Pacific Rim
      • South/Central America
      • Turkey
      • Western Europe
    • Other
      • Associations
      • Contracts / Awards
      • Education
      • Facilities / Capacity
      • Green / Sustainability
      • Legal / Regulatory
      • Market Data
      • Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Product Improvement / Innovation
      • R&D/Basic Research
      • Shows / Events
      • Flushability
    • Top 40 Companies
      • Chart
      • Companies
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Hygiene Directory
      • Brands
      • Brand Owners
    • Experts Opinions
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • eBook
    • Whitepapers
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
      • Live From Asian Connections
    • Jobs
    • Resources
      • Suppliers Gallery
      • Literature Showcase
      • Web Showcase
      • Home Page Showcase
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Features

    Core Strength

    Low pulp or no pulp, one thing is for sure diapers are thinner than ever.

    Core Strength
    Core Strength
    Karen McIntyre, editor01.05.16
    One of the biggest weight loss success stories in the consumer markets is the disposable diaper. In the past decade, diapers have gone from thick and bulky devices loaded with fluff pulp to a shadow of their former selves, thinner yet more absorbent than ever before.

    Driving thinness are advances in core technology, which have lessened the amount of fluff pulp and increased the amount of superabsorbent polymer, which can absorb up to 800 times its weight in liquid, pulling urine from baby’s skin. These new diapers are not only thinner but more comfortable than ever before.

    This thinness has been driven by increasing superabsorbent: fluff pulp ratios within the diaper core. In 1985, the pulp-to-SAP ratio was 28:6 grams. By 2010, the ratio had evened out at 12:12 grams and has since gotten even lower. This trend has been driven by a consumers’ need for a thinner diaper and aided by more attractive SAP prices as well as technological developments by diaper suppliers and manufacturers alike. The thin diaper not only creates a more comfortable product for the baby to wear, it also lowers freight costs, opens up more shelf space and is more environmentally favorable overall.

    In terms of low or no pulp options, the two most well-known of these technologies—on the commercial front—are probably Pampers DryMax premium diapers, which use a limited amount of curly fluff pulp fibers, and Drylock Technologies, a European private label diaper maker that reportedly makes a completely pulp free core where the SAP is encapsulated between two layers.

    Drylock, led by former Ontex leader Bart Van Malderen, contains SAP within two small pockets formed by a combination of two layers kept in place with a low amount of thermoplastic materials.  These bonds are designed to allow controlled and gradual loosening when SAP are swallowed and expand. This design expands SAP volumes, avoiding a reduction in performance thanks to pressure increases.

    Pampers DryMax continues to be a leading branded diaper worldwide, while Drylock diapers, which are primarily sold as a private label brand, continue to grow throughout Europe. However, industry experts say the absence of pulp in the diaper is not as important as is the thinness of the overall product. In fact, Huggies’ latest generation of diapers are as thin as DryMax and reportedly contain about the same level of pulp but maker Kimberly-Clark has not been outspoken about the core technology. Instead, its marketing efforts have focused on softness and improved fit.

    From a technological standpoint, however, suppliers throughout the supply chain continue to offer ways to redesign the core that use little or no fluff pulp. For adhesive maker Bostik, determining how a low or no pulp core works is crucial to its success in the market, according to marketing manager Courtney Korselt. “We are always looking at the full solution and we are focused on how our adhesives work well with a standard core or with cores with higher SAP ratios. It is really important for us to be in touch with what is going on in the market.”

    Realizing that a change was coming within the elements of diaper design, Bostik began collaborating with SAP supplier BASF to gauge the interaction between the adhesive, the SAP and the other materials within the core. The result of the collaboration is a core design that uses SAP and an adhesive in a core structure that is completely pulp-free.
    This technology is not fully commercialized but is a part of the overall core learning efforts that Bostik has made to better support customers as they move from 50:50 SAP ratios to pulp-free diapers. Korselt explains that the use of pulp or lack thereof varies by geographies. In mature regions, the use of pulp free diapers has slowed with the exception of Drylock but in Asia there are many more interesting and thin products. Most of these are laminate structures that use adhesives or they are a compound core-type structure that can be assembled simply.

    SAP’s The Word
    SAP manufacturers like Evonik have obvious motivation for upping the SAP content in absorbent cores. Many of them have invested ambitiously in recent years and they are now looking for new ways to move that capacity. Manufacturers are offering interesting new technologies and competitive pricing to increase SAP’s role in the diaper core.

