Any engineers or machinists?

[storzech]

Any of you have any knowledge of diaper machines?  I am wondering if it would be cheaper to build one than buy one.

[littleTomás]

Easier to buy, like hands down. Disposable diapers are manufactured in a very complex process and incredibly efficiently at massive scale. Think your average textile mill on steroids with UV lights everywhere to sterilize everything. Here's just a small sample of the process:

 

[messyman]

Machinist here. I looked at some used diaper machines once and they started at $150,000 before shipping. You can buy a few shipping containers of custom made printed diapers for that kind of money. And unless you are an engineer with a lot of diaper making experience good luck designing a machine. And they are huge machines.

[diaperguy85]

machinist here! 

just take that money you'd spend on the machine itself (either purchasing or making it yourself), all the needed raw materials (including shipping), maintenance costs, the facility to put all this stuff, electricity bills, and and and all other bills and use it to set yourself up with top-shelf diapers and all other paraphernalia for the rest of your life! 

[storzech]

What do you think?  Open a store to sell a kinds of diapers from baby to adult.  Then portion a part of the profits to buying a machine.  I hope a brick and mortar store in Lancaster PA would have a market to make money.

[Angela Bauer]

Buying a disposable diaper machine is just the start of a complex problem. Fortunately one of the international pioneers of infant disposable manufacturing has a consulting service.Long ago, when there were many problems making pull-ups my husband and I wanted to make diapers larger than Size 7 which had just reached the market.

We hired Carlos Richer as our consultant. His website if fascinating. I encourage everyone into diapers to bookmark the Richer website:

http://disposablediaper.net/

Even back in 2007 a functioning used up-to-date diaper machine cost over USA$1 million. Usually Richer has several available. Probably building a factory for the machine will cost several times the price of the machine. Finding a vacant factory long enough will be a problem. Then after you have a machine and a factory you will need accounts with firms making the ingredients of diapers. Only a really powerful broker, such as Richer, can make the deal.

The better news is that Richer can make deals to have disposables made to your specs. Besides China, many Central ans South America diaper factories do contract manufacturing. Several have machines making Size 7. P&G designed those machines to make diapers larger than Size 7, but early test marketing showed there was no market once the problems making pull-ups were solved circa 2008. Apparently KCWW built a prototype diaper machine for bigger infant diapers, but by the time the prototype was finished word that P&G was disappointed by the lack of Size 7 and had given up plans to market Size 8 and larger.

Despite the help of Richer we were not able to persuade KCWW or P&G to market larger disposables.

Adult disposables are made on different machines, all of which are far slower. There are factories willing to custom-make adult disposables for a price, with huge minimum orders.

Best wishes.

[Nia]

I'm an engineer and the number of hours in drawings alone is mind blowing never mind the set up if it gets built. Diaperguy85 laid it out very well.

[storzech]

If there is a market.  I should open a trades hobby shop with a special isle for diaper lovers.

[ValentinesStuff]

https://www.andritz.com/products-en/group/nonwoven-textile/converting-nonwovens/hygiene/hygiene-adult/adult-pants

 

I think you would need to contact them about price.