TISSUE PAPER PRODUCTS, ROLLS AND STACKS OF TISSUE PAPER PRODUCTS, AND MANUFACTURING METHODS

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a tissue paper product including between two and four plies, including at least a first ply and a second ply, the two plies, three plies, or four plies being ply-bonded to form the tissue paper product, the first ply and the second ply being the outermost plies of the tissue paper product, a grammage of the tissue paper product being to 50 g/m2 if a total number of plies of the tissue paper product is 2, 34 to 65 g/m2 if a total number of plies of the tissue paper product is 3, and 55 to 95 g/m2 if a total number of plies of the tissue paper product is 4, the first ply being made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper that has been embossed with a heated embossing roll, the second ply being a structured paper ply.

Claims

1. A tissue paper product, such as toilet paper or household towel, wherein the tissue paper product comprises between two and four plies, including at least a first ply and a second ply, the two plies, three plies, or four plies being ply-bonded, optionally using an adhesive such as lamination glue or mechanical bonding, such as edge embossing, to form the tissue paper product, the first ply and the second ply being the outermost plies of the tissue paper product, a grammage of the tissue paper product being in a range of 24 to 50 g/m.sup.2 if a total number of plies of the tissue paper product is 2, in a range of 34 to 65 g/m.sup.2 if a total number of plies of the tissue paper product is 3, and in a range of 55 to 95 g/m.sup.2 if a total number of plies of the tissue paper product is 4, and wherein the first ply is made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper, the second ply is a structured paper ply, such as a ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT, and the first ply has been embossed with a heated embossing roll.

2. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the first ply comprises micro-embossments with a micro-embossment height in a range of 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm.

3. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the first ply comprises macro-embossments with a macro-embossment height in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, optionally 0.8 mm to 1.4 mm, wherein, optionally, the macro-embossments cover between 1% and 20% of a total surface of the first ply, optionally between 2% and 10%, or between 3% and 6%.

4. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the first ply has been embossed with a heated first embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°, optionally 100° C. to 165°, 110° C. to 165°, 120° C. to 160°, or 130° C. to 155°, and/or wherein the second ply has been embossed with a non-heated embossing roll.

5. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the first ply has been moistened, prior to the step of embossing the first ply, with a liquid, such as water with or without one or several additives, with an amount of liquid being in the range of 2% to 12% of the basis weight of the first ply, or optionally 4% to 10% of the basis weight of the first ply.

6. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the first ply has not been moistened with a liquid prior to the step of embossing.

7. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the tissue paper product comprises exactly two plies, being the first ply and the second ply, wherein the first ply comprises first embossments with a first height (h1), the first height (h1) being in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, the second ply comprises second embossments with a second height (h2), the second height (h2) being in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, the first ply optionally comprises third embossments with a third height (h3) smaller than the first height (h1) (h1>h3); and the second ply optionally comprises fourth embossments with a fourth height (h4) smaller than the second height (h2) (h2>h4); wherein, optionally, the adhesive, such as lamination glue, is optionally applied to tips of the first embossments of the first ply and/or to tips of the second embossments of the second ply.

8. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the tissue paper product comprises exactly three plies, being the first ply and the second ply and a third ply, located between the first ply and the second ply, the third ply optionally being made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper, wherein the first ply comprises first embossments with a first height (h1), the first height (h1) being in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, the adhesive, such as lamination glue, is optionally applied to the third ply at parts bonded to tips of the first embossments of the first ply and/or to tips of the second embossments of the second ply, and/or wherein the adhesive, such as lamination glue, is optionally applied to tips of the first embossments of the first ply and/or to tips of the second embossments of the second ply, the second ply comprises second embossments with a second height (h2), the second height (h2) being in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, the first ply optionally comprises third embossments with a third height (h3) smaller than the first height (h1) (h1>h3).

9. The tissue paper product of claim 8, wherein the third ply has not been embossed prior to ply-bonding, wherein the third ply optionally, is only partially embossed at locations where it is ply-bonded with the first ply and the second ply.

10. The tissue paper product of claim 8, wherein the first ply and the third ply have been embossed together to form the first embossments on the first ply and the third ply, and, optionally, the first ply and the third ply have been embossed together to form also the third embossments on the first ply and the third ply.