    In November, Evonik announced a new technology—developed in partnership with a small engineering company—to make a laminate structure combining layers of superabsorbents and nonwovens to serve as an absorbent core in hygiene products. This unique structure allows the diaper core to absorb and distribute fluid more quickly than competing structures.
    According to Markus Henn, global director, application technology for Evonik, the laminate is flexible and expandable in two dimensions. “This results in a unique structure so basically the laminate has two nonwoven layers and a SAP is placed in a compartment between the two,” he adds. “The specific technology that we are using is elastic fibers in between the nonwoven layers that resembled small pockets containing the SAP.”  

    The structure gives the diaper core a high level of stability. The elastic fibers or strands stick to the nonwovens and form an open cell structure. This ensures that the superabsorbent particles remain at the place where they are needed but also keeps the adhesive from infringing on the SAP properties. Therefore, the diaper is considerably more efficient—rewetting is significantly reduced while wearer comfort is enhanced considerably.

    In developing the product, which Evonik hopes to license to diaper makers, the company ran tests on a number types of nonwovens and even some tissue materials.
    Henn says the type of nonwoven used depends upon the use of the final product. “We have seen some indication of what types of nonwovens work or work better but we don’t really see too many limitations on what should be used,” he says. “The technology really allows the user to finetune the absorbent core and use the materials best suited for the application.”

    Herrmann credits a new helical anvil design which offers a minimal yet perfectly formed contact area per bond point for the technology. This ensures strong bonding while simultaneously displacing SAP granules. Since the process is gentle on the fibers, the bonded layers stay soft to the touch. The core former system enables clean continuous bonding of SAP structures without hot melt; two rotating ultrasonic drums, called sonotrodes, are positioned quarter lambda offset with a newly developed and patented anvil geometry made of helical springs to create perfect elliptical bond regions.





    The result is an ultrathin, yet soft and absorbent core, in which the superabsorbent granules are firmly “embedded” in the middle layer without the use of hot melt. At the same time they are well distributed without the preceding step of a patterned SAP feeding. In conventional diaper manufacturing this is a costly and demanding part of the process. The middle layer—similar in kind and functionality to “ADL” layers in conventional products—is bonded between the outer PP-based carrier and cover layers, and research has shown a better immobilizing function of SAP granules, both in dry and wet state, and a decreased tendency for gel blocking. When unbonded, the SAP granules enter the big pores of the embedding layer.

    On the Line
    Diaper machinery manufacturer Fameccanica has also committed to thinner diaper technology with a number of new forming technologies that reduce SAP content in the core. Among these is Hexacore, a solution for an entirely fluffless core suitable for application in baby diapers, heavy and light incontinence as well as for feminine hygiene pads. This Fameccanica patented structure, with expandable cells, enables the superabsorbent material to expand significantly inside the absorbent core. Also, the possibility to use differentiated glue types makes it possible to create preferential directions for expansion across the cells and to manage core integrity levels accordingly.

    On the lower pulp front, Fameccanica offers a trio of solutions for its customers to use thin cores. H-forming is the re-engineered forming system with a perfect flow distribution and optimal SAP/fluff mix with ratios of up to 50/50 offering pad integrity and weight control. The H-forming system is the standard forming system for machines up to 600 ppm. The U-forming system, which is capable of producing ultrathin absorbent cores with SAP content higher than 70%, is the standard forming system for the company’s high-speed baby diaper machines. The third technology uses intermitten SAP application to provide the advantage of targeting the amount of SAP in the middle of the diaper. This works in combination with the Fameccanica Optisap 700 loss-in-weight dosing system saving on average two grams per diaper.n
    Related Searches
    • nonwoven
    • ontex
    • pampers
    • nonwovens
    Related Knowledge Center
    • Diaper, Baby
    • Absorbent Core
    • Fibers
    • Feminine Hygiene
    Suggested For You
    Avgol Avgol
    Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark
    LifeSavers: Personal Care Wipes Function as an Early Warning Device LifeSavers: Personal Care Wipes Function as an Early Warning Device
    Nice Nice 'N Clean Offers Hand Sanitizing Wipes
    Huggies, Walgreen Address Diaper Need Huggies, Walgreen Address Diaper Need
    Eruslu Hygienic Products Eruslu Hygienic Products
    Nonwovens in Food Packaging Nonwovens in Food Packaging
    2021 Machinery & Equipment Review 2021 Machinery & Equipment Review
    Michigan Researchers Work with P&G to Recycle SAP Michigan Researchers Work with P&G to Recycle SAP
    Nippon Shokubai Earns Biomass Certification for SAP Nippon Shokubai Earns Biomass Certification for SAP
    Daio Paper Launches Medium Term Business Plan Daio Paper Launches Medium Term Business Plan
    Magic Srl Installs Airlaid Line in Italy Magic Srl Installs Airlaid Line in Italy
    What You’re Reading on Nonwovens-Industry.com What You’re Reading on Nonwovens-Industry.com
    Avgol to Add Three Lines In Russia Avgol to Add Three Lines In Russia
    Ontex to Pilot Smart Diaper Program in EU Ontex to Pilot Smart Diaper Program in EU

