The Complete Process of Sanitary Napkin Manufacturing: From Raw Material to Finished Product

If you’re an entrepreneur planning to enter the hygiene product industry in emerging markets—such as Africa, South America, or Southeast Asia—understanding the complete sanitary napkin manufacturing process is essential. It helps you choose the right production line, control product quality, and optimize operational efficiency.

Unlike complex industrial products, sanitary napkin manufacturing follows a clear, step-by-step process. Even for beginners with limited technical experience, mastering these steps can help you better manage your factory and communicate with equipment suppliers. Below, WOMENG Intelligent Equipment—with 8+ years of experience in hygiene product equipment R&D and export—breaks down the entire process from raw materials to finished products, along with key tips for emerging market manufacturers.

Before starting production, you need to prepare core raw materials. For emerging markets, it’s recommended to choose easily available, cost-effective materials without compromising quality. The main raw materials include:

• Non-woven Fabric: Used for the top sheet (direct contact with skin) and side wings. Choose soft, breathable non-woven fabric—ideal for hot, humid regions like Southeast Asia or Africa.
• Absorbent Core: The "heart" of the sanitary napkin, usually made of wood pulp + polymer (SAP). It determines water absorption capacity—critical for markets with limited access to clean water.
• PE Film: Used for the bottom sheet to prevent leakage. Opt for thin, waterproof PE film to reduce material costs.
• Adhesive & Release Paper: Medical-grade adhesive for fixing the sanitary napkin to underwear; release paper protects the adhesive before use.
• Packaging Material: Plastic bags or aluminum foil bags (for single-piece packaging) and cartons (for bulk packaging).

Tip: WOMENG can recommend local raw material suppliers in your region to help you reduce transportation costs and ensure stable supply.

The process can be divided into 7 core steps—whether using a semi-automatic or fully automatic production line, the basic workflow remains consistent. WOMENG’s production lines are designed to simplify these steps, making operation easy for unskilled workers.

First, place the raw material rolls (non-woven fabric, PE film, absorbent core materials) on the unwinding mechanism of the production line. The unwinding device controls the speed and tension of the material to ensure smooth feeding—this is crucial for avoiding material jams (a common problem in emerging markets).

WOMENG’s production lines are equipped with automatic tension controllers and deviation correction devices. Even if the material roll is slightly uneven, the equipment can adjust automatically, reducing manual intervention.

The absorbent core directly affects the product’s water absorption performance. This step involves two key operations:

1. Wood pulp crushing: The wood pulp roll is crushed into fluffy fibers by a crusher.
2. Mixing & molding: The crushed wood pulp is mixed with polymer (SAP) in a certain ratio, then pressed into a uniform, thick absorbent core through a molding machine.

Tip: For emerging markets, you can adjust the ratio of wood pulp to SAP according to local needs. For example, add more SAP in regions where high absorbency is required (e.g., rural Africa) to reduce product thickness while improving water absorption.

In this step, the three main layers (top sheet, absorbent core, bottom sheet) are bonded together. The production line uses hot-melt adhesive to bond the layers—no harmful chemicals, ensuring product safety.

For semi-automatic lines: Workers assist in aligning the layers before bonding; for fully automatic lines (like WOMENG’s 1200pcs/h model), the entire process is automated, with precise layer alignment to avoid uneven bonding.

The bonded large material sheet is cut into individual sanitary napkin shapes by a cutting machine. At the same time, the side wings (if applicable) are folded and bonded to the main body.

WOMENG’s cutting mechanism uses sharp, durable blades that can cut through thick materials without jamming. The blade is easy to replace—critical for emerging markets where maintenance resources are limited.

To prevent leakage, the edges of the sanitary napkin are sealed by a hot-press sealing device. The sealing temperature (120-150℃) and pressure can be adjusted according to the material thickness—WOMENG’s digital control system makes this adjustment easy, even for new workers.

Some production lines also add embossing (e.g., dotted or striped patterns) during this step. Embossing helps fix the absorbent core and improves product comfort—an optional feature for markets with higher consumer demands.

Medical-grade hot-melt adhesive is applied to the bottom of the sanitary napkin (for fixing to underwear), then the release paper is laminated to protect the adhesive. This step requires precise adhesive application—too much adhesive will make the product sticky, while too little will affect its fixing effect.

The final step is packaging, which has two forms:

• Single-piece packaging: Each sanitary napkin is wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil bags (to keep it clean and dry). Semi-automatic lines require manual packaging, while fully automatic lines can complete packaging, sealing, and date printing in one go.
• Bulk packaging: Packed sanitary napkins are placed into cartons for storage and transportation—ideal for wholesale in emerging markets.

Tip: For markets with high humidity (e.g., Southeast Asia), choose moisture-proof packaging materials to avoid product deterioration during storage.

1. Choose the right production line: If you’re a beginner with a limited budget, start with a semi-automatic line (500-800pcs/h) to reduce investment risk. As your business grows, upgrade to a fully automatic line—WOMENG’s equipment supports step-by-step upgrades to save costs.
2. Control raw material quality: Use high-quality, locally available raw materials to ensure product stability and reduce transportation costs.
3. Simplify maintenance: Choose equipment with universal parts (like WOMENG’s production lines) to make maintenance easy and reduce downtime.
4. Train workers well: WOMENG provides free on-site training and bilingual manuals to help your team master the process in 2-3 days.

WOMENG’s semi-automatic and fully automatic production lines are designed specifically for emerging markets. We simplify the manufacturing process, optimize equipment adaptability (voltage customization, energy-saving design), and provide comprehensive after-sales support—so you can start production quickly and run smoothly.

Whether you need a small-scale line for rural markets or a large-scale line for urban supply, we can customize a solution that fits your budget and needs.

Fill in the form below to get a free copy of Sanitary Napkin Manufacturing Guide for Emerging Markets, or contact our WhatsApp team for a one-on-one consultation. We’ll help you choose the right production line and walk you through every step of starting your business!