11. The tissue paper product of any one of claim 1, wherein the tissue paper product comprises exactly four plies, being the first ply and the second ply, and a third ply and a fourth ply located between the first ply and the second ply, the third ply and the fourth ply optionally being made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper, wherein the first ply comprises first embossments with a first height (h1), the first height (h1) being in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, the adhesive, such as lamination glue, is optionally applied to the third ply at parts bonded to tips of the first embossments of the first ply, the second ply comprises second embossments with a second height (h2), the second height (h2) being in a range of 0.2 mm to 2.0 mm, and the first ply optionally comprises third embossments with a third height (h3) smaller than the first height (h1) (h1>h3).

12. The tissue paper product of claim 11, wherein the first ply and the third ply have been embossed together to form the first embossments on the first ply and the third ply, wherein the fourth ply has not been embossed prior to ply-bonding or has been embossed separately from the first ply and the third ply, and the third embossments have optionally been formed only on the first ply but not on the third ply, or wherein the first ply and the third ply have been optionally embossed together to form the third embossments on the first ply and the third ply.

13. The tissue paper product of claim 11, wherein the first ply, the third ply, and the fourth ply have been embossed together to form the first embossments on the first ply, the third ply, and the fourth ply, and, optionally, the first ply, the third ply, and the fourth ply have been embossed together to form the third embossments on the first ply, the third ply, and the fourth ply, or, optionally, the third embossments have been formed on the first ply and the third ply, but not on the fourth ply, or, optionally, the third embossments have been formed on the first ply, but not on the third ply and the fourth ply.

14. The tissue paper product of claim 11, wherein the third ply and the fourth ply have been embossed together separately from the first ply, or wherein the third ply and the fourth ply are unembossed.

15. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the first embossments are provided on an area constituting between 1% and 20% of a total surface of the first ply, and/or a density of the third embossments is in a range of 25 to 120 embossments/cm.sup.2, optionally 40 to 100 embossments/cm.sup.2, or 50 to 80 embossments/cm.sup.2.

16. The tissue paper product of claim 1, wherein the grammage of each of the plies is in a range of 13 to 30 g/m.sup.2, optionally 16 to 28 g/m.sup.2, or 18 to 24 g/m.sup.2.

17. A tissue paper product, such as toilet paper or household towel, wherein the tissue paper product comprises between two and four plies, including at least a first ply and a second ply, the two plies, three plies, or four plies being ply-bonded, optionally using an adhesive such as lamination glue or mechanical bonding, such as edge embossing, to form the tissue paper product, the first ply and the second ply being the outermost plies of the tissue paper product, a grammage of each of the plies being in a range of 13 to 30 g/m.sup.2, optionally 16 to 28 g/m.sup.2, or 18 to 24 g/m.sup.2, and wherein the first ply is made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper, the second ply is a structured paper ply, such as a ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT, and the first ply has been embossed with a heated embossing roll.

18. A roll of tissue paper product made of a spirally wound continuous web of the tissue paper product of claim 1, the tissue paper product having a first end and a second end, the web of tissue paper product being wound such as to define an axially extending inner hole centrally positioned relative to the roll and such that the first end is located on the outer side of the roll and the second end is located at the inner hole.

19. The roll of tissue paper product of claim 16, wherein a diameter of the roll is in a range of from 85 to 200 mm.

20. A stack of unfolded sheets or of folded sheets, optionally of interfolded sheets, made of the tissue paper product of claim 1.

21-37. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0163] For a better understanding of the present disclosure and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0164] The description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0165] FIGS. 1 and 2 are sectional views of a first embodiment and a second embodiment of a tissue paper product in accordance with the present disclosure, each of which comprises two plies;

[0166] FIGS. 3 to 6 are sectional views of a third embodiment, a fourth embodiment, a fifth embodiment, and a sixth embodiment of a tissue paper product in accordance with the present disclosure, each of which comprises three plies;

[0167] FIG. 7 depicts a manufacturing apparatus with which a first embodiment of the method of manufacturing a tissue paper product in accordance with the present disclosure is carried out; and

[0168] FIG. 8 depicts a manufacturing apparatus with which a second embodiment of the method of manufacturing a tissue paper product in accordance with the present disclosure is carried out.

