Patent ID: 8353890

Claim:
Apparatus for manufacturing a tampon, comprising a device for feeding an absorbent body as a tampon blank comprising random fiber material, the length of the tampon blank corresponds to approximately the length of the tampon, to a press having in inlet side and an outlet side and pressing jaws of identical dimensions, which are positioned in a star-shaped arrangement relative to central press axis and which are movable radially synchronously in a common plane relative to the press axis between their open position and closed position and which support each other at their opposite longitudinal sides in their closed position; a stepped pressing surface at each of said pressing jaws, wherein the pressing surfaces of the pressing jaws form a press opening of round cross section; and each of said pressing surfaces is provided with a pressing knife being directed to the pressing opening, and a pressing shoulder being positioned only at a determined side of the pressing knife and being directed in the same circumferential direction around the press axis; the pressing shoulder is outwardly set off against a pressing edge at the free, inner end of the pressing knife relative to the press axis; a surface formed by the pressing shoulder is greater than a surface being formed by a pressing edge of the pressing knife; an injection device is provided with a discharge rod, which is coaxially movable to and fro to the pressing opening; a transportation device being step-wise movable with cylindrical transportation sleeves being secured in identical transportation distances at the transportation device, wherein said transportation sleeves being open at both ends and having a diameter substantially corresponding to that of a preform that is ejected from the press can be positioned at the outlet side of the press coaxially to the press axis to receive a preform; a final forming station has a dome former being axially movable to and fro, the front face of which is provided with a concavely tapered depression, in front of which one of both of said open ends of one of each transportation sleeve carrying a preform can be positioned step-wise and coaxially for tapering the introductory end of the preform, and said final forming station has a recess former being movable coaxially to the dome former through the other of both of said ends of the transportation sleeve against the withdrawal end of the preform, wherein the wall of the concavely tapered depression in the dome former is provided with pressing ribs and pressing grooves alternating in circumferential direction, such that the introductory end of the preform, during tapering, is provided with collecting grooves being open axially and radially outward and collecting ribs projecting outward axially and radially.