Patent ID: 7059026

Claim:
Process for producing a tampon comprising the steps: a. winding up a portion of length of tape-shaped nonwoven material to form an essentially cylindrical blank having a longitudinal mid-axis; b. pressing narrow strip-shaped portions of a circumferential surface of the essentially cylindrical blank to form a preform, wherein the pressing is directed radially inward relative to the longitudinal mid-axis of the blank over a plurality of portions mutually adjacent in the circumferential direction of the winding blank, and wherein the preform, as seen in cross-section, has a central approximately circular fiber core of high compression and buckling strength and longitudinal ribs of a softer fiber structure with a coarser capillary structure which extend radially outwards from the fiber core and which are separated from one another by outwardly open longitudinal grooves; and c. applying additional force, directed radially inward relative to the longitudinal mid-axis of the preform, against the soft longitudinal ribs of the preform to provide a tampon having a soft, essentially smoothly cylindrical surface, wherein the longitudinal ribs substantially maintain the coarser capillary structure.