[0169] The embodiments of a tissue paper product of FIGS. 1 and 2 comprise two plies: a top ply 1, 1″ and a bottom ply 2, 2′.

[0170] The top ply 1, 1′ is in both cases double-height embossed, i.e., it comprises two types of embossments with different heights. The bottom ply 2 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is embossed with one type of embossments. The bottom ply 2′ is either not embossed (not pre-embossed) or embossed with one type of embossments.

[0171] The top ply 1 and the bottom ply 2′ of the embodiment of FIG. 1 have been ply-bonded. An example of where they are ply-bonded is shown in FIG. 1 as region 4. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 1, they have been ply-bonded using an adhesive (lamination glue). However, according to other embodiments, the ply-bonding could, e.g., have been effected using mechanical bonding such as edge embossing.

[0172] The top ply 1* of FIG. 1 is a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT. The top ply 1* has been embossed with a non-heated embossing roll.

[0173] The bottom ply 2′ of FIG. 1 is made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper (and is thus an example of a “first ply” in the sense of the present application). The bottom ply 2′ has been embossed using a heated embossing roll, i.e., with a heated first embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°. It is illustrated with a thickened line, in order to illustrate that it has been heat-embossed.

[0174] The embodiment of FIG. 2 differs from the one of FIG. 1 in that the top ply 1′ of FIG. 2 is a ply made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper and the bottom ply 2* of FIG. 2 is a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT. The bottom ply 2* has either not been embossed (not pre-embossed) or has been embossed with a non-heated embossing roll. The top ply 1′ has been embossed using a heated embossing roll, i.e., with a heated first embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°. It is illustrated with a thickened line, in order to illustrate that it has been heat-embossed.

[0175] A grammage of the tissue paper product of FIG. 1 and of FIG. 2 is in a range of 24 to 50 g/m.sup.2, respectively.

[0176] The embodiments of FIGS. 3 to 6 are embodiments comprising exactly three plies.

[0177] The top ply 1* of the embodiment of FIG. 3 is a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT. It was embossed using a non-heated embossing roll. The middle ply 3 of FIG. 3 is a ply made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper and it was not pre-embossed (prior to the final ply-bonding). The bottom ply 2′ of the embodiment of FIG. 3 is a ply made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper. It was embossed using a heated embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°. It is illustrated with a thickened line, in order to illustrate that it has been heat-embossed.

[0178] The top ply 1′ of the embodiment of FIG. 4 is a ply made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper. It was embossed using a heated embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°. It is illustrated with a thickened line, in order to illustrate that it has been heat-embossed. The middle ply 3 of FIG. 4 is a ply made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper and it was not pre-embossed (prior to the final ply-bonding). The bottom ply 2* of the embodiment of FIG. 4 is a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT. It was either not embossed (not pre-embossed) or embossed using a non-heated embossing roll.

[0179] In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 5, the top ply 10′ and the neighboring ply 11′ are both made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper and have been double-height heat-embossed together using an embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°. The bottom ply 2* of FIG. 5 is a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT. It was either not embossed (not pre-embossed) or embossed using a non-heated embossing roll.

[0180] The embodiment of FIG. 6 differs from the one of FIG. 5 in that the top ply 1* is a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT, that was embossed using a non-heated embossing roll, and that the bottom ply 20′ and the neighboring ply 21′ are made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper and have been double-height heat-embossed together using an embossing roll heated to a temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170°.

[0181] The grammage of the tissue paper products of FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 is in a range of 34 to 65 g/m.sup.2.

[0182] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of (a part of) and embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a tissue paper product in accordance with the present disclosure using a first embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure. In the following, it will be described how the first embodiment of the method is carried out using the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0183] A first ply 15, being a structured paper ply made of TAD, UCTAD, eTAD, Atmos, or NTT, is provided. It is unwound from a first unwinding roll 210. A second ply 25 made of Conventional Wet Press (CWP) paper is provided. It is unwound from a second unwinding roll 220.

