Developing an absorbent material often begins with a specific requirement. It may come from a customer looking for particular properties for a specific application or emerge from research initiated within Magic.

In either case, the work begins with understanding the required performance and exploring how to achieve it.

In the R&D laboratory, raw materials are analysed, initial formulations are tested and the first samples take shape. Development then continues on the production lines, where laboratory results must be translated into a material that can be manufactured with consistent properties.

Understanding materials to develop new solutions

In Magic’s R&D laboratory, developing a new material begins with studying raw materials and assessing the properties that may influence the finished product.

Different components are examined individually and in combination. Their composition, physical structure and arrangement within the material can affect how they behave and interact during use.

Depending on the project, laboratory investigations may also include a closer examination of material morphology to better understand the relationship between structure and performance.

Absorption capacity is often one of the main parameters under investigation, but it is not the only one. A material may need to retain liquid under specific conditions, maintain its structure, meet specific thickness requirements or provide a certain degree of flexibility.

These properties are closely connected. Increasing absorption capacity, for example, may involve changes that also affect the material’s thickness or physical behaviour.

Research therefore focuses on identifying the combination of properties best suited to the intended application, taking the material’s overall behaviour into account.

Laboratory testing and sperimentation

Once the initial requirements have been defined, laboratory work moves into the experimental phase.

Samples and preliminary prototypes are prepared using different formulations and structures, then tested under conditions designed to reflect the intended application as closely as possible.

The results indicate which aspects require further work. Sometimes adjusting the proportion of a component is sufficient; in other cases, the formulation or structure of the material needs to be reconsidered.

Not every test produces the expected result. A material may absorb less liquid than anticipated, behave differently under certain conditions or fail to maintain the required properties. Understanding the reasons behind these results is part of the research process and helps guide subsequent experiments.

Through successive tests and adjustments, the laboratory gradually defines a material with the properties required for its intended use.

From laboratory prototype to industrial production

A material that performs well in the laboratory is not necessarily ready for industrial production.

Samples are developed and tested on a small scale, while manufacturing on industrial production lines introduces different conditions.

At Magic, this transition involves industrial sampling directly on the production lines.

During these trials, process parameters are evaluated and, where necessary, adjusted to observe how the formulation behaves under actual manufacturing conditions.

Differences may emerge compared with the laboratory prototype, requiring further adjustments to the material or process parameters.

Industrial sampling is therefore an integral part of development. It provides information that laboratory testing alone may not reveal and helps verify whether the required properties can be maintained during production.

Different expertise, a shared effort

At Magic, R&D, Quality and Production work together, contributing their respective expertise in materials, manufacturing processes and the specifications the finished product must meet.

Development also involves assessing technical requirements and verifying the regulatory requirements applicable to the intended use.

As testing progresses, laboratory findings are compared with observations from industrial sampling and assessments carried out by the internal Quality department.

This exchange becomes particularly important during the transition from laboratory samples to industrial manufacturing, when the focus turns to ensuring that material properties can be maintained consistently.

A material can be considered ready for production once the required properties have been achieved and can be reliably reproduced under manufacturing conditions.

The development of an absorbent material therefore extends beyond the formulation established in the laboratory. Industrial trials and the contribution of different technical teams make it possible to translate research results into a material suited to its intended application.