Fameccanica.Data S.p.A. has been granted US patent protection for an absorbent core structure (filed 30 November 2023, issued 11 August 2026) covering a cellulose-fluff pad with shaped through-openings that house a non-woven insert loaded with superabsorbent polymer (SAP).

The assignee, headquartered in San Giovanni Teatino, Italy, is one of the leading converting-machinery builders serving tier-one diaper, feminine care and adult-incontinence lines worldwide. The patent credits Gabriele Sablone of San Giovanni Teatino as inventor.

What does the claim cover?

The granted claim describes an absorbent pad built from cellulose fluff and at least one through-opening elongated along a longitudinal axis. Each opening carries:

• A central section wider than two end sections on either side
• A fluff-free absorbent insert comprising a non-woven layer into which SAP is incorporated
• Two longitudinal channels formed between the insert and the longitudinal edges of the central opening

The insert replicates the hourglass footprint of the opening, with its own central and end sections nesting inside the matching pad cavities.

Why does the geometry matter for converters?

The two longitudinal channels running parallel to the SAP-loaded insert create dedicated fluid pathways that sit in the fluff layer rather than in the high-SAP zone. The hourglass-shaped opening keeps the densest SAP concentration over the pad centre, where rewet pressure is highest, while the side channels distribute liquid outward before it reaches the insert.

For brand owners running high-speed converting lines, the design permits lower total SAP loading for a given absorption target, a recurring brief from sustainability and cost-reduction roadmaps. Fameccanica.Data's claim also separates the insert physically from the fluff matrix, which should ease the disassembly step that recyclability schemes such as the EU's PPWR and Diaper Recycling Coalition pilots require.

How does this fit Fameccanica.Data's pipeline?

Fameccanica.Data routinely patents converting and core-formation technology ahead of licensing to absorbent-hygiene OEMs. The same San Giovanni Teatino engineering base has filed continuations around cross-direction bonding, elastic attachment and core-density profiling, making this grant a continuation of the supplier's core-architecture work rather than a standalone claim.

What sourcing decision does it force?

Procurement teams evaluating next-generation core lines now have a documented, patented structure on which to benchmark competing nonwoven and SAP supplier briefs. Any vendor offering a reduced-fluff, channeled core should map its design against the Sablone claim to assess freedom-to-operate before committing pilot capacity.

IP counsel should also flag the grant to in-house R&D in feminine hygiene and light-incontinence, where the claim's hourglass footprint aligns with the narrower pant geometries most retailers now spec. The patent's filing-to-issue span of roughly two years and eight months places it squarely in the current converting-equipment refresh cycle running through 2027.