    Related Sales Reports

    • Avgol

      Avgol

      ...
      09.03.21

    • Kimberly-Clark

      Kimberly-Clark

      ...
      09.02.21

    • Product Improvement/Innovation | Wipes
      LifeSavers: Personal Care Wipes Function as an Early Warning Device

      LifeSavers: Personal Care Wipes Function as an Early Warning Device

      Newly developed wipes detect abnormal glucose levels in urine
      Tara Olivo, associate editor 08.13.21


    • Wipes
      Nice

      Nice 'N Clean Offers Hand Sanitizing Wipes

      New product contains 70% alcohol from plant-based sources
      08.12.21

    • Diaper, Baby

      Huggies, Walgreen Address Diaper Need

      Diaper maker, retailer will donate diapers throughout August
      08.05.21

    Loading, Please Wait..
    Breaking News
    • Radienz Living Adds to Board
    • Premiere Care Expands Operations in Texas
    • Ontex Introduces bioSAP in Baby Diapers
    • Ahlstrom Receives Offer for Abrasives Business From Munksjö
    • Applecrumby Launches Chlorine-Free Diaper
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    June 2025

    • Fibers Report
    • Household Wipes Market
    • Sustainable Hygiene Products Gain Ground
    • Hygiene Goods Continue to Drive Expansion in Fluff Pulp
    • View More >



    Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
    You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    Gattefossé Opens New Facilities in Mumbai, India
    TSI Group Unveils myHMB + Vitamin D Logo
    Indena to Showcase Metabolic, Brain Health Solutions at In-Vitality 2024

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    ChemQuest Appoints Three New Directors
    Chemetall Site in China Receives Recognition from Commitment to Sustainability
    RPM to Announce Fiscal 2025 Fourth-Quarter and Year-End Results on July 24, 2025

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    StimLabs's Umbilical Cord-Derived Wound Care Product Released in U.S.
    New Medical-Grade Bio-Based PVC Compounds Introduced
    Croívalve Reports 1st Tricuspid Coaptation Valve Implant in U.S. Feasibility Study

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    Neurocrine Bioscience’s CRENESSITY Becomes Commercially Available in the U.S.
    Roche's Parkinson's Disease Drug Misses Primary Endpoint
    PTC Therapeutics Submits Vantiquinone NDA to FDA

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    Weekly Recap: Coty Sells SKKN, Henkel Recall, Awards, & More
    Rare Beauty to Host Pop-Up Event with Sephora UK
    Cloud Haircare Expands to Walmart Stores Nationwide

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Cosmetify Names Nikkie de Jager the World’s Most Powerful Beauty Influencer
    Big Lips in the Small Wonder
    L’Oréal’s Bioprinted Skin & Dove’s Deodorant Launch

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    BCF Sponsors Parliamentary Event to Engage with Policymakers
    Weekly Recap: DIC Corporation, BASF, Toyo Printing Inks Top This Week’s Stories
    INX International Launches Innova Plus NCF Nitrocellulose-Free Inks

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    Mexico's Flexopolis adds second Bobst flexo press
    Paramount Labels installs Rotatek Brava 450
    Esko teams with Bobst for smartGRAVURE System

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    Radienz Living Adds to Board
    Premiere Care Expands Operations in Texas
    Ontex Introduces bioSAP in Baby Diapers

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    David Thordarson Takes Charge of American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society
    UPM Biomedicals Launches FibGel Injectable Nanocellulose Hydrogel for Medical Devices
    ONWARD Medical Attracts €50 Million in Capital

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    Weekly Recap: DuPont, SEMI, Sun Chemical Top This Week’s Stories
    ORNL’s 3D-Printed Metal Molds Poised to Accelerate US Auto Manufacturing
    SRI, NSIC are Catalyzing Corporate Innovation in Japan

    Copyright © 2025 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

    AD BLOCKER DETECTED

    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
    Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


    FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login