Matteo Piantoni, Albino, Italy; and Alberto Perego, Milan, Italy.
Assigned to GDM S.P.A., Bologna, Italy.

Filed: 11/21/13
Issued: 5/15/18

A machine for making absorbent sanitary articles, comprising a feeding device for feeding a continuous strip to a conveyor roller, rotating about an axis parallel to a first direction, a strip cutting device for cutting the strip in a continuous and alternating succession of first and second pieces, comprising, respectively, first and second accessory elements of the absorbent article, a forming and applying unit for forming and applying on a continuous band of absorbent material, fed by a conveyor along a second direction at a right angle to the first direction, at least a pair of accessory elements for each absorbent article, comprising the first piece and the second piece aligned and spaced at an end distance along the first direction; a band cutting device for cutting the continuous band into pieces of absorbent material designed to constitute single absorbent articles, following application of the accessory elements, a first transfer roller and a second transfer roller rotating about respective axes parallel to the first direction, each of the first and second transfer rollers including a plurality of picking units for picking up, respectively, the first and the second pieces, from the succession and their release on the forming and applying unit wherein each of the first and second transfer rollers comprises: a plurality of concentric units rotating independently of each other about a shared axis of rotation, each of the concentric units carrying at least one of the plurality of picking units, a motor drive system for defining a respective motion sequence for each of the concentric units, and a translating system for translating the picking units along a direction parallel to the first direction, between a position for picking up the pieces, at the conveyor roller, and a position for releasing the pieces, at the forming and applying unit.