Disposable diapers help people of any age to live satisfying lifestyles. Consumers expect diapers to be reliable and comfortable. Diaper reliability and comfort depend on the physical characteristics, the quality of the manufacturing process and testing protocols.
Uses
Diapers are used by adults and children and are intended to be used once. The diaper provides an adult with incontinence the ability to move about the community without fear of an uncontrollable void. A parent may choose to use disposable diapers on their children until they learn to use the toilet. The diapers are designed to absorb and hold urine and fecal material until the user can change or be changed into a fresh undergarment.
Physical Characteristics
Modern disposable diapers are created to be thinner and lighter than their predecessors. Some versions of the diapers have hook-and-loop closures to allow users to open and reclose the tabs. Other brands have sticker-type closures that can only be closed once. Diapers can have skin soothers such as aloe, or they can be left natural.
To provide comfort to the user, linings are soft to prevent skin irritation. Disposable diapers are made gender specific. Children's diapers may also have decorative cartoon characters on the front to make them visually appealing to the consumer.
Manufacturing Process
Disposable diaper absorbency is formed by layering polymer and fibrous materials to make a pad. The polymer particles hold 15 times their weight. The body of the diaper holds the pad in position through sandwiching the pad between sheets of polyester, nylon and polyethylene.
The disposable diaper is manufactured beginning with three layers. The first layer is the top sheet, the middle layer is the absorbent pad and the third layer is a backing sheet. The three layers begin as long strips that moved on conveyor belts. The layers are joined with a gluing and heating process. Next, closures are added. Then the strip is cut into diapers, folded and packaged.
Testing
Producers of disposable diapers perform tests to monitor the ratio of polymer and fiber in the pad meets specifications. Significant variations in the ratio will affect reliability.
Other tests determine the actual absorbency and comfort of the diaper. Absorbency test simulates the impact of body pressure on the wet diaper. Comfort characteristics include the placement of the absorbent pad and the texture of the inner layer.
Environmental Considerations
Diaper manufacturing companies are not required to provide material safety data sheets for disposable diapers because they are considered paper products created from safe materials.
The process of manufacturing disposable diapers requires 10 to 20 times more raw materials than cloth diapers, reports Landbank Consultancy. The diapers are not manufactured with biodegradable materials; however, disposable diaper production uses the polymers left over from other chemical industry productions.