[0184] The CWP paper ply 25 is moistened in a wetting unit 150 with water and then heat-embossed between an embossing roll 50 and a counter roll 60. The heatable embossing roll 50 is heated to a steady-state temperature in the range of 80° C. to 170° C.

[0185] The TAD paper ply 15 is embossed between a non-heatable embossing roll 40 and a counter roll 35. It is also provided with adhesive using a transfer roll 80.

[0186] The structured (TAD) ply 15 and the heat-embossed ply 25 are then ply-bonded between the embossing roll 40 and a marrying roll 70. The two-ply tissue paper product 110 is then wound-up on the winding roll 300.

[0187] The only difference between the apparatus of FIG. 7 and the one of FIG. 8, is that the one of FIG. 8 does not comprise a wetting unit. In other words, the CWP ply 25 is, in the case of using the apparatus of FIG. 8, not pre-moistened prior to the heat-embossing step been carried out between the heatable roll 50 and the counter roll 60.

[0188] Each of the tissue paper products of FIGS. 1 to 6 as well as the ones manufactured using the apparatus of FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 has a high absorption capacity, a large thickness (as compared to conventional products with a similar strength), and a high (tensile) strength (as compared to conventional products with a similar thickness). Specifically, the tissue paper products have a good wetness shape memory, i.e., the embossments disappear less than in comparable conventional products when the product has been wet.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

[0189] In the following, experimental examples of embodiments (examples) in accordance with the present disclosure will be compared with conventional tissue paper products.

[0190] In order to evaluate the performance of tissue paper products in accordance with the present disclosure (manufactured in accordance with the method in accordance with the present disclosure), several reference products were manufactured.

[0191] The reference products were manufactured without using any heat-embossing, i.e., without embossing a ply using a heated embossing roll.

Reference Products A (Two TAD Plies)

[0192] A first reference product (“reference A”) consisted of two structured TAD plies. Both structured paper plies made of TAD were provided with a grammage of about 20 g/m.sup.2. The top ply was embossed with a single height embossing design, and the bottom ply was not embossed. Lamination glue was applied to the top ply, and the two plies were then ply-bonded to manufacture a two-ply product.

[0193] The embossing pressure used when embossing the top ply was adjusted such that the embossing design was visible on the top ply.

Reference Product B1 (Two CWP Plies)

[0194] A second reference product (“reference B1”) was manufactured with two CWP plies. Both CWP plies were provided with a grammage of about 20 g/m.sup.2. The top ply was embossed with a double height embossing design comprising some micro-embossing dots. Glue was applied to the top ply at tips of the embossments with the larger height. The bottom ply was embossed with a micro-embossing design having around 80 dots/cm.sup.2. Finally, the two plies were ply-bonded together with a marrying roll.

[0195] The CWP paper used for reference product was selected such that the softness level was similar to that of the TAD ply used for reference product A.

[0196] The embossing pressure between the rubber rollers and the embossing rollers was adjusted to achieve a product thickness of about 0.41 mm.

Reference Product B2 (Two CWP Plies)

[0197] Reference product B2 was manufactured almost identically to reference product B1. The difference is that the embossing pressures were adjusted in order to achieve the same product thickness as in the case of reference product A, i.e., a thickness of 0.45 mm.

Reference Product C1 (CWP Ply+TAD Ply)

[0198] Reference product C1 was manufactured with a top ply being a CWP ply with a grammage of around 20 g/m.sup.2 and a bottom ply being a TAD ply with a grammage of around 20 g/m.sup.2. The top ply was embossed (with a non-heated embossing roll), while the bottom ply was not embossed. The embossing pressure of the top ply was adjusted so that the product thickness was about the same as the one of reference product A.

Reference Product C2 (CWP Ply+TAD Ply)

[0199] Reference product C1 was manufactured with a top ply being a TAD ply with a grammage of around 20 g/m.sup.2 and a bottom ply being a CWP ply with a gram mage of around 20 g/m.sup.2. The top ply and the bottom ply were both embossed (with non-heated embossing rolls). The bottom ply was embossed with a micro-embossing design having around 80 dots/cm.sup.2.

