11:30 am - 12:30 pm
AHP Design Advancements II
What's the Deal With Channels, Anyway?
There has been a long-standing trend in hygiene articles moving in the direction of ever-thinner absorbent cores with increasing superabsorbent polymer concentration. Once the core enters into the area of 70-100% SAP, new strategies are needed to end up with a high performing article with the desired intake, rewet, fluid distribution and leakage performance. These strategies are often a combination of changes to the core design and to the superabsorbent characteristics.
In recent years the market has seen a parade of new (or recycled) designs involving adhesives, layers, pockets, embossing, new fibers, etc. One of the hottest trends now is the addition of channels, or areas in the core with lower density or open space. This presentation will discuss:
• Do channels change the performance of the core?
• Do channels change the requirements of the superabsorbent polymer?
• Are channels always needed to go thin or fluffless?
• Are there new ways to measure the performance of thin cores?
• Are there new ways to measure the performance of the superabsorbent?
• What about permeability or other features? How can superabsorbent help provide effective options?
• What are the effective strategies for and how can they be measured?
» Scott Smith, Ph.D.
Innovation Management - Baby Care, Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH
BIOGRAPHY
Scott Smith, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, has close to thirty years of research experience in the field of superabsorbents, both in the U.S. and in Germany. He has played a role in the development of more than fifty patents in this area. As research fellow, Smith works for the Innovation Management unit of Baby Care, and is based in Germany.
