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The Project

Benefit

EU LIFE+ Programme

Dissemination

External Links

Life+ GluelessTM As Natural as we can

Co-funded by EU's financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation
and climate action projects

LIFE12 ENV/IT/000423

Achievements
The Project

Description

The Fameccanica project LIFE GLUELESS™ “Petrol based Glue and Energy consumption reduction in diapers production processes” demonstrates to industry and policy makers that significant environmental impact reduction in Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP), such as diapers, can be realized, with appropriate solutions.

Gluing can be replaced by innovating combinations of thermo welding and ultrasonic bonding, which allow reductions in the use of petrochemical-based glue with significant energy and costs savings.

The project started July 1st, 2013 and ended Dec. 31st, 2016, with the contribution of the Life+ financial instrument of the European Commission.

The PARTNER “Sustainable Industrial Systems group” at UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, carried out Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing to estimate environmental and economic savings.

The Programme

Life+

The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.

LIFE began in 1992 and at present there have been three complete phases of the programme (LIFE I: 1992-1995, LIFE II: 1996-1999 and LIFE III: 2000-2006). During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 3104 projects across the EU, contributing approximately with €2.2 billion to the protection of the environment.

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The Project

Achievements

GLUELESSTM

ADL

Intermittent Elastics

Frontal Tape

Core

Ears Application

Results by University of Manchester

Results by University of Manchester

The removal of more than 65% of glue, by using alternative bonding technology for diaper manufacture, assisted by the improved design of glueless diapers, has led to a reduction in material requirements and a saving of manufacturing energy.

In particular, GLUELESS™ disposable baby diapers have had:

  • 10% (9.5 kg of CO 2 eq./1,000 diapers) lower GWP (Global warming potential);
  • Consume 25% (752 MJ/1,000 diapers) less PED (Primary energy demand) than the standard diapers;
  • 11% less costs per 1,000 diapers.

Savings in EU

Saving results, annual production (Glue + all other changes)

Raw Materials (kt)

192

Avoid municipal waste generation by 405.000 people

GWP (kt CO2 eq.)

184

PED (TJ)

15601

Compensate annual final energy consumption of 270.000 EU households

Costs (million EUR)

218

Innovating bonding technologies in nappies production

Thermal welding and ultrasonic system to replace current gluing processes

LessGlue

LessEnvironmental
Impact

LessEnergy

LessCosts

GluelessTM ADL

ADL TO BE WELDED ON NONWOVEN TOPSHEET WITH ULTRASONIC SYSTEM USING PROPERLY DESIGNED PATTERN

Acquisition Distribution Layers (ADL) are sub-layers designed to accelerate the absorption and distribution of fluid on Diapers, Underpads, etc.

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Design of the Test Equipment
  • Laboratory validation of the prototype with several different raw materials and different patterns
  • Check process stability with Vision System up to 450 m/min or 1000ppm with 100% of flawless products
  • Analysis of weldability of a selection of raw materials (NW Topsheet and ADL) and test of different type of patterns (different design)
  • Analysis of the Fluid Handling performances

KEY RESULTS

GLUELESS™ ADL application on the topsheet, welded with Ultrasonic System, allows:

  • a lower environmental impact
  • a potential glue saving in the range of 9÷15 tonnes/year
  • a potential cost saving in the range of 30.000÷60.000€ per year for each baby diaper machine

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

Comparative tests (methodics defined with Fater partner) of product performance vs. traditional technologies show that the GLUELESS™ solution offers:

  • equivalent or even improved results in terms of Acquisition Time and Wetback of the final diaper element assembly
  • a process stability up to 450 m/min or 1000 ppm with 100% of flawless products

Peel Force Test confirmed a good attitude of NW Topsheet and ADL to be welded.