[0200] The embossing pressure for embossing the top ply was adjusted so that the embossing design was visible on the top ply. The embossing pressure for the bottom ply was adjusted such that the reference product C2 had about the same thickness as reference product A.

[0201] The following table summarizes measurement results for the basis weight (grammage), the thickness, the main directional tensile strength (MDT), the cross directional tensile strength (CDT), the geometrical mean tensile strength (i.e., the square root of the product of the MDT and the CDT), the absorption capacity, and the softness of the various reference products.

TABLE-US-00001 geometrical Top Bottom Basis mean ply ply weight Thickness MDT CDT tensile Absorption paper paper (g/m.sup.2) mm (N/m) (N/m) (N/m) (g/g) Softness Reference A TAD TAD 39.4 0.45 215 135 170 12.4 1.7 Reference B1 CWP CWP 39.2 0.41 213 77 128 8.4 1.6 Reference B2 CWP CWP 38.9 0.45 199 72 120 8.5 1.6 Reference C1 CWP TAD 39.4 0.45 195 113 149 11.5 1.7 Reference C2 TAD CWP 38.7 0.45 178 97 131 11.7 1.7

[0202] A comparison of the reference products shows that reference product B1 has only a slightly lower thickness (about 9% lower) as compared to the thickness of reference product A (as the structured ply lead to larger thickness), but the tensile strength (in particular, the CDT and the GM tensile strength) were significantly lower than for the reference product A. Also the softness of reference product B1 is lower than the softness of reference product A. Reference product A is, however, substantively more expensive to manufacture than reference product B1.

[0203] Reference product B2 is an example showing that the thickness of reference product A could be reached despites using two CWP plies, due to embossing each of the plies with a design including micro-embossing dots. However, the tensile strength is much lower than for reference product A (−47% in terms of CDT and −29% in terms of GMT). The absorption and the softness of reference product B2 are also noticeably lower than for reference product A.

[0204] Reference product C1 has about the thickness and the softness of reference product A, but the CD tensile strength, GM tensile strength, and the absorption are significantly lower than the ones of reference product A. Reference product C1 has a larger CD tensile strength and GM tensile strength, as well as higher absorption and softness as compared to reference product B2.

[0205] The top surface of reference product C2 is the same as the one of reference product A (a TAD ply as a top ply), but it nevertheless has a lower overall tensile strength than reference product C1.

[0206] For comparison to the reference products, the following products in accordance with the present disclosure were manufactured: exemplary products D1, D2, and D3 were manufactured including a step of moistening the bottom ply prior to embossing. The exemplary products D4, D5, and D6 were manufactured without any pre-moistening.

Exemplary Product D1 (TAD Ply+Wet Heat-Embossed CWP Ply)

[0207] Exemplary product was manufactured using a TAD ply with a grammage of around 20 g/m.sup.2 as a top ply and a CWP ply of around 20 g/m.sup.2 as a bottom ply. The top ply was embossed with a non-heated embossing roll.

[0208] The embossing pressure used for the top ply was adjusted such that the embossing design was visible on the top ply.

[0209] The bottom CWP ply was pre-moistened spraying some water onto it, using a rotor spraying system. The amount of water added to the bottom ply was around 1.2 g/m.sup.2. The bottom ply was then heat-embossed by a heatable embossing roll to form a micro-embossing design with around 80 dots/cm.sup.2. The embossing roll was heated to a steady-state temperature of around 150° C.

[0210] While the manufacturing was running, the CWP ply was heated up to a temperature that was typically close to about 90° C.

[0211] The embossing pressure for the bottom ply was adjusted to achieve a similar product thickness as for the reference product A.

Exemplary Product D2 (TAD Ply+Wet Heat-Embossed CWP Ply)

[0212] The embossing pressure for the top ply was adjusted such that the embossing design was visible on the top ply.

[0213] The embossing pressure for the bottom ply was adjusted such that the resulting product had about the same geometric mean tensile strength as the reference product C1.

Exemplary Product D3 (TAD Ply+Wet Heat-Embossed CWP Ply)

[0214] The embossing pressure for the top ply was adjusted such that the embossing design was visible on the top ply.

