Absorbent articles comprising apertured regions and methods of manufacture and registration are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method of registering webs comprises moving first and second webs in a machine direction, capturing a first image comprising a portion of the second web, filtering the captured first image to determine one or more regions of the captured first image having a light transmittance value greater than the transmittance threshold value, modifying the captured first image with a dilation morphological operation, determining a feature of interest, determining a first difference value comprising a difference in location between the feature of interest and a reference feature of the captured first image or the modified captured first image, adjusting a speed of the second web in the machine direction, and coupling the first web and the second web together.

An absorbent article with a fastening system with reduced waste and method of manufacturing such an absorbent article is disclosed. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article can include cutting a first web of ear tab material to provide a first ear tab that is registered and cutting a second web of ear tab material to provide a second ear tab that is registered. The method can also include providing a web of ear panel material, coupling the first and second ear tabs to the web of ear panel material, cutting the web of ear panel material to provide first and second ear panels to form first and second ears, and coupling the first and second ears to the absorbent assembly to form at least a portion of the fastening system for the absorbent article. The first and second ears can be configured to be different from one another.

The present invention methods for manufacturing absorbent articles that involve the placement of absorbent cores having variable absorbency levels on consecutively aligned absorbent articles within the same manufacturing line. Additionally, the present invention also includes the provision of single packages of disposable absorbent articles that contain a first absorbent article having a first absorbency level and a second absorbent article having a second absorbency level, wherein the second absorbency level is higher than the first absorbency level.

Apparatus and methods are provided to minimize waste and improve quality and production in web processing operations. The apparatus and methods provide defect detection both before and after application of component patches to a traveling web to create a product. Web defect detection may be provided by way of at least one visual inspection station located upstream from the patch applicator. Patch defect detection may be accomplished by way of a visual inspection station located proximate the patch applicator. If defects are detected in either the traveling web or the component patch prior to patch application, patch application may be prevented until both a satisfactory web and patch are provided. If defects are detected after patch application, the resulting product may be culled. Furthermore, the apparatus may be provided with diagnostic software to warn against extant or imminent machine complications.

A machine for making absorbent sanitary articles including an absorbent pad with at least one discrete layer of superabsorbent polymer material includes a unit for forming and applying a succession of absorbent pads, which includes a drum for forming the pad, a duct for feeding a charge of superabsorbent polymer material to the drum and intermittent valve mounted along a stretch of the duct and driven by an actuator. A device detects the superabsorbent polymer material and sends a signal to a control and drive unit connected to the device indicating that the superabsorbent polymer material has been detected. The control and drive unit is configured to drive the actuator to bring the valve into phase with the rotation of the drum when the deviation of the signal from a reference signal exceeds a defined threshold value.

The present disclosure relates to manufacturing elastomeric laminates that may include a first substrate, a second substrate, and an elastic material located between the first substrate and second substrate. Methods and apparatuses may be configured to automatically isolate elastic strands that may break during the assembly process. As discussed in more detail below, the apparatuses may include a snare member extending adjacent to and across a travel path of elastic materials in a converting process. Thus, during the manufacture process, stretched elastics strands may advance past the snare member without contacting the outer circumferential surface of the snare member before being joined with a substrate. In the event that an elastic strand breaks, an upstream end portion of the elastic strand may retract back toward the snare member, wherein the upstream end portion wraps partially or completely around the outer circumferential surface of the snare member.

Device for folding an instrument tray into a packaging material, comprising a supporting surface for supporting the instrument tray during folding of the instrument tray into the packaging material, a first folding plate and a second folding plate, a movable folding aid for fixing the packaging material over a predefined line portion before and/or during the making of a fold, at least one movable clamp for gripping and moving the packaging material, a control unit for controlling the movement of the first folding plate between its respective first and second positions, the movement of the second folding plate between its respective first and second positions, the movement of the folding aid, and the movement and clamping and release of the at least one clamp.

A method for inspecting absorbent articles is provided. The inspection is performed using an inspection algorithm generated with a convolutional neural network having convolutional neural network parameters. The convolutional neural network parameters are generated by a training algorithm. Based on the inspection, characteristics of the absorbent articles, such as defects, can be identified. Absorbent articles having identified characteristics can be rejected, or other actions can be taken.

A method for inspecting absorbent articles is provided. The inspection is performed using an inspection algorithm generated with a convolutional neural network having convolutional neural network parameters. The convolutional neural network parameters are generated by a training algorithm. Based on the inspection, characteristics of the absorbent articles, such as defects, can be identified. Absorbent articles having identified characteristics can be rejected, or other actions can be taken.

An absorbent article with a fastening system with reduced waste and method of manufacturing such an absorbent article is disclosed. The method of manufacturing an absorbent article can include cutting a first web of ear tab material to provide a first ear tab that is registered and cutting a second web of ear tab material to provide a second ear tab that is registered. The method can also include providing a web of ear panel material, coupling the first and second ear tabs to the web of ear panel material, cutting the web of ear panel material to provide first and second ear panels to form first and second ears, and coupling the first and second ears to the absorbent assembly to form at least a portion of the fastening system for the absorbent article. The first and second ears can be configured to be different from one another.