GluelessTM Intermittent Elastics

CUFF ELASTICS MECHANICALLY FIXED BETWEEN TWO LAYERS OF NONWOVEN IN INTERMITTENT MODE

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Definition of a solution on the basis of a patent owned by Cera Engineering France, to realize the intermittent application in a way to achieve process stability at higher speed than the state-of-the-art
  • Optimization of the elastics entrapment process
  • Design of the kit and validation of the prototype in the laboratory

KEY RESULTS

The GLUELESS™ solution, with Cuff Elastics mechanically fixed between two layers of nonwoven in intermittent mode, allows:

  • a lower environmental impact
  • a potential cost saving in the range of 150.000÷200.000 € per year

for each baby diaper machine.

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

Comparative tests (methodics defined with Fater partner) of product performance vs. traditional technologies show:

  • equivalent results in terms of tension-elongation of the standard application with glue and a process stability up to 450 m/min or 1000 ppm.

Intermittent Entrapment

Fameccanica Patent Pending Solution

GluelessTM Frontal Tape

IN LINE CREATION OF A BACKSHEET WITH LOOP FRONTAL TAPE

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Definition of a new solution, to achieve the result of creating the glueless sealing, without compromising backsheet functionality (impermeability)
  • Analysis of the weldability of a family of raw materials (nonwoven backsheet and material for frontal tape) and test of different sealing pattern designs
  • Design of test equipment
  • Validation of the new solution in the laboratory with several different raw

DETAILS OF THE NEW SOLUTION

The innovation consists of the in-line creation of a complete assembly including:

  • a “loop” material acting as frontal tape
  • a nonwoven carrier (nonwoven backsheet)
  • poly backsheet

KEY RESULTS

  • Internal validation of the product design concept
  • Process stability up to 450 m/min or 1000ppm
  • Confirmed strength of the welding (peel test)
  • Confirmed strength when combined with the fastening tape

Commercial Benchmark

GLUELESS™ Landing Zone

GluelessTM Core

CORE WELDED BETWEEN TWO LAYERS WITH MECHANICAL OR ULTRASONIC SYSTEM USING PROPERLY DESIGNED PATTERN

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Laboratory definition and validation of the Core design with several different welding patterns
  • Design of the Test Equipment
  • Laboratory validation of the prototype including qualification of the technology at the target speed.
  • Analysis of different sub-processes: defibration, SAP dosing and entrapment, core closing and welding
  • Product sampling to achieve the quality and performance tests defined
  • Analysis of Core integrity and Fluid Handling performances

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

KEY RESULTS

Fameccanica has realized and validated a proper Absorbent Core Design, that allows:

  • a lower environmental impact
  • a potential cost saving in the range of 200.000÷300.000€ per year

for each baby diaper machine.

Comparative tests (methodics defined with Fater partner) of product performance vs. traditional technologies show

  • equivalent or even improved results in terms of Fluid Acquisition and Core Integrity.

GluelessTM Ears Application

EARS APPLICATION WITHOUT GLUE REINFORCEMENT

KEY ACTIVITIES

  • Definition of the product structure
  • Study of the glueless fixing process of back and front ears
  • Realization of samples and quality control

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

Details of GLUELESS™ sample

KEY RESULT

In GLUELESS™ solution, Back and/or Front Ear Application is realized without glue reinforcement. It allows:

  • a lower environmental impact
  • a potential cost saving in the range of 40.000÷60.000 €

per year for each baby diaper machine.

Comparative tests (methodics defined with partner Fater) vs. traditional technologies show that the GLUELESS™ solution offers equivalent results in terms of strength of the side seal, confirming that the welding strength is higher than the breaking point of the ear itself.

Conference

Confindustria Chieti-Pescara,
“Financing Innovation”

Pescara (Italy), November 28th 2016 - 40 partecipants

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Conference

HYGIENIX 2016

Orlando, Florida (USA), October 24th - 27th 2016 - 500 participants

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Conference

OUTLOOK 2014

Barcelona (Spain), September 24th - 26th 2014 - 450 participants

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Conference

CIDPEX 2014

Chengdu (PRC) May 14th - 16th 2014 - 300 participants

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Download Speech

Dissemination

Conferences Planning

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