[0215] The embossing pressure for the bottom ply was adjusted to the maximum supported by the embossing unit.

[0216] The following table summarizes measurement results for the basis weight (grammage), the thickness, the main directional tensile strength (MDT), the cross directional tensile strength (CDT), the geometrical mean tensile strength (i.e., the square root of the product of the MDT and the CDT), the absorption capacity, and the softness of the various reference products. The table also indicates the embossing load used for the step of heat-embossing the respective CWP plies.

TABLE-US-00002 Heated geometrical Top Bottom embossing Basis mean ply ply load weight Thickness MDT CDT tensile Absorption paper paper kg/cml (g/m.sup.2) mm (N/m) (N/m) (N/m) (g/g) Softness Example D1 TAD CWP 22.0 38.5 0.46 214 107 151 11.4 1.7 Example D2 TAD CWP 31.0 37.8 0.51 208 101 145 12.2 1.7 Example D3 TAD CWP 42.0 37.6 0.54 197 93 135 12.8 1.7

[0217] Exemplary product D1 has about the same thickness as reference product C2, but a higher tensile strength (+20% in MDT, +10% in CDT and +15% in GMT). The absorption capacity and the softness are similar.

[0218] Compared to the reference product C1, exemplary product has a higher MD tensile strength (+10%), while the level of GM tensile strength, the absorption capacity, and the softness are similar.

[0219] Exemplary product D2 has a larger thickness, tensile strength, and absorption capacity as compared to reference product C2. Compared to reference product C1, the tensile strength and the softness appear to be similar, but the thickness and the absorption capacity are both larger. Compared to reference product A, exemplary product D2 has higher thickness (+13%), about the same absorption capacity and softness, and only tensile strength is lower than for comparative product A (with two TAD plies).

[0220] Exemplary product D3 achieves an even higher thickness than reference product A (+20%), while having comparable absorption capacity and softness.

[0221] It was thus found that the pre-moistening combined with the embossing using a heated embossing roll using one ply made of TAD and one ply made CWP allows to manufacture products with similar properties as comparative products made of two TAD plies, without relying on heat-embossing. However, the production costs of the exemplary products are lower.

[0222] Further exemplary products were made analogously as the exemplary products D1, D2, and D3, but leaving out the step of pre-moistening the CWP ply prior to the step of heat-embossing. In other words, the CWP ply was dry heat-embossed.

Exemplary Product D4 (TAD Ply+Dry Heat-Embossed CWP Ply)

[0223] Exemplary product D4 was manufactured exactly the same way as exemplary product D1, with the exception of omitting the step of moistening the CWP ply prior to the step of heat-embossing.

Exemplary Product D5 (TAD Ply+Dry Heat-Embossed CWP Ply)

[0224] Exemplary product D5 was manufactured exactly the same way as exemplary product D2, with the exception of omitting the step of moistening the CWP ply prior to the step of heat-embossing.

Exemplary Product D6 (TAD Ply+Dry Heat-Embossed CWP Ply)

[0225] Exemplary product D6 was manufactured exactly the same way as exemplary product D3, with the exception of omitting the step of moistening the CWP ply prior to the step of heat-embossing.

[0226] The following table shows the measurement results obtained for exemplary products D4, D5, and D6.

TABLE-US-00003 Heated geometrical Top Bottom embossing Basis mean ply ply load weight Thickness MDT CDT tensile Absorption paper paper kg/cml (g/m.sup.2) mm (N/m) (N/m) (N/m) (g/g) Softness Exemplary D4 TAD CWP 22.0 39.2 0.46 193 107 144 11.6 1.7 Exemplary D5 TAD CWP 31.0 38.4 0.51 192 96 136 12.0 1.7 Exemplary D6 TAD CWP 42.0 38.1 0.54 198 94 136 12.5 1.7

[0227] Exemplary products D4, D5, and D6 have similar physical characteristics as the exemplary products D1 D2, and D3.

[0228] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the disclosed devices and systems without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the features disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only. Many additional variations and modifications are possible and are understood to fall within the framework of the disclosure.